Product Details

• Actors: Tomo Fujita
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Rittor Music
• DVD Release Date: January 1, 2005
• Run Time: 55 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00076YPQ2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,160 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

ACCELERATE YOUR GUITAR PLAYING - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great teacher/player shares useful exercises for guitarists of all levels, September 21, 2005

By 

Eddie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Accelerate Your Guitar Playing DVD (DVD)

Tomo Fujita is not only an excellent player, but also a superb teacher (Berklee).
The DVD starts off with Tomo playing for approximately 3 and a half minutes, and then introducing himself and the DVD, as well as his gear. He then proceeds to show how to use a metronome in terms of emphasizing the 2 and 4 beats, like a snare drum, and briefly explains some basics on holding the guitar, picking, etc.
At around 6 minutes, we begin with exercise 1.

The DVD is divided into 4 sections, and demonstrations by professor Fujita.
The 4 exercise sections are also included in an accompanying booklet (around 80 pages).
Section 1: Fingering and picking exercises.
Section 2: Understanding the fretboard intervals and ear training.
Section 3: Rhythm, muting, and sight reading.
Section 4: Blues changes and one chord grooves.

The exercises should give the student an idea of what to practice (i.e., maintaining the fretting fingers close to the fingerboard, reducing the distance the pick travels, using dynamics, etc.). They are useful to illustrate what to do and how to do it. The DVD provides a clear view of both the right and left hands. With this information, the student can (and should) expand on these exercises. For example, by doing them in different strings or by doing them all across the fretboard. The accompanying booklet also provides many tips on how to practice, as well as the purpose of the exercise and ways to practice the exercise.
Section 1 ends before 11 minutes, but it has sufficient material to keep you practicing for weeks!

This brings my "preliminary" review to an end. While I have watched the whole DVD, I'm still in the first section of exercises. I've been playing for 19 years and have greatly benefited from this DVD. I wish I had something like this when I was starting out.
I am familiar with most of the material included, or variations of it. I'm focusing more on the first section, and probably will go quicker through section 3 for example, since I have done many of those sight reading exercises in the past.
Tomo puts everything in a well organized, easy to use package, and each student can focus more or less of their time and effort in the specific areas they need to improve upon.

Maybe I'll update the review later on, but for now I wanted to HIGHLY recommend this DVD, given that there are no other reviews yet. I've purchased DVDs that I've sold after watching them once. This one is definitely a keeper, destined to be watched again and again.

Thank you Tomo!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For intermediate/advanced players, March 25, 2008

By 

Bel (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Accelerate Your Guitar Playing DVD (DVD)

This DVD is jam-packed with useful exercises and demonstrations of how to practice to improve your technique, ear, and rhythm playing. Fujita is an excellent player and he shows just how much great music one guitarist alone can make through his demonstrations of different styles.

The DVD booklet has transcriptions of just about everything Fujita plays, but even with the transcriptions it will take most people a lot of repeated viewing and listening to get the subtleties of his playing in the different style demonstrations.

If you are looking for hand-holding, this DVD is not for you. For the more advanced player that is willing to put in the work of listening and thinking for himself, this DVD is a great value.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Review, December 1, 2010

By 

boogie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Accelerate Your Guitar Playing DVD (DVD)

This book is very good if you are wanting to work on the foundations of your playing. It has a lot of finger excercises and rudiment type drills.

I was looking for something that I could use right away, and impliment into my playing and did not really feel like I found it here. If you have the time and dedication I'm sure the instruction can help, but if you don't want to go back to the basics than I would look elsewhere.

I was looking for maybe some new rhythms or approaches to lead playing, maybe some new insight into my approach, but got more of an elementary feel.

It's kind of like the difference between learning how to read the basic notes vs giving some ideas on how to put them together. The instruction has merit, but if you have been playing for a long time and want a little more meat than milk, I would say it's not here.