[Cyrus Brooks]

G'day all. Cyrus from Sydney. Self-confessed bedroom guitar player. Got a Maton m225, nice as anything. Plus electric Charvel Fusion custom (humbucker plus 2 mini-humbuckers, 24 frets, pointy headstock!).

I "know" chords, scales and some progressions. I know some songs and solos. I can play stairway to heaven, Smooth, Hotel California, Rainbow - Since You've Been Gone, Under the Bridge, Tesla - Signs, different things.

I found this forum and something really "struck a chord" with me (sorry about the pun).

KIRK SAID: Most players approach improvisation through scales and modes. I dabbled with them myself, many years ago, and never made them sound like anything but scales.

That is totally me. Plus, I don't know how to think with the scales and notes to really improvise and make it sound anything other than scales. It's sort of like if you learn something well enough, you can THINK with it, and so say the right thing at the right time.

People who can smooth talk anybody or are good on the radio or TV, stand up comics, etc. It's a bit like that. People who learned debate in school for example. They seem to know their stuff well enough to think outside the practice session of scales and chords.

So I can practice and I can learn songs. But I need help "putting it all together" so I can think with it. So I know why the artists wrote what they wrote and what makes it sound good, so I can improvise, create, etc...

How about it?

I checked many threads, but it still didn't answer it for me... (thanks for all feedback on this...)

[Aunt Doty]

Check out the testimonials about Planetalk. Sounds like you would benefit from Kirk's unique way of looking at the fretboard! Good luck!

[Tekker]

Absolutely, I just got PlaneTalk yesterday and have already read all the way through the book and watched the DVD. It is exactly what you're looking for.

-tkr

[justinthyme]

Listen to the converts!

Welcome to the forum!

btw - I am one too ...

[scotty_b]

Hey
What part of Sydney are you from?
With your theoretical knowledge you will benefit immensely from Planetalk. The ideas presented therein will give you a lot of things to think about after you read it, and you will be able to apply them straight away.

[Stratrat]

+1 on PlaneTalk. It'll make it all come together for you.

[Cyrus Brooks]

Originally Posted by scotty_b

Hey
What part of Sydney are you from?
With your theoretical knowledge you will benefit immensely from Planetalk. The ideas presented therein will give you a lot of things to think about after you read it, and you will be able to apply them straight away.

I work near the city (Sydney CBD - Central Business District, i.e. downtown) and live in Dundas (21km west of CBD). I've been here over 10 years, but original raised in LA (born in Boston, go via Texas, LA, Japan then Sydney land of Oz, whoever thought the rainbow ended here?).

I've read a couple CAGED books and Roadmap and things. It helped a little. But still couldn't make me think with it. What's different in this system?

A friend commented to me the other day on another skill, radio. She commented saying when they asked a question, I just knew what to say. Or even in answering some media comment in writing, newspaper media, I could answer things so well, and word things so well. I didn't have to "think". Perhaps I knew my tools and subjects well enough to just do it rather than think-think-think- and be all introverted wondering if this fit with that, etc.

Then in getting on this forum, I thought it was similar. I seem to know (I admit, I could still know scales, songs, chords much better and I've been bad at keeping up practice, my discipline has always been bad)--know a bunch of things, but all in a seemingly disrelated way.

Kirk describes getting on stage with someone he really hasn't played with before, and just sort of talking with the guitar to the other musicians and answering them in kind and really "saying the right things" at the right time.

I have 2 lessons I need to learn, first is the more basic of basic improves, and how to make any type of improve, melody or soloing sound good. Second would be doing it in the right context of the song or the way the other musos are going.

With all my reading and the above posts this is what I am thinking....

[AEngland77]

Cyrus- I am actually having that same problem you are. Welcome to the club I should say.. All I do is doodle around on that same pentatonic scale and move it up and down the board. It sounds good to me for just playing for 4 months- but I want a better product. Thanks alot for posting this- I was just about to make one similar to yours.

Gotta buy my new amp and my guitar back from the shop before I can really play with any sort of confidence. Acoustic is ok sometimes.. But there is something about the electric that makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.. and my rock guitar for dummies and guitar for dummies book doesn't have a whole lot on improv- they are more of an overall view of the guitar world and things to get you started.

Thanks,
Aubrey

[Kirk Lorange]

Hi Cyrus ... thanks for ordering. You should have it in a couple of days.

I have yet to get my hands on a Fretboard Logic book but from what I understand, PT is much more user friendly. What I was always looking for as a player was a simple "constant", something I could always refer back to quickly no matter what I was playing, something that would tie everything together. The simple mindset that PT teaches does just that. I really never think of anything beyond that now. I like to think of PT as one layer deeper than CAGED and I doubt you could go any deeper. It really is as simple as it gets, but you'll soon see that the ramifications are endless.

Get back to us once you've digested it all and don't forget you can join the private forum. Write me with your preferred username as I disabled the "Register" function due to spam.

[Cyrus Brooks]

Originally Posted by AEngland77

Cyrus- I am actually having that same problem you are. Welcome to the club I should say.. All I do is doodle around on that same pentatonic scale and move it up and down the board. It sounds good to me for just playing for 4 months- but I want a better product. Thanks alot for posting this- I was just about to make one similar to yours.

Gotta buy my new amp and my guitar back from the shop before I can really play with any sort of confidence. Acoustic is ok sometimes.. But there is something about the electric that makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.. and my rock guitar for dummies and guitar for dummies book doesn't have a whole lot on improv- they are more of an overall view of the guitar world and things to get you started.

Thanks,
Aubrey

Hi Aubrey! Welcome to the guitar world. It goes in your blood and doesn't ever come out (like for me, motorcycles, pool (billiards), and the Sydney beaches).

I have bought the book, PlaneTalk, and like others, only after a short time, I recommend it. This book and DVD is actually dirt cheap, as eventually you pay more buying other books that don't get you anywhere. Besides, if you pay for 2-3 lessons, that would pay for the book and I would say this will give you more than 2-3 personal lessons.

As to amps, acoustics, electrics. I say, buy them all. The more the better!

Of course, I'm infected with G.A.S. guitar acquisition syndrome. I would have a roomfull if I had the space. I had 5 at one time. I'm down to a beautiful acoustic, and hot 24 fret electric and that'll do for now.

I had a Marshall MG50 amp. It's not tube, but sounded fantastic.

But if you are not playing on stage, I would only go 30 watts max. I could only turn my amp up to TWO on the volume knob without the cops likely coming around.

Just remember, you can always upgrade, so try to get something you like that you will USE.

Cheers,

Cyrus