Thanks for the kind words Riggs!
I’m glad I can be of some assistance bro =)
And, yes, taking the plunge into fusion can be intimidating to say the least!
For say a jazz player, heading into fusion could perhaps be like starting out in the shallow end of the pool and slowly swimming out into the deep end. You get a lot more to “stand” on, and a deeper theoretical understanding. You’re laying will thus be much more analytical and perhaps “professional” in a sense. For us guys that are coming from a metal/rock background, and that have skipped the traditional jazz-school all together, it would be more like jumping into the deep end un-schooled and it’s pretty much sink or swim. I would liken myself more to a unschooled swimmer that does doggie-strokes hehe, however this might also mean I have a some-what un-orthodox sound as well, which can be a good thing at times. More unpredictable. In comparison, a guy like Tom Quayle with his jazz-background is like a Olympic Swimmer in comparison, flawless and always on course both technically and theoretically.
What I mean by this is, that IF you want to aspire to play more in the style of fusion that Tom plays, you WILL need to study jazz (a lot!). If you want to play rock-fusion, or even more Greg Howe’ish stuff, you might benefit from having a rock/metal starting point.
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