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.