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.
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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
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