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The math works because music is all about relationships between notes, not the notes themselves.   Tones are about intervals.  Rhythm is about counting.

But all of that is purely a framework in which you create.   Understanding the theory behind music is a terrific aid in composition, but it is just a tool.   If you don't have a creative instinct, all the tools in the world aren't going to be useful.

I understand it, and it's freaking brilliant. 

I'm gonna play it all over town. 

There are a lot of devices that will do the same thing.  What you want is a "pezieo pickup" or "under saddle pickup."  That will put a pickup on your acoustic and allow you to plug into all the same equipment that the elecric guys get to play with.

That one there is appealing to me because it will work on a classical or steel stringed acoustic.  You'll need to find one that fits your needs.

That's the best way to work through a book, IMO.   It should take a long time to do it.  I've been working through "Scales over Chords" for well over a year, and I'm barely half way done with it.

Don't try to blast through the whole thing, and don't move on to the next thing until you can do the current thing naturally.

And do have fun.  If it's not fun, you're doing it wrong. 

I would recommend you not try to play songs right now, and instead work on strengthening your hands and developing a more sure command of chord changes. 

Playing an instrument is ultimately a technical discipline, and you need to train your hands just like you would for any other physical skill.   Right now your hands are soft and weak.   If you work on training them to some degree, rather than learning a song, you will pick up *any* song you want to play much faster in the future.

It's boring, but it will be much less frustrating for you in the long run if you practice basic major chord progressions and scales for the next month.

Always a pleasure. Please don't be dying on my behalf.   

Well, we call it a "cover" over here in the states.  As in "Clapton covered Robert Johnson's 'Crossroads'"  Which isn't actually true, either.  When Johnson played it it was called "Traveling Riverside Blues."  So I guess that means Zeplin covered it.      Are you familiar with the story behind that song, and Johnson's deal?   What I quoted makes much more sense if you do.

Anyway, I'm also a theory geek, so I need to offer up some theory here.

There are, in fact, several different chords.    There are five generally accepted triads, and a number of seventh chords.

The triads: major, minor,  augmented, and diminished.

The seventh:  major, minor, dominant,   diminshed, half diminished, and augmented.

There are more sevenths, but that will encompas most of what you're going to play.  Each of those qualities can be played from any root position.   So you have offered us one quality of chord.  The major chord.   And for the record, Dylan used more than just those.   Also for the record, the vast majority of modern guitar music is composed of three or four chords.   We call 'em "three chord ditties."

Regards!

-Jerome

That's the first time I've heard that.   I will confess that I'm pretty much in favor of anything shaped like a woman, but I think there are other, more practical drivers that make it so popular. 

There is no "wrong key."  Only different keys.

We call that "transposing." 

Clapton merely borrowed this one....

"You know where you are, Robert Johnson? You are standing in the middle of the crossroads. At midnight, that full moon is right over your head. You take one more step, you'll be in Rosedale. You take this road to the east, you'll get back over to Highway 61 in Cleveland, or you can turn around and go back down to Beulah or just go to the west and sit up on the levee and look at the River. But if you take one more step in the direction you're headed, you going to be in Rosedale at midnight under this full October moon, and you are going to have the Blues like never known to this world. My left hand will be forever wrapped around your soul, and your music will possess all who hear it. That's what's going to happen. That's what you better be prepared for. Your soul will belong to me. This is not just any crossroads. I put this "X" here for a reason, and I been waiting on you."

I think it's because the early grunge guys (Pearl Jam, Nirvana, etc) really liked Neal Young, and were heavily influenced by him, rather than Neil being an actual grunge player himself.