Monday March 29, 2010 – Home
If it had be one of those glorious New York days, Jaxie and I would probably have taken the train into the city early, hung out a bit, and then come back in time to make the 4:45 flight back to Seattle. But, it was a yucky, rainy day. Jetlagged as we were, we were both up pretty early. She called, and we decided to sit in my room. After sitting, we looked out the window, and agreed that the trip to the city would just not be a lot of fun. So the plan became to stay here until check-out time, shuttle over to the terminal, get to our gate and plant ourselves for reading and work, probably grabbing some lunch. Not a terribly stimulating way to spend a day, but extra excitement was not particularly appealing today.
Over breakfast we began talking about how to go about setting up the Seattle Circle Music School. That may or may not be the name, but it gives me something to focus on. Our sense was that the core brainstorming team would be herself, me and Tony. Called Tony to confirm that he is in.
The sense is that there are a couple of things to be done right away. One is to begin to hammer out the mission/vision. Not necessarily the full/final thing, but something that very clearly lays out the intention and the essential principles. In this way, as we look for/at people who are going to be key, we will have some clarity in terms of what we are presenting them with, and give them a chance to determine for themselves the resonance. The other is to begin to look at the roles that need to be filled right away, and to imagine who they might be. We will of course be putting this out there for anyone in the Tuning the Air family who might see themselves in this project, but we don’t want to put the onus of this project on that team. So will very certainly be looking for people from a wider circle, and very soon. We jotted down a few bullet points and began for hone things just a bit – spitballing at this point, but learning how to recognize what is essential, as contrasted to ideas – good, clever and bright.
Back up to the rooms. I took another shower – after a week in Sassoferatto, actual water pressure is a joy. I let the TV run for a while, and then sat down to write this and address a few other bits of reading and writing. Jax quit her room about 11am and came over and we continued the brainstorming until a little before noon, when we checked out and caught the noon shuttle over to our terminal at JFK.
2:36pm
Sitting at the gate. Boarding passes in hand. Display indicates this flight will be departing for Seattle in about 2 hours. Cautiously optimistic. Had a meal. Did my SSG homework. Ready to veg.
10:54pm
Home. Exhausted. Luggage-free.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
March 28/29, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course – Day 2 of Eternal Travel
March 28/29, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course – Day 2 of Eternal Travel
Travel from Sassoferrato, Italy to Seattle
Sunday March 28, 2010
To begin with, Europe went to Daylight Saving Time at 2am Sunday morning, adding insult to injury.
Travel from Sassoferrato, Italy to Seattle
Sunday March 28, 2010
To begin with, Europe went to Daylight Saving Time at 2am Sunday morning, adding insult to injury.
- 4:15am Europe Daylight Saving Time – Alarm went off. I was asleep, for real. Not sure when I actually fell asleep, but it wasn’t much more than an hour earlier.
- 5:00am – Meet the team downstairs. Ten of us heading to the airport in a cab, a car, and a van for luggage.
- 6:00am – Arrive Ancona Aeroport. Check in relatively easy.
- 7:00am – In the air.
- 7:28am – Land in Rome. A trip to a restaurant for a little food and some good coffee. Amble to the gate. So far, so good.
- 11:00am – The beginning of 9 hours of transatlantic fun.
- 3:00pm Eastern Time – Touch down at JFK. Deplane. No wait for Immigration. Bit of a wait for luggage. No wait for Customs. Say goodbye to Bill. Re-check luggage. Go to American Airlines. Because it is less than 45 minutes from departure time, American refuses to issue boarding passes to Jaxie and me.
- 4:00pm – Commence several hours of yelling. The most amusing – convincing Al Italia that Jaxie and I needed two rooms for the night, not one. I mean, we’re close, but not that close. Their argument was that as we were traveling together, by policy we were entitled to one room. Our argument was that, by policy, they could go straight to hell. Our policy trumped theirs.
- 6:00pm – Check into crappy airport Holiday Inn, “courtesy” of Al Italia. Grab a shower. Do some emailing. Make a phone call or two. Hallways smell like cigarettes and marijuana.
- 7:00pm – Meal and much needed drink in hotel restaurant, “courtesy” of Al Italia.
- 9:00pm – To our hotel rooms (plural!) where passing out is on the menu.
- 1:00am, 4:00am and 6:00am – wake up.
- 7:30am – Sitting in room 421.
- 8:15am – Breakfast “courtesy” of Al Italia. Brainstorming on mission/vision of Seattle Guitar School, including call to Tony.
- 10:00am – Back to rooms for personal work.
- 12noon – Check out of hotel, shuttle to terminal.
- 4:45pm – Plane pulls away from gate, goes directly to holding area where it shuts engines down and waits for an hour.
- 6:00pm – Plane gets in queue and 20 minutes later takes off. Six hour flight blissfully uneventful.
- 9:10pm Pacific Time – Touch down in Seattle. Meet the Williams clan at baggage claim. Have a word with both American and Delta regarding the absence of luggage, including guitars.
- 10:15pm – arrive home to peeved, but cuddly, cat.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday March 27, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 7
Saturday March 27, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 7
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
8:54am
The “course cold” is making the rounds. It doesn’t seem particularly virulent, thankfully, but widespread low-key sniffling, sneezing and hacking is noticeable. So far, I think I have dodged that bullet. Just a few more hours of vigilance needed.
My body was a wreck this morning. I awoke once before daylight, a little confused about where I was and what time of the day it might be, but made it back to sleep pretty readily. Then I re-awoke just before my alarm went off, as usual. My entire body was tingling, literally from head to toe, with that feeling I usually experience late at night when I have been up far too long, and I am in total exhaustion; my yawns go straight to the soles of my feet. It would seem that last night’s performance might have been a little more physically grueling than I had given it credit for. I could tell by my mental and emotional state that it had taken its toll in those respects, but I hadn’t quite allowed for the sheer physical demands. I resisted getting out of bed for as long as possible.
I just checked, and that was the third time I have used the word, “grueling”, in my journal this week.
Sitting, nevertheless, was quite good and clear. At one point a police car was screaming nearby, and seemed to be going around in circles and never getting farther away, until after what seemed like five minutes the sound finally dopplered off into the distance. I found myself wondering what it would be like to have to go through life making that sound where ever I went. But then it occurred to me that, basically, we all do. Some of us are just more literally audible than others.
Doing some pre-packing this morning to avoid the crunch. Nothing ever quite fits back the way it came. Plus, during the morning sitting I found myself wondering when Daylight Saving Time begins in Europe, and sure enough on the board this morning appeared a reminder that it is tonight. Cruel irony. Many of us need to be on a 7am flight from Ancona, which is an hour+ drive from here. Almost tempted to just stay up tonight. That rarely works in practice, even though it always sounds good in concept.
3:45pm
More or less a gentle day. A morning meeting for reflections, observations, comments, and points of seeing. I had something cooking, but when I thought about it I found I missed what was being said, and I felt I was primarily there to listen. So I let it go, for the final meeting or not at all. Tai Chi. Lunch. A walk with a friend in the beautiful sunny (though not altogether warm, it turns out) weather. Back to some work in the House, in my case giving my bathroom a good scrubbing. Soon, Tea. I believe I have meetings for the rest of the afternoon.
1:30/2:30am – Europe about to go to Daylight Saving in about 30 minutes.
The day took an interesting turn. Basically, the course was over, but we had details to take care of. Some meetings that were supposed to happen, didn’t. Some surprises. I got most of my packing done. Cleaned my room for the last time. Thought I’d take a shower, knowing that at 4am I would not be in the mood. Just as I was about to go for it, an emergency arose that took my attention almost until supper. It was very good, on a human level, but it wrecked my schedule. Supper was full of too many music performances, getting in at the last minute what had been put off all week. Some of it fun, but for me too much. I wanted to be with the people around me. After supper, finally a shower, and then the final meeting.
After the final meeting, which ended a little after 11:30, there was a merchandise opportunity in the dining hall. I had nothing to sell, but I did have a computer loaded with GC History related photos, so I set up a slide show and hosted, pointing out all the interesting characters, in come cases to the interesting characters themselves. Then, up to my room to finish packing. This thankfully did not take as long as I had feared, since by then it was well after 1am, or 2am, depending on how you look at it, and I had a 5am call for the ride to Ancona.
Views from my room on the final day of the course.
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
8:54am
The “course cold” is making the rounds. It doesn’t seem particularly virulent, thankfully, but widespread low-key sniffling, sneezing and hacking is noticeable. So far, I think I have dodged that bullet. Just a few more hours of vigilance needed.
My body was a wreck this morning. I awoke once before daylight, a little confused about where I was and what time of the day it might be, but made it back to sleep pretty readily. Then I re-awoke just before my alarm went off, as usual. My entire body was tingling, literally from head to toe, with that feeling I usually experience late at night when I have been up far too long, and I am in total exhaustion; my yawns go straight to the soles of my feet. It would seem that last night’s performance might have been a little more physically grueling than I had given it credit for. I could tell by my mental and emotional state that it had taken its toll in those respects, but I hadn’t quite allowed for the sheer physical demands. I resisted getting out of bed for as long as possible.
I just checked, and that was the third time I have used the word, “grueling”, in my journal this week.
Sitting, nevertheless, was quite good and clear. At one point a police car was screaming nearby, and seemed to be going around in circles and never getting farther away, until after what seemed like five minutes the sound finally dopplered off into the distance. I found myself wondering what it would be like to have to go through life making that sound where ever I went. But then it occurred to me that, basically, we all do. Some of us are just more literally audible than others.
Doing some pre-packing this morning to avoid the crunch. Nothing ever quite fits back the way it came. Plus, during the morning sitting I found myself wondering when Daylight Saving Time begins in Europe, and sure enough on the board this morning appeared a reminder that it is tonight. Cruel irony. Many of us need to be on a 7am flight from Ancona, which is an hour+ drive from here. Almost tempted to just stay up tonight. That rarely works in practice, even though it always sounds good in concept.
3:45pm
More or less a gentle day. A morning meeting for reflections, observations, comments, and points of seeing. I had something cooking, but when I thought about it I found I missed what was being said, and I felt I was primarily there to listen. So I let it go, for the final meeting or not at all. Tai Chi. Lunch. A walk with a friend in the beautiful sunny (though not altogether warm, it turns out) weather. Back to some work in the House, in my case giving my bathroom a good scrubbing. Soon, Tea. I believe I have meetings for the rest of the afternoon.
1:30/2:30am – Europe about to go to Daylight Saving in about 30 minutes.
The day took an interesting turn. Basically, the course was over, but we had details to take care of. Some meetings that were supposed to happen, didn’t. Some surprises. I got most of my packing done. Cleaned my room for the last time. Thought I’d take a shower, knowing that at 4am I would not be in the mood. Just as I was about to go for it, an emergency arose that took my attention almost until supper. It was very good, on a human level, but it wrecked my schedule. Supper was full of too many music performances, getting in at the last minute what had been put off all week. Some of it fun, but for me too much. I wanted to be with the people around me. After supper, finally a shower, and then the final meeting.
After the final meeting, which ended a little after 11:30, there was a merchandise opportunity in the dining hall. I had nothing to sell, but I did have a computer loaded with GC History related photos, so I set up a slide show and hosted, pointing out all the interesting characters, in come cases to the interesting characters themselves. Then, up to my room to finish packing. This thankfully did not take as long as I had feared, since by then it was well after 1am, or 2am, depending on how you look at it, and I had a 5am call for the ride to Ancona.
Views from my room on the final day of the course.Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday March 26, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 6
Friday March 26, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 6
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:49am
Slept deep and hard. Still didn’t need my alarm to wake me, but it was close. Moving rather slow this morning. The dress rehearsal was hard work, to be sure, but not as physically grueling as the marathon the night before. Still, I am more tired than usual. The aim for this performance is for the Orchestra to play for about 20 minutes or so. Strangely, this felt harder than an hour. Perhaps the pacing is different. Or, for a shorter time it is possible to maintain a greater level of attention; like a sprint versus a marathon. In some ways, the hardest part was remaining still and composed in the green room during the encores. Some blocking issues to deal with before tonight. There will not be a great deal of guitar playing today, or at least not group work on the guitar, in order that we might be fresh for the gig. If I had to guess, I would imagine that the encore group will be a minor exception – we need to tighten a thing or two up.
No fog today. Took my daily morning photos out window of my room, and noticed that the snow on the tops of the neighboring mountains has all but disappeared.
9:08am
Amusing associative thinking this morning. All of yesterday’s deep contact AAD extending through time to so many people – today, completely irrelevant. Sat well. AAD contact with those participating in the course was strong. Found myself singling out a handful of people here on the course that seem to me to need a little extra support today. But it was all very light and easy. Kept thinking, “Guitar Craft no longer exists. I have no obligation to do any of this.” Obviously not true. But something gently liberating about the feeling that today I can choose, even when the reality is that I have obligations and responsibilities, and commitments to honor. And one exercise that is for Life, regardless. That is also somewhat liberating, in a different kind of way.
I was thinking at breakfast about how good it is to have Adam and Michael here. Personally, it is great, just because they are people whose company I have always enjoyed. But in addition, they stand as kind of representatives for everyone who has ever moved on from Guitar Craft for any reason. I find myself in life occasionally in conversation with a former Crafty, and the most difficult part of it for me is that we are never talking about the same thing. Always (always!) I find that for them Guitar Craft IS as they perceived it when they were a part of it. But for me it is something entirely different, on every level. I am not just dealing with their perceptions of how it was then, or the effects of time on memory, but even when the facts are correct, they are correct about a time that no longer exists. I’m in 2010, but I’m having a conversation about 1990 as if it were still 1990. I have been able to see a bit through Adam and Michael’s eyes, as they get a snapshot of present day Guitar Craft. Extremely useful to me.
A gentle but purposeful day ahead. Some things to do, but avoiding the unnecessary. Jokingly, but only “just” jokingly, thought the schedule ought to read something along the lines of:
3:33pm
Spring has arrived in Sassoferatto! It is incredibly beautiful out, and there is a warm and steady breeze. I just took a shower (lukewarm at best) but it was not so bad, and afterward I was able to go sit outside in the sun to dry my hair. We have no large group music activities today. Lots of time for personal practice, but keeping our Music-Energy in reserve for this evening’s performance.
A short meeting with Robert, with guitars, for the Schizoid Monks, a little before noon. He gave us mostly encouragement, along with a pointer or two. We ran a couple of sections with him, took a look at tempi, and then did a once-through of the entire piece. One of the things I enjoy about Robert is that he is lots of fun to play guitar with. He may jump in and join us for our performance tonight. Or, he may not.
I had a quick meeting with Bill, to clarify a few bits of the bass part, and we drilled them for a few minutes. Then until lunch I turned on the metronome and reacquainted myself with my right hand. My playing goes to hell on these courses because, strangely, I get very limited time for personal practice. But if I don’t want to tank my part on this piece, the encore in the final performance of the final Guitar Craft course, I need to have a reliable and well conditioned right hand. And that was not going to happen by itself.
Lunch was the main meal today. Roasted vegetables and salad. Very nice. We will have an early “buffet” rather than dinner tonight, at 5pm. Green Room at 8:30, and we are off! Just at the moment, however, this feels like nap weather and I am inclined not to fight the impulse.
10:51pm
Concert completed. I haven’t a clue how it went. Schizoid Man was fun, but I made so many mistakes.
In the Green Room, Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists, Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato, Italy, Friday March 26, 2010
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:49am
Slept deep and hard. Still didn’t need my alarm to wake me, but it was close. Moving rather slow this morning. The dress rehearsal was hard work, to be sure, but not as physically grueling as the marathon the night before. Still, I am more tired than usual. The aim for this performance is for the Orchestra to play for about 20 minutes or so. Strangely, this felt harder than an hour. Perhaps the pacing is different. Or, for a shorter time it is possible to maintain a greater level of attention; like a sprint versus a marathon. In some ways, the hardest part was remaining still and composed in the green room during the encores. Some blocking issues to deal with before tonight. There will not be a great deal of guitar playing today, or at least not group work on the guitar, in order that we might be fresh for the gig. If I had to guess, I would imagine that the encore group will be a minor exception – we need to tighten a thing or two up.
No fog today. Took my daily morning photos out window of my room, and noticed that the snow on the tops of the neighboring mountains has all but disappeared.
9:08am
Amusing associative thinking this morning. All of yesterday’s deep contact AAD extending through time to so many people – today, completely irrelevant. Sat well. AAD contact with those participating in the course was strong. Found myself singling out a handful of people here on the course that seem to me to need a little extra support today. But it was all very light and easy. Kept thinking, “Guitar Craft no longer exists. I have no obligation to do any of this.” Obviously not true. But something gently liberating about the feeling that today I can choose, even when the reality is that I have obligations and responsibilities, and commitments to honor. And one exercise that is for Life, regardless. That is also somewhat liberating, in a different kind of way.
I was thinking at breakfast about how good it is to have Adam and Michael here. Personally, it is great, just because they are people whose company I have always enjoyed. But in addition, they stand as kind of representatives for everyone who has ever moved on from Guitar Craft for any reason. I find myself in life occasionally in conversation with a former Crafty, and the most difficult part of it for me is that we are never talking about the same thing. Always (always!) I find that for them Guitar Craft IS as they perceived it when they were a part of it. But for me it is something entirely different, on every level. I am not just dealing with their perceptions of how it was then, or the effects of time on memory, but even when the facts are correct, they are correct about a time that no longer exists. I’m in 2010, but I’m having a conversation about 1990 as if it were still 1990. I have been able to see a bit through Adam and Michael’s eyes, as they get a snapshot of present day Guitar Craft. Extremely useful to me.
A gentle but purposeful day ahead. Some things to do, but avoiding the unnecessary. Jokingly, but only “just” jokingly, thought the schedule ought to read something along the lines of:
9am – Tai ChiSomehow I don’t think that will happen, but perhaps if I adopt the attitude that this is how my day will go, it will go something like that. Meanwhile, my right hand as an appointment with the metronome.
10am – Tai Chi
11am – Tai Chi
noon – Tai Chi
1pm – Lunch
2pm – Siesta
3pm – Tai Chi
3:33pm
Spring has arrived in Sassoferatto! It is incredibly beautiful out, and there is a warm and steady breeze. I just took a shower (lukewarm at best) but it was not so bad, and afterward I was able to go sit outside in the sun to dry my hair. We have no large group music activities today. Lots of time for personal practice, but keeping our Music-Energy in reserve for this evening’s performance.
A short meeting with Robert, with guitars, for the Schizoid Monks, a little before noon. He gave us mostly encouragement, along with a pointer or two. We ran a couple of sections with him, took a look at tempi, and then did a once-through of the entire piece. One of the things I enjoy about Robert is that he is lots of fun to play guitar with. He may jump in and join us for our performance tonight. Or, he may not.
I had a quick meeting with Bill, to clarify a few bits of the bass part, and we drilled them for a few minutes. Then until lunch I turned on the metronome and reacquainted myself with my right hand. My playing goes to hell on these courses because, strangely, I get very limited time for personal practice. But if I don’t want to tank my part on this piece, the encore in the final performance of the final Guitar Craft course, I need to have a reliable and well conditioned right hand. And that was not going to happen by itself.
Lunch was the main meal today. Roasted vegetables and salad. Very nice. We will have an early “buffet” rather than dinner tonight, at 5pm. Green Room at 8:30, and we are off! Just at the moment, however, this feels like nap weather and I am inclined not to fight the impulse.
10:51pm
Concert completed. I haven’t a clue how it went. Schizoid Man was fun, but I made so many mistakes.
In the Green Room, Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists, Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato, Italy, Friday March 26, 2010Thursday, March 25, 2010
Thursday March 25, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 5
Thursday March 25, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 5
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
The bell from the church across the way rings 1-2-3 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4-5 1 at 6am. I hear this every morning, 45 minutes before my alarm goes off, and 47 minutes before my backup alarm goes off. I slept through the night, and though I sense that there were dreams, all detail evaporated as soon as I woke up, just before those bells rang. I felt rested, but lazy, and getting up felt like a terrible concept. Only the desperate need for a shower overrode the inertia. It is another foggy morning in Sassoferatto. From the moment I awoke I have had Mel Torme’s voice in my head;
8:46am
Day 9,131 of Guitar Craft. I don’t have that kind of information rolling readily around my mind, I had to do the math. Basically 25 x 365 + a handful of leap years.
I am being just the tiniest bit facetious when I observe that the biggest difference between my morning sittings now and my morning sittings in 1985 is that now my back doesn’t hurt. I actually solved that one in 1986 with the help of a couple of Alexander teachers. I believe Mead Andrews was one of them. But even dropping the self-deprecation, it is true that I am just as susceptible now to flights of distraction and associative thinking as I was back then, and it is folly for me to imagine it is otherwise. It is not unheard of for me to suddenly notice that 45 minutes have passed and I have barely scratched the surface of my morning’s work. This morning was a pretty good one, happily. Good focus. I moved through the exercises with a level of clarity and relative ease, only rarely having to reign my attention back in very far. When the time came for the exercise of Contact at a Distance, however, things got very interesting. I walked methodically through the names and faces of those who have declared themselves on the course, AAD, as I do every morning at the end of the sitting. From there I moved on to sending good wishes to a number of people who, although they are not participating, or at least not participating officially, feel very important to me in terms of the arc of Guitar Craft history. This actually includes a number of people who have moved on to something else or have simply left the picture, have passed on to indifference, and even a few I know left Guitar Craft in a cloud of negativity and, in at least one or two cases, outright hostility. Most I have long ago lost track of. Given the age my peer group has entered, I can only assume some of them are dead. The parade of names and faces was astonishing. Many I had not thought of in years. In truth I really only wrapped the exercise up when the room had largely cleared and I was beginning to make a spectacle of myself sitting alone while everyone else was off to breakfast.
Holding all of those people in my heart today.
9:28am
Sun!
11:28am
Still sun! And, before long I will go out into it for Tai Chi.
Seattle team met with Robert this morning. A little slow on the ingress, but once things got rolling a really excellent and free-flowing exploration of readdressing the group aim and the ways kick things up to the next level. Everyone involved and a great sense of potential and possibility. Some reflection on the work so far with the Orchestra, which was a very useful tool or strategy for getting us to a place where we might have a fresh way of seeing our own work, as if with innocent eyes. This is a very difficult point of view to attain, much less maintain, but when we can get there only good things come from it.
3:03pm
I tried to avoid it, but they keep coming after me, so unless I totally blow it at the 3:30 rehearsal, it looks like I’m performing Schizoid Man at Tea.
9:06pm
Schizoid Man not only passed the audition, it is now the encore for tomorrow night’s gig. Yikes.
Sent the following email out to the Seattle Guitar Craft team, and a few others:
Dress rehearsal in the Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato, Italy
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
The bell from the church across the way rings 1-2-3 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4-5 1 at 6am. I hear this every morning, 45 minutes before my alarm goes off, and 47 minutes before my backup alarm goes off. I slept through the night, and though I sense that there were dreams, all detail evaporated as soon as I woke up, just before those bells rang. I felt rested, but lazy, and getting up felt like a terrible concept. Only the desperate need for a shower overrode the inertia. It is another foggy morning in Sassoferatto. From the moment I awoke I have had Mel Torme’s voice in my head;
“I was a stranger in the cityBetween that and the closest thing to a “hot” shower one can expect here, I am now prepared to step into the last day of Guitar Craft.
Out of town were the people I knew.
I had that feeling of self-pity.
What to do, what to do, what to do?
The outlook was decidedly blue.
But as I walked down those foggy streets alone, it turned out to be the happiest day I’ve known.
A foggy day, in London town, had me low, had me down…”
8:46am
Day 9,131 of Guitar Craft. I don’t have that kind of information rolling readily around my mind, I had to do the math. Basically 25 x 365 + a handful of leap years.
I am being just the tiniest bit facetious when I observe that the biggest difference between my morning sittings now and my morning sittings in 1985 is that now my back doesn’t hurt. I actually solved that one in 1986 with the help of a couple of Alexander teachers. I believe Mead Andrews was one of them. But even dropping the self-deprecation, it is true that I am just as susceptible now to flights of distraction and associative thinking as I was back then, and it is folly for me to imagine it is otherwise. It is not unheard of for me to suddenly notice that 45 minutes have passed and I have barely scratched the surface of my morning’s work. This morning was a pretty good one, happily. Good focus. I moved through the exercises with a level of clarity and relative ease, only rarely having to reign my attention back in very far. When the time came for the exercise of Contact at a Distance, however, things got very interesting. I walked methodically through the names and faces of those who have declared themselves on the course, AAD, as I do every morning at the end of the sitting. From there I moved on to sending good wishes to a number of people who, although they are not participating, or at least not participating officially, feel very important to me in terms of the arc of Guitar Craft history. This actually includes a number of people who have moved on to something else or have simply left the picture, have passed on to indifference, and even a few I know left Guitar Craft in a cloud of negativity and, in at least one or two cases, outright hostility. Most I have long ago lost track of. Given the age my peer group has entered, I can only assume some of them are dead. The parade of names and faces was astonishing. Many I had not thought of in years. In truth I really only wrapped the exercise up when the room had largely cleared and I was beginning to make a spectacle of myself sitting alone while everyone else was off to breakfast.
Holding all of those people in my heart today.
9:28am
Sun!
11:28am
Still sun! And, before long I will go out into it for Tai Chi.
Seattle team met with Robert this morning. A little slow on the ingress, but once things got rolling a really excellent and free-flowing exploration of readdressing the group aim and the ways kick things up to the next level. Everyone involved and a great sense of potential and possibility. Some reflection on the work so far with the Orchestra, which was a very useful tool or strategy for getting us to a place where we might have a fresh way of seeing our own work, as if with innocent eyes. This is a very difficult point of view to attain, much less maintain, but when we can get there only good things come from it.
3:03pm
I tried to avoid it, but they keep coming after me, so unless I totally blow it at the 3:30 rehearsal, it looks like I’m performing Schizoid Man at Tea.
9:06pm
Schizoid Man not only passed the audition, it is now the encore for tomorrow night’s gig. Yikes.
Sent the following email out to the Seattle Guitar Craft team, and a few others:
Just a few moments ago, at 8:31pm here in Italy, on March 25, 2010, Robert placed "The Hat" on his head and declared that we gratefully acknowledge 25 year of honorable work in Guitar Craft completed, and that Guitar Craft no longer exists.
Cheers from Italy. The Orchestra has its dress rehearsal in just a few minutes, and performs Friday night.
Curt
Dress rehearsal in the Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato, ItalyWednesday, March 24, 2010
Wednesday March 24, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 4
Wednesday March 24, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 4
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:58am
As predicted, almost needed my alarm clock this morning.
9:39am
A brief look into the church, where the performance will take place on Friday. Work is under way to clear it out and set it up. Found myself chuckling a bit, for entirely personal reasons. Now Martin, Victor and I are off to Day 2 of “Guitar Circle I” from 10-noon.
5:56pm
Very good work in the Guitar Circle classes. We all met in the ballroom, and then part of the team went off with Victor, part of the team with Martin, and the rest stayed with me. The suggestion in choosing which group to join was to work with an instructor you haven’t worked with before, or rarely. For my group, we worked with circulating the 5 and 7 rhythms from Thrak, but with rests “played”. That is, we moved around the circle playing 1-rest-rest-4-rest, and when a rest fell on our position, we simply raised our hand. This was not something I had in mind when I entered the room, or even when we began, it simply presented itself. Eventually, we had 2 circles, one playing in 5 with rests indicated by raised hands, and the other doing the same in 7. Once he flow of the patterns became internalized enough that the players no longer needed to say or whisper the count, but could turn their attention more outward, the Music began to appear, at least for moments.
After an hour, we all came back together, acknowledged our work, and took a 10-minute break. When we came back together, we once again split up into 3 groups, but different ones. For this hour, my group worked with bi-directional circulation, much as we have done in Seattle, focusing on what happens and where we tend to disappear to in the critical moment when two melodies approach us from different directions.
Tai Chi with Leonora, out on the football field. She has a somewhat different approach from what I have become accustomed to with Luciano. I enjoy it very much. Just before lunch, Luciano arrived back at the house, with Lillian and Lucas, just arriving from Barcelona. A beautiful little boy, Lucas is. At lunch I’m afraid we gave him a start when we applauded a performance, and kind of freaked him out.
Directly after lunch, a Nafgoose meeting with Hernan, primarily filling one another in on the details of how and where things are at present, comparing notes and looking at the general direction for the near and more distant future. Not nearly enough time for that, but you grab what you can.
From there I ran down to one of the rehearsal rooms to work with the Mexican circle on circulation. They felt that “flow” was the weakness they wished to address, but as l listened, my take was that the flow was just fine. For me, it was the note choice and general content that was lacking. So I worked with them on circulating through diatonic chord changes, beginning to develop a sense of the character of the various scale degrees; what they bring to the circulation, what they imply, and what repercussions might come from choosing one note over another. Very important work for them, I think. In the early stages of circulating, playing no wrong notes is a major triumph, and occasionally magic happens that we haven’t earned and don’t deserve. But eventually, simple competence and a little good luck just isn’t going to get the job done. If spontaneous composition by a group is the aim, then competence needs to become command (and eventually mastery), and luck replaced by attention with intension. Then something of a much higher order than mere luck has the opportunity to make its way into the Music.
Tea time, and then a long walk and talk on life matters. I’m afraid this caused me to miss a TTA+ rehearsal, but it was important. Got to the rehearsal just in time to learn that we are performing tonight after dinner and before desert; Lament with Cathy on viola. Tony came up to my room to review the arrangement we will be using, so I think I am good to go.
I am very sleepy right now.
9:37pm
For some reason we didn’t perform at dinner. I’m told it is because the decision was that there had been enough music, but that doesn’t ring true for me. I saw the moment that opened wide for us, but when I looked down the table I just got shaking heads. Something out of kilter.
SSG meeting directly after dinner. Two new members, and the discussion was lively and useful. I am pretty sure I have no future in reading chapters and typing up reports. I will fulfill the commitment, of course, but until we are in the same room, chatting (not quite accurate. Nothing trite about the discussion, but the word does convey a bit of the amiable conviviality and absence of formality in the occasion) it all seems contrived and head-heavy, and deciphering in this fashion is absolutely not my strength.
Orchestra rehearsal in a few minutes. I am working to reconcile the dread I feel every night before the rehearsal with the value of the experience. Even as we are working, I cannot say I enjoy it. I very definitely delight in moments, and feel happy and energized by the experience, though. And I very clearly recognize that I will likely only have a very small handful of these opportunities in my lifetime, so taking a “night off” is not an option. Still, when I saw “22:00 – Orchestra” on the schedule, I felt a moment of disappointment. Strange.
11:47pm
Okay, that was work. I have not the slightest idea if anything that happened tonight was worth a damn. Carolina said it was amazing. I trust here in these matters, and so I will take her word for it. Mostly, it was about choreography – kind of like a tech rehearsal where you deal with blocking, except this is dynamic and improvisational, so you practice making it up as you go. The idea being: the audience is going to be fixed in their seats, so all they will really hear or see is what is in front of them; ergo, what is in front of them needs to move. So it was all about moving… all the time, without pause. I really thought we were going to lose a few players. It was hot, and there was no air I the room. No more grueling than playing your average rock and roll gig, to be honest, but I am not sure how many people here have ever done that. No serious collisions. I saw a couple of broken strings, but I don’t think there were any guitar-related calamities. Given the level of movement, that in itself is a minor miracle. From my perspective, we play too much. We fill every available space; there is not much in the way of dynamics on the quiet end, and no silence whatsoever. And tonight there was not a moment of stillness, either. But, we are learning. Every night we explore a slightly different facet of how this might work. My job is basically to do what I’m asked to do, so that Robert can get the fairest possible representation of the idea he wants to get across, and so gather information for the next incarnation of the experiment. So, I can only guess by that standard at least tonight was a success.
I smell bad, but will have to wait until morning for a shower.
For our final performance of the first Guitar Craft course, Saturday evening March 30 1985, we sat in a circle to perform. In order to keep the small groups seated together, in between pieces we did very carefully rehearsed seating arrangement shifts. Those about to play got up and moved to whichever seats they needed to occupy, and the people occupying those seats got up and moved to the players old seats. All of the “rules” about moving in the circle – move clockwise, don’t stop, never overtake, take the first available seat – came from working out these staging necessities.
When we entered the performance space – the ballroom at the Claymont Mansion – there were a couple of dozen Claymont residents in the audience sitting on cushions in the center of the circle. A few I recognized from the work weekend I did there a some months earlier. Others I had seen working the kitchen during the course. One person I didn’t recognize stood out for me. He was on the tall side and sat very still with a remarkable and natural presence and alertness. It was nearly a year before I met Frank Sheldon, but the minute he walked in the room I recognized him as the one I had seen in the audience that night. To this day, he says that the first thing that attracted him to Guitar Craft was not the music, but the way we moved in the Circle.
I arrived at Claymont Court on the afternoon of Monday March 25, 1985. Supper was at 7pm, or so, and then our opening meeting. So, by my calculation, and taking into account time zone shifts, I have been in Guitar Craft now for 24 years and 364 days. Tomorrow at this time, it will be gone.
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:58am
As predicted, almost needed my alarm clock this morning.
9:39am
A brief look into the church, where the performance will take place on Friday. Work is under way to clear it out and set it up. Found myself chuckling a bit, for entirely personal reasons. Now Martin, Victor and I are off to Day 2 of “Guitar Circle I” from 10-noon.
5:56pm
Very good work in the Guitar Circle classes. We all met in the ballroom, and then part of the team went off with Victor, part of the team with Martin, and the rest stayed with me. The suggestion in choosing which group to join was to work with an instructor you haven’t worked with before, or rarely. For my group, we worked with circulating the 5 and 7 rhythms from Thrak, but with rests “played”. That is, we moved around the circle playing 1-rest-rest-4-rest, and when a rest fell on our position, we simply raised our hand. This was not something I had in mind when I entered the room, or even when we began, it simply presented itself. Eventually, we had 2 circles, one playing in 5 with rests indicated by raised hands, and the other doing the same in 7. Once he flow of the patterns became internalized enough that the players no longer needed to say or whisper the count, but could turn their attention more outward, the Music began to appear, at least for moments.
After an hour, we all came back together, acknowledged our work, and took a 10-minute break. When we came back together, we once again split up into 3 groups, but different ones. For this hour, my group worked with bi-directional circulation, much as we have done in Seattle, focusing on what happens and where we tend to disappear to in the critical moment when two melodies approach us from different directions.
Tai Chi with Leonora, out on the football field. She has a somewhat different approach from what I have become accustomed to with Luciano. I enjoy it very much. Just before lunch, Luciano arrived back at the house, with Lillian and Lucas, just arriving from Barcelona. A beautiful little boy, Lucas is. At lunch I’m afraid we gave him a start when we applauded a performance, and kind of freaked him out.
Directly after lunch, a Nafgoose meeting with Hernan, primarily filling one another in on the details of how and where things are at present, comparing notes and looking at the general direction for the near and more distant future. Not nearly enough time for that, but you grab what you can.
From there I ran down to one of the rehearsal rooms to work with the Mexican circle on circulation. They felt that “flow” was the weakness they wished to address, but as l listened, my take was that the flow was just fine. For me, it was the note choice and general content that was lacking. So I worked with them on circulating through diatonic chord changes, beginning to develop a sense of the character of the various scale degrees; what they bring to the circulation, what they imply, and what repercussions might come from choosing one note over another. Very important work for them, I think. In the early stages of circulating, playing no wrong notes is a major triumph, and occasionally magic happens that we haven’t earned and don’t deserve. But eventually, simple competence and a little good luck just isn’t going to get the job done. If spontaneous composition by a group is the aim, then competence needs to become command (and eventually mastery), and luck replaced by attention with intension. Then something of a much higher order than mere luck has the opportunity to make its way into the Music.
Tea time, and then a long walk and talk on life matters. I’m afraid this caused me to miss a TTA+ rehearsal, but it was important. Got to the rehearsal just in time to learn that we are performing tonight after dinner and before desert; Lament with Cathy on viola. Tony came up to my room to review the arrangement we will be using, so I think I am good to go.
I am very sleepy right now.
9:37pm
For some reason we didn’t perform at dinner. I’m told it is because the decision was that there had been enough music, but that doesn’t ring true for me. I saw the moment that opened wide for us, but when I looked down the table I just got shaking heads. Something out of kilter.
SSG meeting directly after dinner. Two new members, and the discussion was lively and useful. I am pretty sure I have no future in reading chapters and typing up reports. I will fulfill the commitment, of course, but until we are in the same room, chatting (not quite accurate. Nothing trite about the discussion, but the word does convey a bit of the amiable conviviality and absence of formality in the occasion) it all seems contrived and head-heavy, and deciphering in this fashion is absolutely not my strength.
Orchestra rehearsal in a few minutes. I am working to reconcile the dread I feel every night before the rehearsal with the value of the experience. Even as we are working, I cannot say I enjoy it. I very definitely delight in moments, and feel happy and energized by the experience, though. And I very clearly recognize that I will likely only have a very small handful of these opportunities in my lifetime, so taking a “night off” is not an option. Still, when I saw “22:00 – Orchestra” on the schedule, I felt a moment of disappointment. Strange.
11:47pm
Okay, that was work. I have not the slightest idea if anything that happened tonight was worth a damn. Carolina said it was amazing. I trust here in these matters, and so I will take her word for it. Mostly, it was about choreography – kind of like a tech rehearsal where you deal with blocking, except this is dynamic and improvisational, so you practice making it up as you go. The idea being: the audience is going to be fixed in their seats, so all they will really hear or see is what is in front of them; ergo, what is in front of them needs to move. So it was all about moving… all the time, without pause. I really thought we were going to lose a few players. It was hot, and there was no air I the room. No more grueling than playing your average rock and roll gig, to be honest, but I am not sure how many people here have ever done that. No serious collisions. I saw a couple of broken strings, but I don’t think there were any guitar-related calamities. Given the level of movement, that in itself is a minor miracle. From my perspective, we play too much. We fill every available space; there is not much in the way of dynamics on the quiet end, and no silence whatsoever. And tonight there was not a moment of stillness, either. But, we are learning. Every night we explore a slightly different facet of how this might work. My job is basically to do what I’m asked to do, so that Robert can get the fairest possible representation of the idea he wants to get across, and so gather information for the next incarnation of the experiment. So, I can only guess by that standard at least tonight was a success.
I smell bad, but will have to wait until morning for a shower.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For our final performance of the first Guitar Craft course, Saturday evening March 30 1985, we sat in a circle to perform. In order to keep the small groups seated together, in between pieces we did very carefully rehearsed seating arrangement shifts. Those about to play got up and moved to whichever seats they needed to occupy, and the people occupying those seats got up and moved to the players old seats. All of the “rules” about moving in the circle – move clockwise, don’t stop, never overtake, take the first available seat – came from working out these staging necessities.
When we entered the performance space – the ballroom at the Claymont Mansion – there were a couple of dozen Claymont residents in the audience sitting on cushions in the center of the circle. A few I recognized from the work weekend I did there a some months earlier. Others I had seen working the kitchen during the course. One person I didn’t recognize stood out for me. He was on the tall side and sat very still with a remarkable and natural presence and alertness. It was nearly a year before I met Frank Sheldon, but the minute he walked in the room I recognized him as the one I had seen in the audience that night. To this day, he says that the first thing that attracted him to Guitar Craft was not the music, but the way we moved in the Circle.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I arrived at Claymont Court on the afternoon of Monday March 25, 1985. Supper was at 7pm, or so, and then our opening meeting. So, by my calculation, and taking into account time zone shifts, I have been in Guitar Craft now for 24 years and 364 days. Tomorrow at this time, it will be gone.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday March 23, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 3
Tuesday March 23, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 3
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:53am
I have yet to need my alarm clock to wake me up in the morning. Not going to get cocky, but it is something I just noticed. It would also seem, if today is typical, that the right time to use the shower is first thing in the morning. Not a lot of water pressure, but what water there was, was actually hot. After last night’s House of Guitars, I really wanted/needed a shower before bed, but the water was dead cold, and I wasn’t feeling virtuous enough for that.
It is only Day 3. Or, it is already Day 3. Both feel true. A critical point coming up, I think. It is a very short time for 100 people to learn to improvise coherently together, and become a real group. The character of our rehearsals has been to encourage dropping inhibitions and to allow ourselves free reign. At some point, refinement, hopefully without censorship, will be necessary, and it feels like that point is very soon; today perhaps.
Rehearsed with the Tuning the Air team yesterday. It was a most welcome respite.
2:49pm
Morning House and Kitchen meeting. No one enjoys meetings. Few people enjoy meetings less than me. Nevertheless, an important meeting for the course, so entered into with joy. Next, a meeting for those with experience leading circles, and Robert, to look at what it means to work in a circle and how we might manage “section leadership” within the Orchestra, introducing discipline without imposing behavioral dictates and/or attenuating creativity.
The “Guitar Circle I” course began in earnest, with Martin and myself splitting the group and working with Guitar Circle essentials. This primarily, in my group, meant circulating – or, more specifically, listening while circulating. After a couple days of Orchestral Brouhaha, this brought things back to earth a bit, in a good way.
Tai Chi out on the football field. Always a life saver.
At lunch, a parade of performances. There have been not a lot of mealtime performances so far, and I was beginning to wonder. Now, the floodgates seem to have been opened.
After lunch the Tuning the Air producers had a meeting with Chris. It went something like this:
Jax: “Well, Chris, we wanted to talk to you because you have emerged as the new Music Director for Tuning the Air.”
Chris: “I know.”
After that, it’s all just details.
Managed to divert all responsibilities for the afternoon. Victor will take my group in the second meeting of the “Guitar Circle I” course. After tea, potential for a TTA rehearsal, which is something worth looking forward to.
Maybe I’ll shave. Such are the big decisions of my life right now.
8:47pm
Did shave.
Practiced until tea. After tea, a TTA rehearsal, with honorary guest TTAers Bill, Tony, and for The Wig Maker, Cathy Stevens on viola. Practiced a bit more. Learned the “canon” part to Batrachomyomachy. Tai Chi with Luciano.
For dinner, TTA+ opened. Now, off to an NAFGC meeting with Robert, followed by The Orchestra.
11:46pm
Nafgoose meeting somewhat different than what I had expected. Began with an incoming phone call from the absent, but never apart, Tom. Discussion then moved to Jaxie’s seeing regarding a school in Seattle. This more or less dominated the hour, which was good, and something would seem to be ignited. Other business touched on as well, but this was key.
On to the Orchestra, which I was frankly dreading. I have no doubt that last night’s blast of exuberance (more than one person has used a “Lord of the Flies” reference when speaking to me about it) but I was not eager for a repeat, and less eager for a lame attempt at a repeat. We entered the room in a snake which formed a spiral in the room. In addition to the guitars, there was one viola and a harp. Following on from some discussion in the earlier meeting with circle leaders and buddies, Robert took the opportunity to talk about some of the basic tenets of work in the Circle, including a number of essential elements that it is possible some people here have never encountered, or at least heard articulated clearly. For me, I felt things change right away, in the sense that I had the feeling that this changed the overall realization of personal responsibility for what happens in these events. Then Robert introduced the concept of the “section leaders”. Without identifying us specifically, he gave the nine of us the instruction to begin when ready, and in that way we would identify ourselves. The rest of the players were instructed to gravitate to one of the section leaders. So, when ready, we began. I opened with a clear but gentle high “G”, and the others responded. Finally, something clear, intentional and unambiguous to set the thing rolling. A handful of folks found their way to me, and we were off and running. Good fun, and some real Music. My favorite moments were actually when my group was contributing Silence, and we could just listen to the sound in the room. Inevitably, what needed to be added would make itself very clearly known. Sometimes that meant joining in on something that had a head of steam from another group. Other times, I would just wait until there was an opening and take things in a different direction. Sometimes we would move to another part of the room, or combine with another group. Everything was permissible, and everything worked. Great interaction between the groups. A bit of theatre, but never the sense that anything was going off the rails. Always in service to something real. The end was so clear, that no one could have possibly missed it. Was it 10 minutes or an hour? I actually do not know.
Robert invited us out into the corridor where we formed two lines, one on either side. Notes assigned, and the Whiz formally introduced. Again, a sense that this is something many had only experienced informally, so it has never quite taken wing when it appears in the Orchestra improvs. It took a while for the 4 initiators to fully grow into the necessary viciousness, but eventually there it was – The Whiz. Never quite transcendent, but very definite moments in which we achieved at least a little bit of levitation.
Currently less desperate about Friday’s performance.
Now excruciatingly tired, and going to bed.
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:53am
I have yet to need my alarm clock to wake me up in the morning. Not going to get cocky, but it is something I just noticed. It would also seem, if today is typical, that the right time to use the shower is first thing in the morning. Not a lot of water pressure, but what water there was, was actually hot. After last night’s House of Guitars, I really wanted/needed a shower before bed, but the water was dead cold, and I wasn’t feeling virtuous enough for that.
It is only Day 3. Or, it is already Day 3. Both feel true. A critical point coming up, I think. It is a very short time for 100 people to learn to improvise coherently together, and become a real group. The character of our rehearsals has been to encourage dropping inhibitions and to allow ourselves free reign. At some point, refinement, hopefully without censorship, will be necessary, and it feels like that point is very soon; today perhaps.
Rehearsed with the Tuning the Air team yesterday. It was a most welcome respite.
2:49pm
Morning House and Kitchen meeting. No one enjoys meetings. Few people enjoy meetings less than me. Nevertheless, an important meeting for the course, so entered into with joy. Next, a meeting for those with experience leading circles, and Robert, to look at what it means to work in a circle and how we might manage “section leadership” within the Orchestra, introducing discipline without imposing behavioral dictates and/or attenuating creativity.
The “Guitar Circle I” course began in earnest, with Martin and myself splitting the group and working with Guitar Circle essentials. This primarily, in my group, meant circulating – or, more specifically, listening while circulating. After a couple days of Orchestral Brouhaha, this brought things back to earth a bit, in a good way.
Tai Chi out on the football field. Always a life saver.
At lunch, a parade of performances. There have been not a lot of mealtime performances so far, and I was beginning to wonder. Now, the floodgates seem to have been opened.
After lunch the Tuning the Air producers had a meeting with Chris. It went something like this:
Jax: “Well, Chris, we wanted to talk to you because you have emerged as the new Music Director for Tuning the Air.”
Chris: “I know.”
After that, it’s all just details.
Managed to divert all responsibilities for the afternoon. Victor will take my group in the second meeting of the “Guitar Circle I” course. After tea, potential for a TTA rehearsal, which is something worth looking forward to.
Maybe I’ll shave. Such are the big decisions of my life right now.
8:47pm
Did shave.
Practiced until tea. After tea, a TTA rehearsal, with honorary guest TTAers Bill, Tony, and for The Wig Maker, Cathy Stevens on viola. Practiced a bit more. Learned the “canon” part to Batrachomyomachy. Tai Chi with Luciano.
For dinner, TTA+ opened. Now, off to an NAFGC meeting with Robert, followed by The Orchestra.
11:46pm
Nafgoose meeting somewhat different than what I had expected. Began with an incoming phone call from the absent, but never apart, Tom. Discussion then moved to Jaxie’s seeing regarding a school in Seattle. This more or less dominated the hour, which was good, and something would seem to be ignited. Other business touched on as well, but this was key.
On to the Orchestra, which I was frankly dreading. I have no doubt that last night’s blast of exuberance (more than one person has used a “Lord of the Flies” reference when speaking to me about it) but I was not eager for a repeat, and less eager for a lame attempt at a repeat. We entered the room in a snake which formed a spiral in the room. In addition to the guitars, there was one viola and a harp. Following on from some discussion in the earlier meeting with circle leaders and buddies, Robert took the opportunity to talk about some of the basic tenets of work in the Circle, including a number of essential elements that it is possible some people here have never encountered, or at least heard articulated clearly. For me, I felt things change right away, in the sense that I had the feeling that this changed the overall realization of personal responsibility for what happens in these events. Then Robert introduced the concept of the “section leaders”. Without identifying us specifically, he gave the nine of us the instruction to begin when ready, and in that way we would identify ourselves. The rest of the players were instructed to gravitate to one of the section leaders. So, when ready, we began. I opened with a clear but gentle high “G”, and the others responded. Finally, something clear, intentional and unambiguous to set the thing rolling. A handful of folks found their way to me, and we were off and running. Good fun, and some real Music. My favorite moments were actually when my group was contributing Silence, and we could just listen to the sound in the room. Inevitably, what needed to be added would make itself very clearly known. Sometimes that meant joining in on something that had a head of steam from another group. Other times, I would just wait until there was an opening and take things in a different direction. Sometimes we would move to another part of the room, or combine with another group. Everything was permissible, and everything worked. Great interaction between the groups. A bit of theatre, but never the sense that anything was going off the rails. Always in service to something real. The end was so clear, that no one could have possibly missed it. Was it 10 minutes or an hour? I actually do not know.
Robert invited us out into the corridor where we formed two lines, one on either side. Notes assigned, and the Whiz formally introduced. Again, a sense that this is something many had only experienced informally, so it has never quite taken wing when it appears in the Orchestra improvs. It took a while for the 4 initiators to fully grow into the necessary viciousness, but eventually there it was – The Whiz. Never quite transcendent, but very definite moments in which we achieved at least a little bit of levitation.
Currently less desperate about Friday’s performance.
Now excruciatingly tired, and going to bed.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday March 22, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 2
Monday March 22, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 2
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:51am
Bill and Patrick found a scorpion in their room yesterday. Suddenly, putting on my shoes is an adventure.
9:11am
Working through an “emotional outburst hangover” this morning. I was actually angry last night with what I perceived as a systemic absence of listening. Giving in to this kind of inner emotional turmoil has far-reaching effects on me, and a heavy price to pay, and so my morning sitting was deeply distracted.
In fairness, I suspect the difficulties in last night’s rehearsal were partly the result of the seating arrangements we were experimenting with, which made the connection with the rest of the group very difficult; maybe impossible. In the first section/arrangement we were seated in 6 discrete circles of about 14 players each. Pretty much, whichever circle made the loudest noise dominated the music, and there was no room for subtlety. At one point I actually “shushed” several members of my team. The look of astonishment on their faces was priceless. But there was for the first time in the evening something happening in the room. A lovely C Lydian theme was developing that was shared by the group as a whole, and the atonal, arrhythmic wanking I was hearing around me made it pretty clear that Bill was the only other person in my circle with a direct awareness of what was transpiring. In the second session, there were three discrete circles on the center, with one large circle surrounding them. I sat in the larger circle. This was no better for me. The only time I was actually able to make direct contact with anyone from the inner circles was with Mariana who was in the circle the furthest from me. It was futile, since I couldn’t discern what her group was up to, but it was nice to see at least one awake face. Similarly I managed to connect with Adam, who was across the circle from me, but except for syncing up some rhythmic stuff, it felt more like silent commiseration over the situation. I had someone sitting on my left whose strategy seemed to be to play something/anything all the time, until by some miracle or chance it would fit in with something someone else in the room was doing. I spent a lot of that improv doing nothing, because the barrage coming from my left, left room for nothing.
Very strange dream in the night. Whether or not it had anything to do with going to bed angry is not clear, but I have my suspicions. It involved the discovery of a rare 2-disk (vinyl) Beatles EP. I have no idea if it is something that actually exists, or if I made it up just for this occasion. Black and white cover, and I felt it had been some kind of promotional item. I found it either in a library or a used book store of some kind. It was in very bad shape, and I had the sense it had been tossed aside, and that no one was really aware of it or its value. In real life I actually came upon a copy of the “butcher block” album in very much the same way and condition. I decided to take it. Only after making that decision did it occur to me that it really wasn’t mine to take, and that I would need to discreetly slip out with it; okay, steal it, to be perfectly honest. Nearby, on a bulletin board that was behind glass, there were several notices that were relevant to this record in some way, though I don’t remember how. The only way I could figure out how to get them out was to levitate them up and over the glass, which I did by pointing at them and concentrating until they moved. I woke up before I effected my escape.
11:47am
Enter the Marching Band of Crafty Guitarists. Now that was fun.
11:13pm
A lot of fun. A bit of mob rule. A few people who have a difficult time recognizing the distinction.
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:51am
Bill and Patrick found a scorpion in their room yesterday. Suddenly, putting on my shoes is an adventure.
9:11am
Working through an “emotional outburst hangover” this morning. I was actually angry last night with what I perceived as a systemic absence of listening. Giving in to this kind of inner emotional turmoil has far-reaching effects on me, and a heavy price to pay, and so my morning sitting was deeply distracted.
In fairness, I suspect the difficulties in last night’s rehearsal were partly the result of the seating arrangements we were experimenting with, which made the connection with the rest of the group very difficult; maybe impossible. In the first section/arrangement we were seated in 6 discrete circles of about 14 players each. Pretty much, whichever circle made the loudest noise dominated the music, and there was no room for subtlety. At one point I actually “shushed” several members of my team. The look of astonishment on their faces was priceless. But there was for the first time in the evening something happening in the room. A lovely C Lydian theme was developing that was shared by the group as a whole, and the atonal, arrhythmic wanking I was hearing around me made it pretty clear that Bill was the only other person in my circle with a direct awareness of what was transpiring. In the second session, there were three discrete circles on the center, with one large circle surrounding them. I sat in the larger circle. This was no better for me. The only time I was actually able to make direct contact with anyone from the inner circles was with Mariana who was in the circle the furthest from me. It was futile, since I couldn’t discern what her group was up to, but it was nice to see at least one awake face. Similarly I managed to connect with Adam, who was across the circle from me, but except for syncing up some rhythmic stuff, it felt more like silent commiseration over the situation. I had someone sitting on my left whose strategy seemed to be to play something/anything all the time, until by some miracle or chance it would fit in with something someone else in the room was doing. I spent a lot of that improv doing nothing, because the barrage coming from my left, left room for nothing.
Very strange dream in the night. Whether or not it had anything to do with going to bed angry is not clear, but I have my suspicions. It involved the discovery of a rare 2-disk (vinyl) Beatles EP. I have no idea if it is something that actually exists, or if I made it up just for this occasion. Black and white cover, and I felt it had been some kind of promotional item. I found it either in a library or a used book store of some kind. It was in very bad shape, and I had the sense it had been tossed aside, and that no one was really aware of it or its value. In real life I actually came upon a copy of the “butcher block” album in very much the same way and condition. I decided to take it. Only after making that decision did it occur to me that it really wasn’t mine to take, and that I would need to discreetly slip out with it; okay, steal it, to be perfectly honest. Nearby, on a bulletin board that was behind glass, there were several notices that were relevant to this record in some way, though I don’t remember how. The only way I could figure out how to get them out was to levitate them up and over the glass, which I did by pointing at them and concentrating until they moved. I woke up before I effected my escape.
11:47am
Enter the Marching Band of Crafty Guitarists. Now that was fun.
11:13pm
A lot of fun. A bit of mob rule. A few people who have a difficult time recognizing the distinction.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday March 21, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 1
Sunday March 21, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 1
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:48am
Slept through the night. I hope this in a good sign. I do feel well rested. I have the sense of an active dream life. I awoke with the feeling that it has been a busy night, but nothing more than one or two images makes it through the transition to my waking life.
9:15am
Very good and focused sitting. Breakfast not entirely organized, but there was sufficient food. House Craft followed. I took responsibility for my own room, so my bathroom is now clean and my room tidied. House of Guitars at 10am; life in the house will change once there is Music.
On March 26, 2010, the first morning of the first Guitar Craft course, we gathered in the ballroom of the Mansion at Claymont Court, and I sat in a guitar circle for the very first time. Sometime later I recorded the experience as follows:
I go into this morning’s meeting, to the best of my ability, without expectation. I do have that memory, however, and it is a true experience of what is possible, though too rarely realized.
1:47pm
Three hours of Orchestra work, and I was actually winded.
5:39pm
When we arrived at the ballroom for the first “House of Guitars” this morning, it was set up in 3 concentric circles. I moved to a seat in the inner circle (18 chairs – aka, the number of people on the first Guitar Craft course), but avoided the concertmaster’s seat. I think it is not clear just how many actual guitar players there are here yet. Perhaps some people were on other duties, but there were a number of empty chairs in each of the three circles.
The instruction, “when ready, please begin”. And we did, a little tentatively at first, but soon gaining confidence, or at least asserting. It was a longer improv than usual, but there was definitely a there, there. The outer, middle, and inner circles were given instructions in turn to begin when ready. The inner circle’s solo improv was, in all modesty, pretty astounding. After an hour+, a 10-minute break declared.
When we returned, the chairs had been rearranged somewhat. The extra chairs had been removed, and the outer circle was separated into 2 horseshoes, one at either end of the room, making the entire arrangement fit a little more comfortably in a rectangular room. This time I took an anonymous seat in the middle circle. A couple more improvs. Nothing that stood out for me, although that is not necessarily meaningful, since as a player I’m not in the best situation for listening.
Robert asked us to stand and to move the chairs out of the way. He then called 6 group leaders – Curt, Tony, Mariana, Jaxie, Victor and Martin – and told everyone else to gravitate to one of those people. So we had 6 standing circles. Some discussion about how to arrange ourselves. The question, how to maintain the integrity of the small groups, while maintaining the integrity of the whole group. A few suggestions about how we might arrange ourselves. In the end, Tony’s group organized themselves into a horseshoe, but the rest of us stuck with circles. I jockeyed myself around into a position where I could make eye contact with the other 5 group leaders. Victor, Martin and Mariana were clearly within my field of vision. For Jaxie I needed to turn to the right, but I have been playing and performing with her for so long that I don’t really need to be able to see her to know where she is. Tony was the furthest from me and the most difficult to connect with. I found the horseshoe arrangement of his group tricky to take in as a whole.
“When ready, begin.” We did. Really quite something. It was very much like a 6-person improve in that a large part of my focus was on the other groups, and particularly the other group leaders, and my team had the task of following my indications as best they could.
The best moments for me were when several of the groups interacted to create a part. At one point, my group and Jaxie’s combined into a single circle for a bit of whizzing, and then returned to our separate groups.
There was a moment when my group was playing a simple rhythmic part on magic chords of our choice. It was familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then it hit me: it was the Bo Diddley beat. That was absolutely a Guitar Craft first for me.
Whizzes were present in moments and hints, but never quite achieved orbit. Circulations were generally pretty lame. Angelic choruses never appeared. Still, there was something real in this work today.
Latish one evening during the first week of the first Level Two in December 1985, Robert set us up in several small circles consisting of 4 or 5 players each, and worked us on some basic circulation exercises. We could not get it. I can only imagine his frustration as the chasm between the clear potential of circulation and what was possible for this group revealed itself to be much wider than perhaps he had anticipated; certainly wider than he had hoped. I was in a group of five players, and he had us skipping a chair, in effect tracing out a star pattern, and we simply could not maintain a flow. Finally, he just looked at us, shook his head, muttered “this is really pretty basic stuff, guys,” and walked away.
The best we could ever do with that group were the carefully arranged and composed circulations that can be heard on the first album. Today, we do more complex circulations in the average beginner’s circle than we managed in that entire course. There is something in this that bears a closer look.
11:17pm
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:48am
Slept through the night. I hope this in a good sign. I do feel well rested. I have the sense of an active dream life. I awoke with the feeling that it has been a busy night, but nothing more than one or two images makes it through the transition to my waking life.
9:15am
Very good and focused sitting. Breakfast not entirely organized, but there was sufficient food. House Craft followed. I took responsibility for my own room, so my bathroom is now clean and my room tidied. House of Guitars at 10am; life in the house will change once there is Music.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On March 26, 2010, the first morning of the first Guitar Craft course, we gathered in the ballroom of the Mansion at Claymont Court, and I sat in a guitar circle for the very first time. Sometime later I recorded the experience as follows:
Early one morning nineteen guitarists sit in a circle in a large room with a high ceiling. They have only met for the first time at dinner the night before. One of the guitarists rises.
“The instruction is - choose a note in the key of C Major ......”At this point, 25 years later, I cannot say with certainty that these were the precise words spoken. The language for this instruction has evolved considerably. In March of 2010, it comes down to, “When ready, please begin.” The “old friend” I refer to is something that at one time I referred to as “the ghosts”, and it had to do with something that happens when all of the music aligns, and there is something present that cannot be accounted for by any of the instruments, or any combination of instruments. In this case, out of what amounted to cacophonous and badly tuned wanking, suddenly emerged an organization, followed by the sound of a chorus of violins, or possibly voices. A gift, undeserved, but gratefully accepted.
Got it.
“..... and establish a relationship with your note ......”
What ?!?
“When you have established a relationship with your note you may begin to play it in whatever manner, speed or rhythm feels correct to you.”
Tentatively nineteen separate notes begin to sound around the room. Now a bit more assertively a sound builds until the room is filled with a swirling cacophony. The sound, though unstructured, is developing character hard to describe. It swells and falls, ebbs and flows, builds and retreats with what almost seems to be an intelligence of its own. It is as if there is a twentieth player in the room.
I recognize an old friend.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I go into this morning’s meeting, to the best of my ability, without expectation. I do have that memory, however, and it is a true experience of what is possible, though too rarely realized.
1:47pm
Three hours of Orchestra work, and I was actually winded.
5:39pm
When we arrived at the ballroom for the first “House of Guitars” this morning, it was set up in 3 concentric circles. I moved to a seat in the inner circle (18 chairs – aka, the number of people on the first Guitar Craft course), but avoided the concertmaster’s seat. I think it is not clear just how many actual guitar players there are here yet. Perhaps some people were on other duties, but there were a number of empty chairs in each of the three circles.
The instruction, “when ready, please begin”. And we did, a little tentatively at first, but soon gaining confidence, or at least asserting. It was a longer improv than usual, but there was definitely a there, there. The outer, middle, and inner circles were given instructions in turn to begin when ready. The inner circle’s solo improv was, in all modesty, pretty astounding. After an hour+, a 10-minute break declared.
When we returned, the chairs had been rearranged somewhat. The extra chairs had been removed, and the outer circle was separated into 2 horseshoes, one at either end of the room, making the entire arrangement fit a little more comfortably in a rectangular room. This time I took an anonymous seat in the middle circle. A couple more improvs. Nothing that stood out for me, although that is not necessarily meaningful, since as a player I’m not in the best situation for listening.
Robert asked us to stand and to move the chairs out of the way. He then called 6 group leaders – Curt, Tony, Mariana, Jaxie, Victor and Martin – and told everyone else to gravitate to one of those people. So we had 6 standing circles. Some discussion about how to arrange ourselves. The question, how to maintain the integrity of the small groups, while maintaining the integrity of the whole group. A few suggestions about how we might arrange ourselves. In the end, Tony’s group organized themselves into a horseshoe, but the rest of us stuck with circles. I jockeyed myself around into a position where I could make eye contact with the other 5 group leaders. Victor, Martin and Mariana were clearly within my field of vision. For Jaxie I needed to turn to the right, but I have been playing and performing with her for so long that I don’t really need to be able to see her to know where she is. Tony was the furthest from me and the most difficult to connect with. I found the horseshoe arrangement of his group tricky to take in as a whole.
“When ready, begin.” We did. Really quite something. It was very much like a 6-person improve in that a large part of my focus was on the other groups, and particularly the other group leaders, and my team had the task of following my indications as best they could.
The best moments for me were when several of the groups interacted to create a part. At one point, my group and Jaxie’s combined into a single circle for a bit of whizzing, and then returned to our separate groups.
There was a moment when my group was playing a simple rhythmic part on magic chords of our choice. It was familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then it hit me: it was the Bo Diddley beat. That was absolutely a Guitar Craft first for me.
Whizzes were present in moments and hints, but never quite achieved orbit. Circulations were generally pretty lame. Angelic choruses never appeared. Still, there was something real in this work today.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Latish one evening during the first week of the first Level Two in December 1985, Robert set us up in several small circles consisting of 4 or 5 players each, and worked us on some basic circulation exercises. We could not get it. I can only imagine his frustration as the chasm between the clear potential of circulation and what was possible for this group revealed itself to be much wider than perhaps he had anticipated; certainly wider than he had hoped. I was in a group of five players, and he had us skipping a chair, in effect tracing out a star pattern, and we simply could not maintain a flow. Finally, he just looked at us, shook his head, muttered “this is really pretty basic stuff, guys,” and walked away.
The best we could ever do with that group were the carefully arranged and composed circulations that can be heard on the first album. Today, we do more complex circulations in the average beginner’s circle than we managed in that entire course. There is something in this that bears a closer look.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
11:17pm
- Bullying disguised as music.
- Never ending nattering in my left ear.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Saturday March 20, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 0
Saturday March 20, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day 0
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:53am
Was in bed by midnight, and slept through to just a little before 6am. This is a good sign, and very close to my normal sleep pattern. I lay in bed dozing off and on for 15 or 20 minutes, before concluding that I was not adding to my rest, and may as well do something useful. Spent 30 minutes on SSG homework, typing up my notes. At the moment it seems this is a good time of day for this work, which surprises me a little. If the early awakening persists, I may consider giving this early time of the day over to this task. I am a little behind in my reading, and finding time during the day during a course is going to get trickier and trickier.
Off to the sitting.
8:51am
Strong connection with the At-A-Distance team this morning, or at least the ones in Seattle that I can bring instantly to mind, and a number of others from the list that I know well. The list is long, and may take me a while to assimilate.
About 100 at breakfast. A few more arrivals today, and we are substantially here. Several people will be arriving later in the week, but the beginning is in front of us. Kitchen team (ie, everyone) meeting shortly, and House work to follow. We are basically on. I was the 4th person to sit down at my table this morning, and by then the muesli was already gone, so my breakfast was a cup of coffee a couple pieces of bread and a slice of orange. I may lose weight on this course.
12:22pm
A day of arriving, I think. After breakfast, the necessary Kitchen meeting; some practicalities, with just a bit of Craft. House work next. Sylvain and I swept and mopped the East Wing. I learned that the French term of dust bunnies is “les mouton” – the sheep. For me, the rest of the morning for guitar practice. The playing is still not sharp, but it is getting better and my stamina is coming back. My attention continues to stray, and I do catch myself wandering a bit from exercise to exercise without the clarity of intention and purpose that characterizes real practice. But hands are moving and beginning to respond, so progress.
On one occasion I found that I was sensing a friend was in need in the house, and before I was conscious of what was impelling me, I was on my feet, down the hall, down the stairs and out the front door. Found them outside, talking to exactly the person that can help them, so I turned around and came back to more practice. I seem to be in a high state of sensitivity, but not perfectly focused, I think, or lacking discernment. I can sense this “something”, this need in a friend, but I can’t tell if it is me they need or if I am just catching a ripple.
3:45pm
From my afternoon reading:
“The Material Self is aware of needs, but tends to interpret them as aims. When it succeeds in doing so, it usurps the position of the True Self, and very soon imaginary or invented needs are set up as the ideal for which all activity is undertaken.”
8:49pm
Victor arrived just before lunch, a day late due to airline issues. With him was Tony’s lost luggage. Not sure if Frank’s waylaid bag has turned up yet. Victor delivered a gift from his son, Bridge. A genuinely astonishing piece of music, conceived, written, actualized and recorded by a 9-year-old. On my iTunes artist list, Bridge falls in between Brian Eno and Buddy Holly. Good company.
A generally good afternoon. Completed my overdue SSG homework and got the first reading done for the current round. Took a walk. And got some very good and directed practice in.
I have not yet made friends with this shower arrangement, but we have achieved a kind of detent; and it feels better to have showered than to avoid the irritation of the mess left afterward.
Thought I was more or less home free, settling into this time zone. But about 6pm I noticed that my practice had gone off the rails and I was once again flailing, and so yet another surprise nap.
Supper was 15 minutes late; a tradition for the night of the inaugural meeting. Silence appeared several times, and we allowed it in once; maybe twice. We are a twitchy bunch, though. The course will begin with the meeting at 10pm. With 109 people on the list (not all here just yet, however. There are several who will arrive during the week), and translations into several languages, it could be a late night. It only this afternoon occurred to me that Fernie is translating into Spanish, formally, Sylvain is quietly translating into French for one or two guys, but no one is translating into Italian.
9:37pm
The wind is howling. [insert spooky voice intoning, “it’s a sign”]
11:17pm
Course declared under way at 10:07 and some seconds. Meeting adjourned at 11:15. Not bad. I counted 101 introductions, plus declarations from those representing participants at a distance as well as assorted good wishes from many corners. So, in an hour and a little more, there is some room for error in my count.
The opening meeting of the first Guitar Craft course took place in the Library of the Mansion at Claymont Court near Charles Town West Virginia. There were 18 participants, plus Robert. I do not believe anyone else was in attendance. Members of the Claymont community who were facilitating the course remained generally anonymous. I believe someone turned up to do yoga with us (no Tai Chi or Alexander work at that time). And we did go down to the Great Barn to do a bit of Movements, or some preliminary exercises more accurately, with Claymont community members.
Robert had a boombox by his chair and recorded that initial meeting, or at least his inaugural presentation. As I recall, when my turn came to introduce myself, I basically recited the same short bio I had included in my application.
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:53am
Was in bed by midnight, and slept through to just a little before 6am. This is a good sign, and very close to my normal sleep pattern. I lay in bed dozing off and on for 15 or 20 minutes, before concluding that I was not adding to my rest, and may as well do something useful. Spent 30 minutes on SSG homework, typing up my notes. At the moment it seems this is a good time of day for this work, which surprises me a little. If the early awakening persists, I may consider giving this early time of the day over to this task. I am a little behind in my reading, and finding time during the day during a course is going to get trickier and trickier.
Off to the sitting.
8:51am
Strong connection with the At-A-Distance team this morning, or at least the ones in Seattle that I can bring instantly to mind, and a number of others from the list that I know well. The list is long, and may take me a while to assimilate.
About 100 at breakfast. A few more arrivals today, and we are substantially here. Several people will be arriving later in the week, but the beginning is in front of us. Kitchen team (ie, everyone) meeting shortly, and House work to follow. We are basically on. I was the 4th person to sit down at my table this morning, and by then the muesli was already gone, so my breakfast was a cup of coffee a couple pieces of bread and a slice of orange. I may lose weight on this course.
12:22pm
A day of arriving, I think. After breakfast, the necessary Kitchen meeting; some practicalities, with just a bit of Craft. House work next. Sylvain and I swept and mopped the East Wing. I learned that the French term of dust bunnies is “les mouton” – the sheep. For me, the rest of the morning for guitar practice. The playing is still not sharp, but it is getting better and my stamina is coming back. My attention continues to stray, and I do catch myself wandering a bit from exercise to exercise without the clarity of intention and purpose that characterizes real practice. But hands are moving and beginning to respond, so progress.
On one occasion I found that I was sensing a friend was in need in the house, and before I was conscious of what was impelling me, I was on my feet, down the hall, down the stairs and out the front door. Found them outside, talking to exactly the person that can help them, so I turned around and came back to more practice. I seem to be in a high state of sensitivity, but not perfectly focused, I think, or lacking discernment. I can sense this “something”, this need in a friend, but I can’t tell if it is me they need or if I am just catching a ripple.
3:45pm
From my afternoon reading:
“The Material Self is aware of needs, but tends to interpret them as aims. When it succeeds in doing so, it usurps the position of the True Self, and very soon imaginary or invented needs are set up as the ideal for which all activity is undertaken.”
8:49pm
Victor arrived just before lunch, a day late due to airline issues. With him was Tony’s lost luggage. Not sure if Frank’s waylaid bag has turned up yet. Victor delivered a gift from his son, Bridge. A genuinely astonishing piece of music, conceived, written, actualized and recorded by a 9-year-old. On my iTunes artist list, Bridge falls in between Brian Eno and Buddy Holly. Good company.
A generally good afternoon. Completed my overdue SSG homework and got the first reading done for the current round. Took a walk. And got some very good and directed practice in.
I have not yet made friends with this shower arrangement, but we have achieved a kind of detent; and it feels better to have showered than to avoid the irritation of the mess left afterward.
Thought I was more or less home free, settling into this time zone. But about 6pm I noticed that my practice had gone off the rails and I was once again flailing, and so yet another surprise nap.
Supper was 15 minutes late; a tradition for the night of the inaugural meeting. Silence appeared several times, and we allowed it in once; maybe twice. We are a twitchy bunch, though. The course will begin with the meeting at 10pm. With 109 people on the list (not all here just yet, however. There are several who will arrive during the week), and translations into several languages, it could be a late night. It only this afternoon occurred to me that Fernie is translating into Spanish, formally, Sylvain is quietly translating into French for one or two guys, but no one is translating into Italian.
9:37pm
The wind is howling. [insert spooky voice intoning, “it’s a sign”]
11:17pm
Course declared under way at 10:07 and some seconds. Meeting adjourned at 11:15. Not bad. I counted 101 introductions, plus declarations from those representing participants at a distance as well as assorted good wishes from many corners. So, in an hour and a little more, there is some room for error in my count.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The opening meeting of the first Guitar Craft course took place in the Library of the Mansion at Claymont Court near Charles Town West Virginia. There were 18 participants, plus Robert. I do not believe anyone else was in attendance. Members of the Claymont community who were facilitating the course remained generally anonymous. I believe someone turned up to do yoga with us (no Tai Chi or Alexander work at that time). And we did go down to the Great Barn to do a bit of Movements, or some preliminary exercises more accurately, with Claymont community members.
Robert had a boombox by his chair and recorded that initial meeting, or at least his inaugural presentation. As I recall, when my turn came to introduce myself, I basically recited the same short bio I had included in my application.
December 19, 1984At the end of that meeting, we were instructed to continue refraining from playing the guitar, but to retune our guitars to CGDAEG. Through a strange series of events, I was aware of this tuning. For everyone else it came totally out of left field. Well, to be clear, it was out of left field for me, too. I just happened to have had the opportunity to get a head start on it, had I known it was going to be relevant.
Claymont Seminars
Route 1, Box 279
Charles Town, WV 25414
Re: Guitar Craft
In response to your course description which arrived yesterday, I am very interested in the seminar. I have been a guitarist for 16 years, playing in a variety of rock, jazz and commercial groups. I studied traditional harmony and counterpoint at Northern Virginia Community College and contemporary music performance and arranging at the Berklee College of Music. I am continuously searching for new ways of understanding music. During the two day "work weekend" I spent at Claymont we touched on a number of concepts and exercises which have already been useful to me. The course description seems to indicate that these and more will be addressed.
With reference to scheduling, my situation is fairly flexible. I would prefer the March 26-30 seminar, however this could be changed with reasonable notice.
Please let me know about scheduling tuition, etc. I would be delighted to help in any way I can.
Yours,
Curt Golden
2621 North Van Dorn Street
Apartment 203
Alexandria, VA 22302
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Friday, March 19, 2010
Friday March 19, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day -1
Friday March 19, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day -1
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:42am
After a bit more “busy work” and putting new strings on the guitar, it was still only about 11pm, but I saw that my attention was wandering and felt that I could probably sleep. I was right. Sleep came easily, in fact. Dream-filled in that uniquely jet-laggy way; lots of imagery, some vivid, but without any memory of plot or narrative. Awoke to find it was 3am, which was a pleasant surprise. Slipped back to sleep. Less sense of dreaming. Reawoke to the sound of church bells coming from atop the adjacent hill. Counted 6 bells. From my bed I could see the top of a snow capped mountain not so far away in the early morning light. It was indeed 6am. Still early – sitting is at 7:15 – so I lay about just resting for another 30 minutes before getting up and beginning my day. The heat, scheduled to come on at 6am, was on. So far, so good.
9:04am
In the library at Claymont Court, the room where the morning sitting took place, there was a freestanding gas heater. On winter courses this was powerful incentive for getting to the sitting a little early.
The morning sitting in the ballroom. After moving through my routine, making some decisions about which of the available exercises are most germane in this moment and under these circumstances, found myself ruminating on my aims for the course. I was reminded that there are, in fact, 3 courses taking place, and that each has a different function and each requires me to consider my aim in a slightly different context, or perhaps to examine several aspects of my aim. I was also struck in a slightly more tangible way by the need to discern the difference between Aim and Wish, and from that my personal wishes.
This is a Franciscan monastery. I am not well versed on Catholic saints, but a have at least a layman’s awareness that St Francis was associated with our relationship to animals. There is a fresco on the eastern wall of the dining hall, behind the head table, that depicts this. Thinking about the subjectively ludicrous relationship I have with the silly cat currently home alone in my apartment, and how important it is to me.
Off to practical work.
11:29am
Good work. My sense is that from the standpoint of the primary course taking place here, entitled “Guitar Circle I”, the Kitchen and the House are the central and most relevant metaphors. Catching a glimpse of the Kitchen Coordinators, I was reminded that Help is always available, but 1) when we most need it, we tend to forget that this is so, 2) we need to remember to ask, and 3) on occasion we need to demand. The corollary to this is that Help often comes in surprising ways, and not from where we expected it.
My primary and most lasting impression from the first meal of the first Guitar Craft course on the evening of March 25, 1985 was the attention, clear intention and care put into every detail of the meal that was served by members of the Claymont community. It was not a matter of perfection, but of presence.
Practical work, part two, for me is in my room, looking after some details. I once noticed that when a room is looking generally a little dingy even though everything is relatively clean, often all that is necessary is to clean the light fixtures and lamp shades. People rarely see this, or at least they rarely seem to do anything about it.
12:39pm
I am not sure how much of the currently active League is here on the course. I did notice, however that the other most obvious “go-to” teams in terms of offering the more traditional musical interludes within the Orchestra performance, are not here. Two-thirds of Zum is here, so no Zum mid-show mini-concert. Two-thirds of Big Time is here, so no Big Time mid-show mini-concert. And without Howard and Igor A, the heart of the Tuning the Air repertoire that worked so well within the last Orchestra performance is also unavailable. Unless there is a sufficient League with a ready repertoire, something else is going to have to happen for this performance.
For the final performance of the first Guitar Craft course, I had the responsibility for bringing Theme I in. Nervous about the tempo, for the entire day or more before the performance I took to leaving my metronome on whenever I was in my room, at the prescribed tempo, in the hope that I could internalize and somehow “memorize” it. For that piece, I was sitting to Robert’s left (throughout the show, players moved regularly so that small groups were always sitting together as they performed, so almost no one ended the show in the seat where they began). When the time came, out of the corner of my eye I detected Robert subtly conducting the correct tempo for me with his left hand.
3:33pm
Many more familiar faces in the house. Lunch was full of happy surprises, and now every time I walk down a hallway another newcomer appears. After lunch, felt the crash coming, but managed to redirect myself to other things, in the hope of forestalling it, or even avoiding it. I think if I can persevere to a normal bedtime, I will be over the worst. SSG homework addressed; still more to do, but progress made.
In the realm of “be careful what you assume”, after a day of turning on the tap to get some hot water up here, waiting for a sign of hot water before trying the shower, I finally gave up and resigned myself to a week of cold showers. Turned on the shower, bracing myself for the inevitable, but was hit by nearly scalding hot water. Very happy boy, and fully clean, boy. The whole bathwater all over the bathroom floor scenario remains unappealing, but life is better than I thought.
Funny thing about a life lived partly online: how many people who have never met him come up and ask me how Melvin is and who is looking after him while I am away.
10:25pm
At tea, more old friends have arrived. The tables are reorganized in a logical but clearly wrong arrangement. Thinking about saying something, an announcement is made asking for volunteers to help re-reorganize the dining room in anticipation of 108 by tomorrow.
We are working with self selection on this course. When a call for volunteers goes out, we are not raising hands. When the kitchen coordinator asks for “5 volunteers for cleanup” at such and such a time, the right people are simply expected to show up. So far, it is working. When the course gets cooking, this will be tested.
Practiced a bit, finally, after tea. Attention all over the place. Playing bad. Mind scattered. Hands misbehaving. Short fuse, no patience, and so I admitted that I needed a nap. Lay down for an hour or so. I could hear a lot of guitar playing going on. At one point someone was burning through bits of Afghanistan, which gave me a bit of a start. Feeling more rested and less fuzzy, and inspired by what I was hearing, I got back up and practiced until suppertime. Still sucked, but it was honest work.
Nearly everyone present now. Close to 100 in the dining hall for supper. A number still to arrive tomorrow.
Staff meeting with Robert after supper. Having been fed several more desserts than my fair portion, I had to struggle to maintain my attention. Checking in with the House and the Kitchen was the primary aim, since these are the most critical to get off on the right foot. A bit of discussion about how things might be organized with Alexander, and the Circle work, given the numbers and the range of experience levels. The course will officially begin tomorrow night, but things are very much under way. Dr Mike will have a Kitchen meeting after breakfast tomorrow, and since we are all the Kitchen Team, this means everyone will be in on the meeting. My sense is that things are beginning to percolate, and there may be a number of opportunities tomorrow, in addition to the continued Kitchen and House work. I am hearing small groups playing in many corners of the facility, and the facility has a lot of corners available.
After the staff meeting, Fernie found me and asked I would like to work with him and Shinkuro on Schizoid Man. I protested the lameness of my chops, but they were hearing none of it. We got together in my room, and Fernie laid it out. At about ¼ tempo it is all doable for me, although the fingerings are nearly criminal. At tempo, not so much. I will practice it more tonight before I go to bed. Not holding out a lot of hope for getting it up to performance quality, but stranger things have happened.
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
6:42am
After a bit more “busy work” and putting new strings on the guitar, it was still only about 11pm, but I saw that my attention was wandering and felt that I could probably sleep. I was right. Sleep came easily, in fact. Dream-filled in that uniquely jet-laggy way; lots of imagery, some vivid, but without any memory of plot or narrative. Awoke to find it was 3am, which was a pleasant surprise. Slipped back to sleep. Less sense of dreaming. Reawoke to the sound of church bells coming from atop the adjacent hill. Counted 6 bells. From my bed I could see the top of a snow capped mountain not so far away in the early morning light. It was indeed 6am. Still early – sitting is at 7:15 – so I lay about just resting for another 30 minutes before getting up and beginning my day. The heat, scheduled to come on at 6am, was on. So far, so good.
9:04am
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In the library at Claymont Court, the room where the morning sitting took place, there was a freestanding gas heater. On winter courses this was powerful incentive for getting to the sitting a little early.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The morning sitting in the ballroom. After moving through my routine, making some decisions about which of the available exercises are most germane in this moment and under these circumstances, found myself ruminating on my aims for the course. I was reminded that there are, in fact, 3 courses taking place, and that each has a different function and each requires me to consider my aim in a slightly different context, or perhaps to examine several aspects of my aim. I was also struck in a slightly more tangible way by the need to discern the difference between Aim and Wish, and from that my personal wishes.
This is a Franciscan monastery. I am not well versed on Catholic saints, but a have at least a layman’s awareness that St Francis was associated with our relationship to animals. There is a fresco on the eastern wall of the dining hall, behind the head table, that depicts this. Thinking about the subjectively ludicrous relationship I have with the silly cat currently home alone in my apartment, and how important it is to me.
Off to practical work.
11:29am
Good work. My sense is that from the standpoint of the primary course taking place here, entitled “Guitar Circle I”, the Kitchen and the House are the central and most relevant metaphors. Catching a glimpse of the Kitchen Coordinators, I was reminded that Help is always available, but 1) when we most need it, we tend to forget that this is so, 2) we need to remember to ask, and 3) on occasion we need to demand. The corollary to this is that Help often comes in surprising ways, and not from where we expected it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My primary and most lasting impression from the first meal of the first Guitar Craft course on the evening of March 25, 1985 was the attention, clear intention and care put into every detail of the meal that was served by members of the Claymont community. It was not a matter of perfection, but of presence.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Practical work, part two, for me is in my room, looking after some details. I once noticed that when a room is looking generally a little dingy even though everything is relatively clean, often all that is necessary is to clean the light fixtures and lamp shades. People rarely see this, or at least they rarely seem to do anything about it.
12:39pm
I am not sure how much of the currently active League is here on the course. I did notice, however that the other most obvious “go-to” teams in terms of offering the more traditional musical interludes within the Orchestra performance, are not here. Two-thirds of Zum is here, so no Zum mid-show mini-concert. Two-thirds of Big Time is here, so no Big Time mid-show mini-concert. And without Howard and Igor A, the heart of the Tuning the Air repertoire that worked so well within the last Orchestra performance is also unavailable. Unless there is a sufficient League with a ready repertoire, something else is going to have to happen for this performance.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For the final performance of the first Guitar Craft course, I had the responsibility for bringing Theme I in. Nervous about the tempo, for the entire day or more before the performance I took to leaving my metronome on whenever I was in my room, at the prescribed tempo, in the hope that I could internalize and somehow “memorize” it. For that piece, I was sitting to Robert’s left (throughout the show, players moved regularly so that small groups were always sitting together as they performed, so almost no one ended the show in the seat where they began). When the time came, out of the corner of my eye I detected Robert subtly conducting the correct tempo for me with his left hand.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3:33pm
Many more familiar faces in the house. Lunch was full of happy surprises, and now every time I walk down a hallway another newcomer appears. After lunch, felt the crash coming, but managed to redirect myself to other things, in the hope of forestalling it, or even avoiding it. I think if I can persevere to a normal bedtime, I will be over the worst. SSG homework addressed; still more to do, but progress made.
In the realm of “be careful what you assume”, after a day of turning on the tap to get some hot water up here, waiting for a sign of hot water before trying the shower, I finally gave up and resigned myself to a week of cold showers. Turned on the shower, bracing myself for the inevitable, but was hit by nearly scalding hot water. Very happy boy, and fully clean, boy. The whole bathwater all over the bathroom floor scenario remains unappealing, but life is better than I thought.
Funny thing about a life lived partly online: how many people who have never met him come up and ask me how Melvin is and who is looking after him while I am away.
10:25pm
At tea, more old friends have arrived. The tables are reorganized in a logical but clearly wrong arrangement. Thinking about saying something, an announcement is made asking for volunteers to help re-reorganize the dining room in anticipation of 108 by tomorrow.
We are working with self selection on this course. When a call for volunteers goes out, we are not raising hands. When the kitchen coordinator asks for “5 volunteers for cleanup” at such and such a time, the right people are simply expected to show up. So far, it is working. When the course gets cooking, this will be tested.
Practiced a bit, finally, after tea. Attention all over the place. Playing bad. Mind scattered. Hands misbehaving. Short fuse, no patience, and so I admitted that I needed a nap. Lay down for an hour or so. I could hear a lot of guitar playing going on. At one point someone was burning through bits of Afghanistan, which gave me a bit of a start. Feeling more rested and less fuzzy, and inspired by what I was hearing, I got back up and practiced until suppertime. Still sucked, but it was honest work.
Nearly everyone present now. Close to 100 in the dining hall for supper. A number still to arrive tomorrow.
Staff meeting with Robert after supper. Having been fed several more desserts than my fair portion, I had to struggle to maintain my attention. Checking in with the House and the Kitchen was the primary aim, since these are the most critical to get off on the right foot. A bit of discussion about how things might be organized with Alexander, and the Circle work, given the numbers and the range of experience levels. The course will officially begin tomorrow night, but things are very much under way. Dr Mike will have a Kitchen meeting after breakfast tomorrow, and since we are all the Kitchen Team, this means everyone will be in on the meeting. My sense is that things are beginning to percolate, and there may be a number of opportunities tomorrow, in addition to the continued Kitchen and House work. I am hearing small groups playing in many corners of the facility, and the facility has a lot of corners available.
After the staff meeting, Fernie found me and asked I would like to work with him and Shinkuro on Schizoid Man. I protested the lameness of my chops, but they were hearing none of it. We got together in my room, and Fernie laid it out. At about ¼ tempo it is all doable for me, although the fingerings are nearly criminal. At tempo, not so much. I will practice it more tonight before I go to bed. Not holding out a lot of hope for getting it up to performance quality, but stranger things have happened.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thursday March 18, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day -2
Thursday March 18, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course - Day -2
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
11:45pm
We arrive just after noon, and I am shown my room; a luxury suite for solo inhabitant.
When I arrived for the first Guitar Craft course on March 25 1985 I found that I was assigned to Room 2 in the Claymont Mansion; a single room, the only one, and it had a sink for washing up.
Here I am for the 25th anniversary, and again I find myself in a single room, one of several so not quite so exclusively exclusive. But it does mean, my own bathroom! And a bathroom with a view, at that. Snow capped mountains to look out upon as I brush my teeth. It’s the small things. I do need to determine if there are showers somewhere, or if I really will be contending with this thing in my bathroom. It is one of those showers that is just free-standing in the bathroom, but it is not clear whether or not the drain on the bathroom floor is functional. The bathroom floor is a step up from the bedroom. What could possibly go wrong? You wouldn’t think that a shower would be such an arcane concept, but there you are. Nothing approaching hot water has made it up to this corner of the facility yet, so showers on this course may become a spiritual exercise.
I get the room provisionally organized. Lunch for 28 at 1pm. In another day or so that dining hall is going to be very crowded indeed. After lunch, hang out with Hernan for a while out in the smoker’s haven just outside the dining hall, happily soaking in the sun and hearing a bit of the history of this place. I take a walk around the property with Carolina, catching up on life, and enthusiastically breathing non-recirculated air. This brings me a bit back to earth, and I feel that I am arriving. The weariness is descending. Thinking “nap”, I return to my room, but further organizing and then cataloging our travel adventures while they are still fresh in my memory takes precedence. At tea, Silence makes a brief but definite appearance, and for a moment I see an angel hovering over the dining hall. It is barely visible, nearly as large as the room, and seems to be traveling at great speed, even though it is stationary within the room.
After tea, I do succumb to jetlag and fatigue. The late afternoon sun pours through the window onto my bed and warms me wonderfully. When the sun goes down, the temperature drops. This is a cold building, though perhaps with some people and some activity this will change. My room is certainly pleasantly warm.
Supper delayed 15 minutes due to the gas going out in the kitchen. To say this facility is underutilized would be generous; nearly completely dormant is more like it. A handful of monks, all aging, live in the adjacent quarters. On Sunday, the church is active with a strong community. But this part of the building seems to lie fallow. Hernan suspects the last time it got a thorough cleaning was the last time Guitar Craft was here, in 2002. That may not be hyperbole. So, the heating system needs attention. The plumbing needs attention. Everything needs attention, and is beginning to get it. Nearly tragic that this stunning place is not getting the life/love it deserves.
Lovely evening meal for 55 now in the house. Silence makes a very strong appearance. If there was an angel this time, I could not see it.
Silence made a very marked appearance during the first meal of the first Guitar Craft course on March 25 1985, but I did not comprehend its significance or appreciate the gifts that it contained. For me, the word “silence” in a group context was always preceded in my mind by the word “awkward”. It took some time for me to fully feel and welcome the power of the presence of Silence.
After the brief Silence that presented itself at Tea, I am being a bit watchful about how I am sitting. The chairs in the dining hall tend to promote slouching, and it is terrible to be caught in a slouch when Silence arrives.
I volunteer for cleanup. This is perhaps the most sobering aspect of the state of the house. “Hot” is not really a word you can use to describe the water temperature, and “warm” would be wishful thinking. Tepid, probably best fits. So the sanitization level of dishwashing is also wishful thinking. Not quite as scary as Sant Cugat where the water would be hot for about the first ½ sink full and then go dead cold. But with 100+ going to be in the house shortly, it is a concern.
A little coffee afterward, which may or may not have been a good idea. We shall see. Caught up with Robert on this and that, and shared the photo I brought of Ezra and Deborah, generating uniform astonishment among those who have known them since before he was, at the 12-year-old nearly as tall as his mother.
Back to my room, which is comfortably warm. Intend to change guitar strings and if after that I’m not ready to sleep, I am behind in my SSG homework. Bill fills me in on the shower “procedure”, which is more or less as I expected/feared.
Shortly after arriving, found Carolina already getting the kitchen in shape. We took a walk around the facility, catching up, and along the way ran into Tony, who snapped these.
Evening view from my room.
The Guitar Circle I
Guitar Craft 25th Anniversary Completion Course
Special Project: The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists III
Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato (Ancona), Italy
11:45pm
We arrive just after noon, and I am shown my room; a luxury suite for solo inhabitant.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When I arrived for the first Guitar Craft course on March 25 1985 I found that I was assigned to Room 2 in the Claymont Mansion; a single room, the only one, and it had a sink for washing up.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Here I am for the 25th anniversary, and again I find myself in a single room, one of several so not quite so exclusively exclusive. But it does mean, my own bathroom! And a bathroom with a view, at that. Snow capped mountains to look out upon as I brush my teeth. It’s the small things. I do need to determine if there are showers somewhere, or if I really will be contending with this thing in my bathroom. It is one of those showers that is just free-standing in the bathroom, but it is not clear whether or not the drain on the bathroom floor is functional. The bathroom floor is a step up from the bedroom. What could possibly go wrong? You wouldn’t think that a shower would be such an arcane concept, but there you are. Nothing approaching hot water has made it up to this corner of the facility yet, so showers on this course may become a spiritual exercise.
I get the room provisionally organized. Lunch for 28 at 1pm. In another day or so that dining hall is going to be very crowded indeed. After lunch, hang out with Hernan for a while out in the smoker’s haven just outside the dining hall, happily soaking in the sun and hearing a bit of the history of this place. I take a walk around the property with Carolina, catching up on life, and enthusiastically breathing non-recirculated air. This brings me a bit back to earth, and I feel that I am arriving. The weariness is descending. Thinking “nap”, I return to my room, but further organizing and then cataloging our travel adventures while they are still fresh in my memory takes precedence. At tea, Silence makes a brief but definite appearance, and for a moment I see an angel hovering over the dining hall. It is barely visible, nearly as large as the room, and seems to be traveling at great speed, even though it is stationary within the room.
After tea, I do succumb to jetlag and fatigue. The late afternoon sun pours through the window onto my bed and warms me wonderfully. When the sun goes down, the temperature drops. This is a cold building, though perhaps with some people and some activity this will change. My room is certainly pleasantly warm.
Supper delayed 15 minutes due to the gas going out in the kitchen. To say this facility is underutilized would be generous; nearly completely dormant is more like it. A handful of monks, all aging, live in the adjacent quarters. On Sunday, the church is active with a strong community. But this part of the building seems to lie fallow. Hernan suspects the last time it got a thorough cleaning was the last time Guitar Craft was here, in 2002. That may not be hyperbole. So, the heating system needs attention. The plumbing needs attention. Everything needs attention, and is beginning to get it. Nearly tragic that this stunning place is not getting the life/love it deserves.
Lovely evening meal for 55 now in the house. Silence makes a very strong appearance. If there was an angel this time, I could not see it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Silence made a very marked appearance during the first meal of the first Guitar Craft course on March 25 1985, but I did not comprehend its significance or appreciate the gifts that it contained. For me, the word “silence” in a group context was always preceded in my mind by the word “awkward”. It took some time for me to fully feel and welcome the power of the presence of Silence.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After the brief Silence that presented itself at Tea, I am being a bit watchful about how I am sitting. The chairs in the dining hall tend to promote slouching, and it is terrible to be caught in a slouch when Silence arrives.
I volunteer for cleanup. This is perhaps the most sobering aspect of the state of the house. “Hot” is not really a word you can use to describe the water temperature, and “warm” would be wishful thinking. Tepid, probably best fits. So the sanitization level of dishwashing is also wishful thinking. Not quite as scary as Sant Cugat where the water would be hot for about the first ½ sink full and then go dead cold. But with 100+ going to be in the house shortly, it is a concern.
A little coffee afterward, which may or may not have been a good idea. We shall see. Caught up with Robert on this and that, and shared the photo I brought of Ezra and Deborah, generating uniform astonishment among those who have known them since before he was, at the 12-year-old nearly as tall as his mother.
Back to my room, which is comfortably warm. Intend to change guitar strings and if after that I’m not ready to sleep, I am behind in my SSG homework. Bill fills me in on the shower “procedure”, which is more or less as I expected/feared.
Shortly after arriving, found Carolina already getting the kitchen in shape. We took a walk around the facility, catching up, and along the way ran into Tony, who snapped these.
Evening view from my room.Wednesday, March 17, 2010
March 17/18, 2010 – Final Guitar Craft Course – Day of Eternal Travel
Travel from Seattle to Sassoferrato, Italy
March 17, 2010
March 17, 2010
- 4:00am Pacific Time – up, shower, last minute packing, cat comforting
- 5:15am – Taylor and Mary Beth arrive to pick me up
- 5:45am – Drop Taylor’s rental car off at Seatac and shuttle to terminal
- 6:00am – Check in at American Airlines, proceed through security, head to gate. Meet Tobin, Bill and Jaxie along the way. Frank is also at SeaTac but on a different airline, in a different terminal. Call my father to wish him a happy birthday.
- 8:45am – Plane takes off about 40 minutes late. Flying time 5 hours. I catch about 2 hours of sleep, during the movie.
- 4:30pm Eastern Time – Arrive JFK about 15 minutes late. Switching to our Al Italia flights involves exiting the secure terminal, taking a train to the furthest other terminal, and going through security again. This is time-consuming. We don’t have seat assignments yet for the Al Italia flights, and by now our departure time is getting close. We go to the airline counter before going through security. They are a little baffled by our situation, but very obliging. It takes some doing, but they get us seating assignments (scattered all over the plane) and boarding passes, and then one of their people escorts us to the front of the security line, pissing off several hundred harried travelers. We arrive at the gate where boarding is just about completed, and make it in time.
- 6:05pm – Our flight departs for Rome. 7 hours and 30 minutes of one of the most abominable airplanes I have ever encountered; insanely cramped seating. I have a window seat (I prefer aisles) but the outside rows are only 2 seats so that is not so bad. My neighbor is a twitchy 20-year-old who squirms nonstop for the entire flight. Lovely person, but yow. Pretty reasonable food, and I managed 3 good catnaps. General discomfort slightly mollified by the sight of the sun rising over the Alps.
- 7:20am European Time – Arrive Da Vinci airport in Rome. No particular difficulties here. The lines and the wait to go through security and passport control were pretty brutal, and getting to our next gate involved a marathon walk, but we had plenty of time. Had I not been in state of sleep deprivation and temporal displacement induced semi-psychosis, it would have been a walk in the park. Found our gate and planted ourselves for the hour or so we had to wait. Don Deane was there as well. Bill and I ventured out for coffee (ooooh) and a visit to the duty-free store.
- 9:20am – Board the shuttle bus that will take us to the plane. At the last minute, Tony arrives; his flight from NY had been delayed, but he had sprinted through the airport and arrived just as the doors were about to close. We boarded the plane, a small commuter jet, for the 1-hour flight to Ancona.
- 9:50am – Departure from Rome. A pleasant and uneventful flight. The irony of the fact that the seats on this plane were spacious and comfortable for this little plane and this short flight did not escape us. A beautiful day out, and the view from the plane breathtaking.
- 11:00am – Arrive Ancona. Walk across tarmac to small terminal to await the fate of our luggage. Happily, all guitars arrive intact. All bags also make it, except Tony’s which was not able to sprint across Da Vince as quickly as he did, and so did not make it past Rome yet. Only an inconvenience.
- 11:30am – Go through customs and find Allesandro waiting on the other side. All is well. Six of us load our gear into a car and ourselves into a cab and head for Sassoferrato, about an hour’s drive. Allesandro needs to stay at the airport to meet Frank. Tony stays with him to deal with his missing baggage issues. Don draws the short straw in terms of the available space in the departing cars, and waits at the airport as well.
- 12:30pm – Arrive Convento La Pace, Sassoferrato, Italy. Every face I see is a happy reunion. Totally worth the trip.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Full Circle at Fremont Abbey and Practical Work
A Tuning the Air Journal
Saturday March 13, 2010 – Full Circle at Fremont Abbey and Practical Work
Final full group work before most of us head to Italy. Frank worked with us for the first half of the rehearsal, returning to our relationship with the “critical moment”, the moment of choice, and breathing. I felt that after 6 weeks of this focus something was finally beginning to sink in for me.
Noting that there were 12 in the circle, I jumped on the opportunity to try out a bit o the bidirectional circulation of the D Minor Bach Invention. We began by simply clapping the circulated pattern in each direction, getting accustomed to the pattern. Borrowing an exercise from Sisyphus Rocks, we moved to a two handed bidirectional circulation, sans boomwhackers. Then I introduced the notes for the first 3 bars of the piece. On the one hand, this came pretty easily. But it was also clear that the chasm between being able to pull it off and actually playing the music is going to require some work to cross. But it is clear that this will work, and I’m psyched.
A short meeting acknowledging that for the next couple of weeks we will be working AAD, a small team here in Seattle and the majority of us in Sassoferrato.
Afterward Travis, Chris, Joel and I took 15 or 20 minutes to do some work with the storage area we occupy, and then home. A little bon voyage party at my place tonight, combined with a welcome for the North American Guitar Craft Contact, passing through town on tour with the band.
Saturday March 13, 2010 – Full Circle at Fremont Abbey and Practical Work
Final full group work before most of us head to Italy. Frank worked with us for the first half of the rehearsal, returning to our relationship with the “critical moment”, the moment of choice, and breathing. I felt that after 6 weeks of this focus something was finally beginning to sink in for me.
Noting that there were 12 in the circle, I jumped on the opportunity to try out a bit o the bidirectional circulation of the D Minor Bach Invention. We began by simply clapping the circulated pattern in each direction, getting accustomed to the pattern. Borrowing an exercise from Sisyphus Rocks, we moved to a two handed bidirectional circulation, sans boomwhackers. Then I introduced the notes for the first 3 bars of the piece. On the one hand, this came pretty easily. But it was also clear that the chasm between being able to pull it off and actually playing the music is going to require some work to cross. But it is clear that this will work, and I’m psyched.
A short meeting acknowledging that for the next couple of weeks we will be working AAD, a small team here in Seattle and the majority of us in Sassoferrato.
Afterward Travis, Chris, Joel and I took 15 or 20 minutes to do some work with the storage area we occupy, and then home. A little bon voyage party at my place tonight, combined with a welcome for the North American Guitar Craft Contact, passing through town on tour with the band.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tech Work at Fremont Abbey Arts Center, part 4
A Tuning the Air Journal
Thursday March 4, 2010 – Tech Work at Fremont Abbey Arts Center, part 4
Our final night of tech rehearsal. Most of us head to Italy next week, and when we return we will be in full rehearsal mode as we prepare for opening night on April 15.
Those able arrived at 6:30. Chris and Travis were transporting the PA. I stopped at the storage space on my way to pick up all of the lighting gear. Joel took care of his own gear, and was carrying a small powered monitor that CF had borrowed as an experiment. We gathered for a moment, and then divided into teams. Everyone helped to haul the risers down from storage. Then Chris and Bob took care of setting them up. Travis and Ryan did the set-up of the PA, grabbing extra hands as necessary. Likewise, Ian took charge of setting up the lights, drafting the necessary help. I had the vision tonight for the placement of the speakers, and took charge of that, and then made myself available as necessary.
We were set up in about 30 minutes. Good news. The full team was present, except for Howard who is out of town and Igor who had work obligations tonight. By 7:30 we were fully soundchecked and ready to get down to business. Bill was in the house, and took on the role of being our ears. He and Charles, the new House Manager, moved some staging that was set up for another show, which was going to change the sound characteristics of the room. Meleah reacquainted herself with the lights, and for the entire evening we were treated to the changing and responsive visual ambience of light with music.
We primarily played music, with some circulating and improvising. During the break, Joel set up a lovely Ab Major improv, which we joined in on when we returned, segueing into Twilight. A lot of promise here. Bill worked out the technical side of balancing things. We are not particularly adept yet at improvising in this way, but that is something we know how to work on, and I think it will be a significant step in the show.
Bill had the idea that the sound would work better with the speakers on the floor rather than on stands, and so we gave it a try. The immediate smile on Greg’s face was a pretty good indication that we were on to something, and Bill confirmed that this was a vast improvement. In addition, it unclutters the visual presentation considerably. Good in every way.
At 9:45 we called it a night, satisfied that we had a plan. Breakdown and restoration of the space was under 30 minutes. Also good news. I followed Chris and Travis over to Travis’ place to unload the PA gear. I will return the lights to storage tomorrow. Then to Ballard to join the rest of the team for libations, a late supper and a bit of socializing.
Thursday March 4, 2010 – Tech Work at Fremont Abbey Arts Center, part 4
Our final night of tech rehearsal. Most of us head to Italy next week, and when we return we will be in full rehearsal mode as we prepare for opening night on April 15.
Those able arrived at 6:30. Chris and Travis were transporting the PA. I stopped at the storage space on my way to pick up all of the lighting gear. Joel took care of his own gear, and was carrying a small powered monitor that CF had borrowed as an experiment. We gathered for a moment, and then divided into teams. Everyone helped to haul the risers down from storage. Then Chris and Bob took care of setting them up. Travis and Ryan did the set-up of the PA, grabbing extra hands as necessary. Likewise, Ian took charge of setting up the lights, drafting the necessary help. I had the vision tonight for the placement of the speakers, and took charge of that, and then made myself available as necessary.
We were set up in about 30 minutes. Good news. The full team was present, except for Howard who is out of town and Igor who had work obligations tonight. By 7:30 we were fully soundchecked and ready to get down to business. Bill was in the house, and took on the role of being our ears. He and Charles, the new House Manager, moved some staging that was set up for another show, which was going to change the sound characteristics of the room. Meleah reacquainted herself with the lights, and for the entire evening we were treated to the changing and responsive visual ambience of light with music.
We primarily played music, with some circulating and improvising. During the break, Joel set up a lovely Ab Major improv, which we joined in on when we returned, segueing into Twilight. A lot of promise here. Bill worked out the technical side of balancing things. We are not particularly adept yet at improvising in this way, but that is something we know how to work on, and I think it will be a significant step in the show.
Bill had the idea that the sound would work better with the speakers on the floor rather than on stands, and so we gave it a try. The immediate smile on Greg’s face was a pretty good indication that we were on to something, and Bill confirmed that this was a vast improvement. In addition, it unclutters the visual presentation considerably. Good in every way.
At 9:45 we called it a night, satisfied that we had a plan. Breakdown and restoration of the space was under 30 minutes. Also good news. I followed Chris and Travis over to Travis’ place to unload the PA gear. I will return the lights to storage tomorrow. Then to Ballard to join the rest of the team for libations, a late supper and a bit of socializing.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Performance Team Rehearsal at the Wilsons
A Tuning the Air Journal
Monday March 8, 2010 – Performance Team Rehearsal at the Wilsons
We were 8 in the circle, with Howard out of town. I was in the mood to get some old-school rehearsal in on repertoire, and this interest seemed to be shared. We worked largely with the metronome, running most pieces more than once, parts checked and musical indications discussed.
Monday March 8, 2010 – Performance Team Rehearsal at the Wilsons
We were 8 in the circle, with Howard out of town. I was in the mood to get some old-school rehearsal in on repertoire, and this interest seemed to be shared. We worked largely with the metronome, running most pieces more than once, parts checked and musical indications discussed.
- The Wig Maker
- Sigh and a Kiss
- Twilight
- Cultivating the Beat
- Batrachomyomachy
- Not My Sharona
- Where is the Nurse?
- Lament
- Eye of the Needle
- Thrak
Monthly Open Circle
A Tuning the Air Journal
Saturday March 6, 2010 – Monthly Open Circle
Arrived at Fremont Abbey about 9:45. The risers from the café were set up as a stage in the Great Hall. It was not in our way, but for those of us who had been in charge of tearing down and resetting the stage when we were performing downstairs it was a bit of a flashback. And they are heavy. I an only assme that someone had to take them outside and around to the front door in order to get them upstairs. Not envying that task.
We began with 14 in the circle, plus myself and Frank. One player was a returnee who had been to last month’s circle, and the rest were the usual suspects. For these monthly circles, Frank’s work is generally support, working around the circle as we address the various exercises and challenges, rather than doing an in-depth AT class. And since everyone there had experience, there was no need for even an introductory talk. So we dove in. Three conducted chords to herald the beginning, and then “when ready, begin.” From there to some basic circulating exercises, which I was regarding as warmup to some bidirectional circulation work I had in mind.
About 20 minutes into the circle, I noticed someone come to the door. I let him in. It was one of the newcomers on the attendance list, running rather late. We wrapped up the particular exercise we were working on, and invited him in. Now 15 in the circle. This required a certain recalibration, and the rest of the first hour was focused on getting the newcomer into the flow with basic circulation techniques.
A short break, and some much needed tuning, and we were back for the second hour. A little more basic circulating, and we launched into the bidirectional circulation exercise I had in mind. This one involved assigned notes spelling out one octave of a C Harmonic Minor scale played from G to G and back down, in the low register, moving counter clockwise, and a two note ostinato line in the high register moving clockwise. We began with simply counting and then counting and playing each part, and eventually counting and playing both parts simultaneously. With 15 in the circle this meant that the person initiating would play both of their notes simultaneously, and that on the other side of the circle there were a pair of folks at the crossover point. Tricky business, but a skill that is needed for the reemerged Bach Invention project.
After the circle, a short Seattle Circle board of director’s meeting at my place to consider a community outreach/educational initiative.
Saturday March 6, 2010 – Monthly Open Circle
Arrived at Fremont Abbey about 9:45. The risers from the café were set up as a stage in the Great Hall. It was not in our way, but for those of us who had been in charge of tearing down and resetting the stage when we were performing downstairs it was a bit of a flashback. And they are heavy. I an only assme that someone had to take them outside and around to the front door in order to get them upstairs. Not envying that task.
We began with 14 in the circle, plus myself and Frank. One player was a returnee who had been to last month’s circle, and the rest were the usual suspects. For these monthly circles, Frank’s work is generally support, working around the circle as we address the various exercises and challenges, rather than doing an in-depth AT class. And since everyone there had experience, there was no need for even an introductory talk. So we dove in. Three conducted chords to herald the beginning, and then “when ready, begin.” From there to some basic circulating exercises, which I was regarding as warmup to some bidirectional circulation work I had in mind.
About 20 minutes into the circle, I noticed someone come to the door. I let him in. It was one of the newcomers on the attendance list, running rather late. We wrapped up the particular exercise we were working on, and invited him in. Now 15 in the circle. This required a certain recalibration, and the rest of the first hour was focused on getting the newcomer into the flow with basic circulation techniques.
A short break, and some much needed tuning, and we were back for the second hour. A little more basic circulating, and we launched into the bidirectional circulation exercise I had in mind. This one involved assigned notes spelling out one octave of a C Harmonic Minor scale played from G to G and back down, in the low register, moving counter clockwise, and a two note ostinato line in the high register moving clockwise. We began with simply counting and then counting and playing each part, and eventually counting and playing both parts simultaneously. With 15 in the circle this meant that the person initiating would play both of their notes simultaneously, and that on the other side of the circle there were a pair of folks at the crossover point. Tricky business, but a skill that is needed for the reemerged Bach Invention project.
After the circle, a short Seattle Circle board of director’s meeting at my place to consider a community outreach/educational initiative.
Tech Work at Fremont Abbey Arts Center, part 3
A Tuning the Air Journal
Thursday March 4, 2010 – Tech Work at Fremont Abbey Arts Center, part 3
Taking the work with sound reinforcement the next step. Those who were available arrived at Fremont Abbey at 6:30 and loaded in the equipment. Since last week, the additional speakers, cables, stands and a snake had been acquired, so we would be able to work with the full system. For this rehearsal the risers also came down from storage, allowing us to work with the challenges of laying cables in our performance configuration.
Setup was relatively quick. By shortly after 7, everything was set up, and we were beginning to do a basic soundcheck. Joel arrived with his gear and set up and soundchecked as well. Hearing him in stereo through a proper PA was very encouraging. Everyone was in the house by 7:30, and so a more formal soundcheck proceeded. Some work was necessary to balance the 4 speakers and make sure that Ryan, the soundman, and the channels routed the way they needed to be. We were experimenting with an arrangement for the speakers we had not yet tried.
My sense of things was that we needed to simply play as much as possible, getting used to the sound of ourselves amplified in the room, before we dove into the technical side of adjustments, which can turn into something of a black hole if we are not careful. So for the first hour we simply called repertoire and played, stopping to tweak the sound as minimally as possible. The House Team again sat in various places within the room, providing feedback on the sound. We experimented with improvs that included Joel, some of them stand alone versions of “when ready, begin”, and others more deliberate, with specific key orientations, designed to set up particular pieces of repertoire. Both of these showed a lot of promise, with the potential of integrating Joel’s contribution.
After some discussion, we concluded that the speaker arrangement was not working in the room. Our final arrangement last week was superior in sound, but awkward in the space, and so I suggested a kind of compromise between the two. After a bit of tweaking, running Sigh and a Kiss as our test piece, we arrived at something that was a clear improvement.
Back to running repertoire and improvs. Jaxie was in the middle of the room, Joel in position off to the side, contributing to the improvs. I had the sense that Joel will need monitors for this.
At 9:45 a quick wrap up of what we had learned, then tear down and load out.
Thursday March 4, 2010 – Tech Work at Fremont Abbey Arts Center, part 3
Taking the work with sound reinforcement the next step. Those who were available arrived at Fremont Abbey at 6:30 and loaded in the equipment. Since last week, the additional speakers, cables, stands and a snake had been acquired, so we would be able to work with the full system. For this rehearsal the risers also came down from storage, allowing us to work with the challenges of laying cables in our performance configuration.
Setup was relatively quick. By shortly after 7, everything was set up, and we were beginning to do a basic soundcheck. Joel arrived with his gear and set up and soundchecked as well. Hearing him in stereo through a proper PA was very encouraging. Everyone was in the house by 7:30, and so a more formal soundcheck proceeded. Some work was necessary to balance the 4 speakers and make sure that Ryan, the soundman, and the channels routed the way they needed to be. We were experimenting with an arrangement for the speakers we had not yet tried.
My sense of things was that we needed to simply play as much as possible, getting used to the sound of ourselves amplified in the room, before we dove into the technical side of adjustments, which can turn into something of a black hole if we are not careful. So for the first hour we simply called repertoire and played, stopping to tweak the sound as minimally as possible. The House Team again sat in various places within the room, providing feedback on the sound. We experimented with improvs that included Joel, some of them stand alone versions of “when ready, begin”, and others more deliberate, with specific key orientations, designed to set up particular pieces of repertoire. Both of these showed a lot of promise, with the potential of integrating Joel’s contribution.
After some discussion, we concluded that the speaker arrangement was not working in the room. Our final arrangement last week was superior in sound, but awkward in the space, and so I suggested a kind of compromise between the two. After a bit of tweaking, running Sigh and a Kiss as our test piece, we arrived at something that was a clear improvement.
Back to running repertoire and improvs. Jaxie was in the middle of the room, Joel in position off to the side, contributing to the improvs. I had the sense that Joel will need monitors for this.
At 9:45 a quick wrap up of what we had learned, then tear down and load out.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Bicycling To Afghanistan
It is not, at this time, a public forum or document, but this is something I posted today on the Guitar Craft Histories website...
Bicycling To Afghanistan
In early 1987 I was still living in the Virginia suburbs of Washington DC, splitting much of my time between the courses that were going on almost all the time at Claymont and the long term projects at Red Lion House in Dorset. About that time the Russian occupation of Afghanistan was at its bloody height. I was working on a kind of punk/funk/vocal tune for a rock band. It was called Be A Man In Afghanistan. It never quite gelled into a real piece, but I kept recycling the workable bits through all kinds of vehicles and concepts. The Lead I Intro figure in 7, and the Lead I A Phrygian melody are, I believe, the only material from this period that survived to become part of the final piece. Perhaps some bits of bass line as well.
In June 1987 we moved to NYC. Much of my time and energy for the next several months went into getting our feet on the ground in NY, but I continued to develop the ideas in my personal practice.
In early January 1988 I did an electric jam session with Trey Gunn, who was just getting his Stick chops together, and a drummer friend of his, Scott Schultz, at a rehearsal studio in “The Music Building” on 8th Avenue and 40th Street, just across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Not a lot really clicked at that session. It had been long time since I had played electrically with a group, and my command of the instrument was rusty at best. But I did latch on to one little improvised figure that seemed to have something to it – 12 16th notes in a three beat pattern, with bass notes rocking back and forth between the root and fifth played on the 3rd and 4th strings, and the top notes moving up and down the 2nd string on the minor third, the fourth and the fifth. If you already know, or are working on the piece, you will recognize this as the figure played by Lead I in the Eb section and by Lead II in the C section.
The discovery of this little figure served as the catalyst for all the bits and pieces that had been floating around waiting for a vehicle. A Level III course commenced at Claymont in late January which went through the end of March. I floated in and out as my schedule allowed. Victor McSurely and Arch Jones were on this course, and they became my “live sequencers”. Every time a section started to come together I'd to drag them in to my room and make them quickly learn whatever I had just dreamed up. Then I'd send them away while I made refinements. We discovered that for this material it was imperative for us to “get it right”, right from the start, or there was no recovery. We just didn’t have the command yet to survive even near train wrecks. Victor likened it to making sure that you got the first button of your shirt right, and then the rest follow with relative ease. So, we called the trio The Top Buttons.
Once the piece achieved its working, and nearly final form, we started performing at every meal – much to the chagrin, I fear, of the other participants. There were many disasters. The piece was still entitled Be A Man In Afghanistan, but it was so far from the original concept that it didn't really fit any more. Among the Top Buttons, we just referred to it as Afghanistan, but I don’t believe we ever publicly announced the name of the piece at any of these mealtime performances. Our grasp of the polyrhythms and fingerings was so tenuous, that we spent a great deal of time just turning on the metronome and repeating sections over, and over, and over and over. This exercise became known as “cycling through Afghanistan”. One evening we (of course) trudged into the dining hall to once again harangue our fellow guitarists with another shot. I felt that we needed to be a little more aggressive in our performance. Just playing the notes in the hope of getting through it without incident was getting stale. We needed to get over ourselves and take it to the audience - to sell the song, as it were. So we went and stood in an unusual place, our backs to the east wall, and I stepped forward and announced (in my best performer's voice) “Greetings everyone! We are the Top Buttons and this is our latest hit, Bicycling to Afghanistan”. The dining hall erupted into laughter and applause.
I don’t, frankly, remember how that particular performance went. But the piece achieved its identity at that moment.
I had three primary themes I was working with in writing it.
In March, toward the end of that Level III, there was a special performance project. Robert asked me if we could have Bicycling to Afghanistan up to performance level for the tour. I said yes, and we did. By the time we took it on the road, the piece was nearly in its final form. Over the years, the only changes/additions have been in the Outro, which was a little anemic in this first version. Within a year, the driving 5-figure in the bass part had arrived, which served to keep the energy going right out to the last note. A few years later, an additional line was added to the leads in the Outro, and since then the arrangement has been stable.
It got its public debut at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA on the Ides of March. I have an edited board tape from that performance, but for some reason Afghanistan is not included. Since I don’t know where this tape came from, I don’t know where to go to find the missing songs. Perhaps it will turn up. I well remember the performance, though. It is possible that sound check was also the first time we ever heard it through a PA system – a life-altering experience. My memory of the performance itself was that it was a thundering force of nature. After the show, Robert remarked that we had gotten some help from the sound man. I don’t know if by that he meant that we had needed help to get through it, or that we had taken it up a level. I choose to think the latter, but only he knows.
League Of Crafty Guitarists
Live on VH1, aired April 3, 1988
Private recording of television broadcast
Recorded Mar 17, 1988, NYC
League of Crafty Guitarists
GET CRAFTY 1
Recorded October 1988, Cranborne, Dorset, UK
League of Crafty Guitarists
Live at Woodruff Arts Center
Board tape of live performance – unreleased
Recorded December 8, 1989, Atlanta, GA
League of Crafty Guitarists
SHOW OF HANDS
Editions EG EED 2102-2
Recorded October 14, 1990, Manhattan Center Studios, NYC
League of Crafty Guitarists
CAREFUL WITH THAT AXE
Recorded October 3, 1991, Perugia, Italy
Robert Fripp String Quintet
THE BRIDGE BETWEEN
Discipline Records DR 9302 2
Recorded May 22, 1993, Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
Atomic Chamber Ensemble
KING FOR A DAY
Recorded June 15, 2003, Seattle, WA
League of Crafty Guitarists
ASPIRATION: ATLANTA 2003
Live recording used on CD
Recorded November 3, 2003, 7 Stages Theatre, Atlanta, GA
Bicycling To Afghanistan
In early 1987 I was still living in the Virginia suburbs of Washington DC, splitting much of my time between the courses that were going on almost all the time at Claymont and the long term projects at Red Lion House in Dorset. About that time the Russian occupation of Afghanistan was at its bloody height. I was working on a kind of punk/funk/vocal tune for a rock band. It was called Be A Man In Afghanistan. It never quite gelled into a real piece, but I kept recycling the workable bits through all kinds of vehicles and concepts. The Lead I Intro figure in 7, and the Lead I A Phrygian melody are, I believe, the only material from this period that survived to become part of the final piece. Perhaps some bits of bass line as well.
In June 1987 we moved to NYC. Much of my time and energy for the next several months went into getting our feet on the ground in NY, but I continued to develop the ideas in my personal practice.
In early January 1988 I did an electric jam session with Trey Gunn, who was just getting his Stick chops together, and a drummer friend of his, Scott Schultz, at a rehearsal studio in “The Music Building” on 8th Avenue and 40th Street, just across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Not a lot really clicked at that session. It had been long time since I had played electrically with a group, and my command of the instrument was rusty at best. But I did latch on to one little improvised figure that seemed to have something to it – 12 16th notes in a three beat pattern, with bass notes rocking back and forth between the root and fifth played on the 3rd and 4th strings, and the top notes moving up and down the 2nd string on the minor third, the fourth and the fifth. If you already know, or are working on the piece, you will recognize this as the figure played by Lead I in the Eb section and by Lead II in the C section.
The discovery of this little figure served as the catalyst for all the bits and pieces that had been floating around waiting for a vehicle. A Level III course commenced at Claymont in late January which went through the end of March. I floated in and out as my schedule allowed. Victor McSurely and Arch Jones were on this course, and they became my “live sequencers”. Every time a section started to come together I'd to drag them in to my room and make them quickly learn whatever I had just dreamed up. Then I'd send them away while I made refinements. We discovered that for this material it was imperative for us to “get it right”, right from the start, or there was no recovery. We just didn’t have the command yet to survive even near train wrecks. Victor likened it to making sure that you got the first button of your shirt right, and then the rest follow with relative ease. So, we called the trio The Top Buttons.
Once the piece achieved its working, and nearly final form, we started performing at every meal – much to the chagrin, I fear, of the other participants. There were many disasters. The piece was still entitled Be A Man In Afghanistan, but it was so far from the original concept that it didn't really fit any more. Among the Top Buttons, we just referred to it as Afghanistan, but I don’t believe we ever publicly announced the name of the piece at any of these mealtime performances. Our grasp of the polyrhythms and fingerings was so tenuous, that we spent a great deal of time just turning on the metronome and repeating sections over, and over, and over and over. This exercise became known as “cycling through Afghanistan”. One evening we (of course) trudged into the dining hall to once again harangue our fellow guitarists with another shot. I felt that we needed to be a little more aggressive in our performance. Just playing the notes in the hope of getting through it without incident was getting stale. We needed to get over ourselves and take it to the audience - to sell the song, as it were. So we went and stood in an unusual place, our backs to the east wall, and I stepped forward and announced (in my best performer's voice) “Greetings everyone! We are the Top Buttons and this is our latest hit, Bicycling to Afghanistan”. The dining hall erupted into laughter and applause.
I don’t, frankly, remember how that particular performance went. But the piece achieved its identity at that moment.
I had three primary themes I was working with in writing it.
- The first was that it was rhythmically accessible. While it was still Be A Man In Afghanistan, it was conceived as a funk piece for a small electric group. Recalibrating for the guitar ensemble, the funk fell away – no bass, no drums, no funk, not really – but the groove remained of primary. I didn’t want it to feel esoteric, so the idea was to give it a pretty straight up rock groove in 4/4 (3/4 in the Midtro), but to subdivide the bars in non-traditional ways, keeping everyone on their toes. The bass part is largely responsible for holding this down, but it can be heard in any well-played version of any of the parts. This is the element that recordings tend to fail to reflect. The most convincing recordings are the live ones – The League in Atlanta from the end of the Bogo Tour in 1989, the RFQ with electric instrumentation, and The League performance in Atlanta at the end of the 2003 Level Three, captured on the “Aspiration” CD.
- The figure that popped up in the jam with Trey and Scott provided another theme, which involved what amounted to little internal polyrhythms in the individual parts; two lines: one alternating across strings and the other on a single string. Every section has some version of this figure in it, twisted around for the particular quality of that section.
- Quartering the octave and modulating through those four keys. Although each section – A, F#, Eb and C – is Phrygian, this movement has a very strong Relative Minor/Major relationship. The first section alternates between A Phrygian and F# Phrygian, which can enharmonically be described as D Minor and D Major. The relationship between F# and Eb is the same, as is Eb and C, and also the transition from C back to A and the beginning.
In March, toward the end of that Level III, there was a special performance project. Robert asked me if we could have Bicycling to Afghanistan up to performance level for the tour. I said yes, and we did. By the time we took it on the road, the piece was nearly in its final form. Over the years, the only changes/additions have been in the Outro, which was a little anemic in this first version. Within a year, the driving 5-figure in the bass part had arrived, which served to keep the energy going right out to the last note. A few years later, an additional line was added to the leads in the Outro, and since then the arrangement has been stable.
It got its public debut at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA on the Ides of March. I have an edited board tape from that performance, but for some reason Afghanistan is not included. Since I don’t know where this tape came from, I don’t know where to go to find the missing songs. Perhaps it will turn up. I well remember the performance, though. It is possible that sound check was also the first time we ever heard it through a PA system – a life-altering experience. My memory of the performance itself was that it was a thundering force of nature. After the show, Robert remarked that we had gotten some help from the sound man. I don’t know if by that he meant that we had needed help to get through it, or that we had taken it up a level. I choose to think the latter, but only he knows.
League Of Crafty Guitarists
Live on VH1, aired April 3, 1988
Private recording of television broadcast
Recorded Mar 17, 1988, NYC
Two days after the Muhlenberg show, on St Patrick’s Day, we were in New York taping “New Visions” for VH1. It aired on Easter, April 3. For anyone who has seen a tape of the VH1 performance, Arch Jones is wearing dark glasses because he thought we were just doing a sound check and was goofing around.
The tempo is in the 92bpm vicinity.
No driving bass or dive-bombing lead line in Outro.
League of Crafty Guitarists
GET CRAFTY 1
Recorded October 1988, Cranborne, Dorset, UK
90bpm – likely with click track. By this time the pulsing 5 figure in the bass line has found its way into the Outro.
League of Crafty Guitarists
Live at Woodruff Arts Center
Board tape of live performance – unreleased
Recorded December 8, 1989, Atlanta, GA
Same arrangement, 94bpm
League of Crafty Guitarists
SHOW OF HANDS
Editions EG EED 2102-2
Recorded October 14, 1990, Manhattan Center Studios, NYC
Same arrangement, 98bpm – very definitely with a click track.
We tried this one for several takes on one of the days of the recording, myself and Steve Ball on the leads and Robert on bass, but it never quite clicked. That night I decided that Robert’s feel on the bass line wasn’t quite right, and so on the next day I sat him down and fired him. I honestly have no idea where the chutzpah for that came from. In the end Steve and I recorded it. Finding the right tempo was a challenge. Metronomes have very traditional divisions, but we were finding 96bpm too slow and 100bpm too frantic. Fortunately it was a professional recording studio with the capacity to click at other tempos. We settled at 98bpm, and immediately Robert chimed in from the booth, “now there is a familiar tempo!” Steve and I recorded the lead parts, and then I went back in and overdubbed the bass line.
League of Crafty Guitarists
CAREFUL WITH THAT AXE
Recorded October 3, 1991, Perugia, Italy
Afghanistan opens the video. The music is primarily heard behind opening credits, with video of guitarists wandering around the property near Perugia, where the Guitar Craft course and concurrent pre-tour rehearsals for the League were taking place. For a portion of the piece, an interview with Robert about the origins of Guitar Craft is overlaid, and then for the last half the players are featured. This trio is Bert and Hideyo on leads with Robert on bass.
Either a miscue in the first “A” section, or some editing done to extend it for the video – it is difficult to tell which – causes the section to go on about 3½ extra bars. Other than that it is the same arrangement used since “Get Crafty”. 90bpm.
Robert Fripp String Quintet
THE BRIDGE BETWEEN
Discipline Records DR 9302 2
Recorded May 22, 1993, Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
A brisk interpretation, taking off at about 103bpm and then settling in at 100bpm. California Guitar Trio are on the three basic parts, Robert is doubling the bass part on electric guitar, with Trey on the Stick providing ambience in the first half and doubling bass line as well in second half. For this arrangement the piece was extended with a repeat of half of the Midtro just before the Outro.
Atomic Chamber Ensemble
KING FOR A DAY
Recorded June 15, 2003, Seattle, WA
Between 1992 and 1994, an electric version of Bicycling lived briefly in NYC, performed by The Buttons and later Desperate Measures. Though not really germane to this discussion in itself, out of it did come the final bit of writing/arrangement, which involves a long ascending arpeggio in the Outro which leads to a final restatement of the falling arpeggiated line, all coming together on the final note. This is not a particularly workable part to include in a trio version of the piece. With seven players in the group, ACE had both lead parts doubled, and the bass tripled. This allowed one player from each section to break out of their regular part for the new coda, with all of the original parts left intact. 92bpm.
League of Crafty Guitarists
ASPIRATION: ATLANTA 2003
Live recording used on CD
Recorded November 3, 2003, 7 Stages Theatre, Atlanta, GA
Exactly the same arrangement as the “King For A Day” recording – in fact more than half the Atomic Chamber Ensemble were members of this incarnation of The League – this remains my favorite, and from my perspective, the definitive recording of the piece. It is played with a precision and ease, yet at a very brisk tempo; 98bpm. But more importantly, in this recording it is rock and roll. Although this quality often manifested in performances, no studio recording ever captured it.
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