elegant (adj.):
Combining simplicity, power, and a certain ineffable grace of design.
In a word, the theory described in
PlaneTalk is "elegant". Once absorbed, it gives you a perspective of the guitar which is at its core incredibly simple, but at the same time very powerful. At first, I was skeptical that there was any trick to understand the guitar. I thought there was no way to avoid having to learn thousands of songs, chords, scales, modes, arpeggios, harmonies, and double stops. Websites had convinced me that if I didn't learn to read sheet music or memorize where every note is on the fretboard, I was going to go to hell.
After reading through the book twice, the fretboard looks much less scary. Every time I play a song, scale, chord, or whatever, I can actually understand what's going on! I feel I am slowly earning my freedom from the confinements of rote memorization. Kirk knows his audience, and the book is written in a very friendly and understandable style. The PlaneTalk forum is filled with warm and talented people, and somehow Kirk manages to post in many of the threads.
Now, when I look at my guitar, I don't see a stubborn old box all locked and obscured-- I see possibilities and potential.