I'm thinking of investing in this method for guitar... PlainTalk... anyone here who has learned from this method?
There's a small thread about it here.... http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?t=4921 - with a word from the man himself (Kirk Lorange), and I'm pretty sure Nick Torres did an in-depth review somewhere - probably have to go via the home-page to find it. Ah, here it is.... https://www.guitarnoise.com/reviews/kirk-lorange/
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
I believe I know what this planetalk is about now. I see why he keeps it a secret. I've come up with a similar idea, but its in the infant stage of development. This isn't a unique idea, but maybe he presents it uniquely and well thought out. I'll post a review after I've gone through the material. Its amazing how many guitarists never know about it, and many over look it.
Guess I'll take the plunge, learn the material, compare with my own, and let all you great guys/gals here know if its worth looking into.
Hi,
I'd say that it's a good product. :)
Kirk Lorange covers a lot of basic musical knowledge as it relates to the guitar in an entertaining way by using a comic strip format which he illustrated and wrote himself. Now also supported by a DVD.
His strength lies as much in the way his explanation unfolds as in the content. There aren't really too many 'secrets' or 'tricks' with guitar that haven't been seen by others - the guitar has been around along time now. :) But many books and theory explanations manage to confuse the reader either with overkill or by not putting the information in a friendly order or fashion. Planetalk does a good job in that regard.
He also relates the theory back to 'his way' of seeing the fretboard. Now I don't think that he's the only person who ever saw the fretboard that way (in fact I know he isn't) but it doesn't seem to be the standard way that you'd find emphasized in regular books, if at all. The shapes he talks about are inherent in the design of the guitar and the way it's tuned - but that doesn't mean that everybody will either spot it or see how that information can be used. I'm an engineer by background, and a puzzle solver by inclination, so when I first started to teach myself guitar I had a good look to see how the fretboard worked. I won't give the game away by saying how, but I saw exactly the same patterns that Kirk did, and also how they could be used. But most people don't seem to look at things in that sort of analytical way. So when I eventually did read the material there was nothing in it that I didn't already know. But I'd already done a lot of theory reading and experimenting, so that definitely does not mean that I don't think it's worth it. Compared to the cost of anything else connected to guitar, or the time you'd spend trying to hunt everything up and piece it all together any other way (assuming you'd spot it all anyway, or realise how you could use it...) then it looks reasonable enough to me.
It's good information, nicely presented and with some extra twists that the majority of people won't have thought out for themselves. There's not really any magic shortcuts - you've still got to put the hours in - but it's full of useful information and provides some good maps to take you a fair way along the guitar journey. What more could you want. 8)
Cheers,
Chris
If you are still struggling to find your way round the fretboard, or are battling with improvisation - this is a really good system for you. Kirks approach is intelligent and economical- it helps you put a lot of stuff together without too much brute memorisation.
If you are more avanced - and have a good grasp of the fretboard and are getting comfortable with improv then you probably already understand what he's talking about.
I keep meaning to order it every time I get paid, but I always forget.
I think this may be the thing im looking for.
Just so im sure is this a course on how to do lead work using scales enabling the ability to solo and such?
Just so im sure is this a course on how to do lead work using scales enabling the ability to solo and such?
It's not a course, but rather a general way of simplifying the fretboard.
Ultimately it is about improvising using chord tones, not scales, as the basic framework. Some of the Planetalk disciples develop a strong disdain for scales, but Kirk often points out that chords and scales work hand-in-hand, and he does recommend knowing the major scale inside-out.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Just so im sure is this a course on how to do lead work using scales enabling the ability to solo and such?
It's not a course, but rather a general way of simplifying the fretboard.
Ultimately it is about improvising using chord tones, not scales, as the basic framework. Some of the Planetalk disciples develop a strong disdain for scales, but Kirk often points out that chords and scales work hand-in-hand, and he does recommend knowing the major scale inside-out.
Yeah...cant understand the disdain for scales part. Chord tones are built from the major scale..they kinda go hand in hand, as Kirk says. I also have plain talk, and I find that my knowledge of the major scale as it relates to the entire fretboard is very helpful when playing chord tones and passing notes. That being said, plain talk is a very good method to learn improvising skill as well as learning to use the entire fretboard. I recommend it.
I may grow old, but I'll never grow up.
does this way of learning/simplifiying the fretboard lend itself to other types of music such metal/shreading solo styles or is it only blues?
It applies to all kind of music...it gives you a good frame to improvise in a melodic way using chord tones as the prior posters said.... sometimes metal uses variations of scales and that's what you are looking for...but if you want to improvise in a melocical way thisi is the place....I think it's a good complement to other techniques (scale learning, etc).
