[osian]

I could have asked this in the 'Memorising' thread but thought the question might have got lost.
I have LOADS of books,in fact I gathered up the ones I have'nt picked up for a while and made a bonfire out of them....................It burned for 3 whole days,aircraft had to be diverted from the pall of smoke and my carbon footprint would put a Yetti to shame.
Anyway,why do (If it's just me then so be it) the authors of these books seem to find the most difficult way to explain things? I bought a book recently (I wont mention the name,not fair as it could be just 'me')which was very highly acclaimed by reviewers and customers alike.Great I thought lets get going........WRONG! Wow! this fella made bar chord theory and other points only slightly less complicated than splitting the atom!
Now then...............................deep breath.....................Has anyone here tried Kurts books? and if so how did you fair?
If they're anything like his lessons on here then I'm optimistic but I hope you'll understand my caution

[starsailor]

I think it depends who writes the book and if they are still in touch with how a beginner feels, I've got one book that is quite good but the first one I got had some dreadful songs, I hated them so much that I couldn't bring myself to learn them, so I learnt some that I liked instead, the book is now keeping my wardrobe level,I think it's hard to write a tuition aid and get the right balance, writers can blind you with Science or patronize you it's hard to find a middle ground. I always liked the Mel Bay books, did they disappear in the inferno or did Mel escape the furnace ?

[Stratrat]

Originally Posted by osian

...I bought a book recently (I wont mention the name,not fair as it could be just 'me')which was very highly acclaimed by reviewers and customers alike.Great I thought lets get going........WRONG! Wow! this fella made bar chord theory and other points only slightly less complicated than splitting the atom!...

If you're talking about "Fretboard Logic", I agree wholeheartedly. I didn't find anything "logical" about it.

Originally Posted by osian

...Now then...............................deep breath.....................Has anyone here tried Kurts books? and if so how did you fair?
If they're anything like his lessons on here then I'm optimistic but I hope you'll understand my caution

Many of us have - and many of us were equally skeptical before purchasing it. Check out the "Testimonials" forum, there are tons of reviews of Kirk's book from members here. Speaking only for myself, it taught me more than I ever learned from any of the other books, and broke it down in a much more practical, easy to understand manner. Do a Google search for "PlaneTalk" also - if his book was garbage, you'd find it being slagged on webpages and/or forums around the net.....but that's definitely not the case.

[eddiez152]

Sound like you need a session with Kirk's Plane Talk !
This is one book and CD that won't hit the burn pile I can assure you.

[joemerc]

hey witchy woman, are you on commision here ((lol))joking of course

[Stratrat]

Originally Posted by WitchyWoman

....It will depend on what level you are playing. If you want someone to teach you haw to change smoothly from a C chord to an Am, or how to do a DUDU DDU strum pattern it's not for you...

Agreed. PlaneTalk is not geared for an absolute beginner to the guitar who's still trying to figure out the very basics - it won't teach you that. However, I still think it's useful to a beginner in that it teaches theory in a very easy-to-understand manner - stuff that might not be applied right away, but it can be digested gradually and will speed up the learning curve once you get beyond chord changes and strumming patterns.

[X4StringDrive]

Osian, I still have enough books lying around to keep that fire going for another few days if your interested..lol.

I know exactly what your saying, about all the writers thinking they are explaining it in such a simple manner that a person must be missing some marbles if they can't figure out how to comprehend what they wrote.

Kirk's Plane Talk is what your looking for, I presume based on your "years of playing". Sure its not for learning how to begin playing, but to me{and i've only had my copy a month or so} its been awesome for learning how to understand...#1-the fretboard and how to see and make use of it "all", and #2-how to improvise in a personal yet correct to the musical aspect of any tune{The #s are just my take and not meant as an order}. I'm sure theres much more involved with plane talk, this is as far as i'm at with it at the present time, and I'm so happy with the amount of info its provided, that I don't know how to express my gratitude to Kirk for making it available.

The only books on guitar I can ever see me buying in the future, will be Tab/Sheet music books.....

[Teddy Madison]

I don't have plane talk but I can tell you, books are only as good as you are willing to learn. I started lessons at 36 buck a week to make myself do what I need to do. Don't get me wrong, I love to play, but I am also a slacker lol. Knowing I have to sit face to face with someone who makes me look like an infant drives me. Books can't do that for me.

Wayne

[osian]

OK! I'VE BOUGHT THE BOOK! 'Plane Talk' that is,when it arrives it will face one of it's sternest critics and toughest(dumbest?)pupils to date! rest assured I'll give it my best shot...........so watch this space.

[coldethyl]

Originally Posted by osian

OK! I'VE BOUGHT THE BOOK! 'Plane Talk' that is,when it arrives it will face one of it's sternest critics and toughest(dumbest?)pupils to date! rest assured I'll give it my best shot...........so watch this space.

I'm sure you won't be disappointed osian. I've found Plane Talk to be one of the most easy to understand books around. It's very well set out and explained in a way that cuts out the BS and gets down to the nitty gritty.

But anyway, you'll see for yourself when you get it!

[osian]

Thanks Neil,I'm really looking forward to working with it.

[scott58]

I think starsailors comment on how "in touch" the author is, is dead on. I'll have to check out Plane talk, but out of several hundred $$$ worth of "beginner" stuff i own very little of it is actually geared towards the beginner. Out of a couple of dozen DVD's and books (if stacked would stand taller then I am) I can hold what i consider beginner stuff in one hand. Not to say it's bad (well some of it has no value), but it's more intermediate stuff and above. About the only thing I feel comfortable (that i actually have experience with) recommending for a true beginner is Esteban's stuff. Although the package quality is questionable (the guitar needed some serious setup work) the instructional dvd's are still superior to any other beginner stuff I own. it was well worth the price just for that.

[justinthyme]

All I know is I could have saved a fortune in books if I'd found PT earlier. As to technique - not sure you can pick that up from a book, but there are many excellent self-taught guitarists out there who might disagree.

[osian]

I purchased 'Plane Talk' a few weeks ago but haven't until now had time to get into it,now that I have the time to really get 'stuck into' it can anyone tell me what I need to or really should know before starting?
At first glance it looks really novel and accessible,although those roman numerals look a bit worrying!
For instance, do I have to be conversant with scales?
Do I need to know the notes of the entire neck?
If that's so then that's what I'll do as I'd rather not 'back track' half way through.
Thanks.
PS. If you read my original post you'll understand my caution,and if I get stuck...do I burn it or call in here for advice?

[knight46]

Osian,
DO NOT BURN...this is probably the best teaching aid ever. You should probably login to the Plain Talk forum to ask questions. All the support you could ever ask for, bar none.