Robert Fripp Guitar Circle
Robert Fripp Guitar Circle
I attended GC in Spain and it was very interesting. You don't have to know guitar for the beginners course, also nice that some experts were there as well as the staff. It's a bit cultish. Don't plan on doing any sight-seeing. That's not allowed. I will be trying to work some ambient guitar into my music now with the Ibanez modified with a Sustainiac. Bought the Eventide Space Reverb. It has not arrived yet. more on that in another thread.
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strashilol
Re: Robert Fripp Guitar Circle
How so?
Last edited by strashilol on Fri Feb 04, 2022 7:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Robert Fripp Guitar Circle
On the cult scale between 0-5 it is a 2.5. It is considered taboo to talk about on the internet however I do not intend to go back so I don't care about their rules. It was an interesting experience but not as guitar intensive as I had hoped for. Most of the activities have nothing to do with playing the guitar but are helpful for some people such as the Alexander Technique, Tai Chi, Sitting for an hour in silence every morning (which they say is not meditation but body awareness) and all the cooking and cleaning of dishes because there are three meals a day which are vegetarian and somewhat better than prison food. The Alexander Technique class is really just an introduction. You can not master it that quickly. For some it can take a couple of years of lessons.
Robert Fripp is not overbearing. He doesn't teach that much. The other staff do that usually. He mainly likes to comment after meals. He loves to sound mysterious, prophetic and profound in ways we mortals can't quite understand. Be prepared to sit and wait your turn to play one note in a circle. It becomes like a human tape loop which is quite fun but not really worth the money and effort to me. If you are good and keep taking these classes, you may have the opportunity perform with some of the top students in some small venues with Fripp or organized on your own. This is the goal for the top students I guess. He said they are expanding the New England facility to accommodate 80 students per session. That is way too many. Imagine how long doing the dishes will take in that tiny kitchen.
I wish it was nothing but guitar playing and guitar instruction but it is not that at all. You will learn Fripp's technique for holding the pick, holding the guitar and NST. Some of the students think the NST (New Standard Tuning) is a big breakthrough but to me it really doesn't matter how you tune your guitar but how much your practice and your innate talent.
For more information join this Facebook group: Guitar Circles - New Standard Tuning.
Robert Fripp is not overbearing. He doesn't teach that much. The other staff do that usually. He mainly likes to comment after meals. He loves to sound mysterious, prophetic and profound in ways we mortals can't quite understand. Be prepared to sit and wait your turn to play one note in a circle. It becomes like a human tape loop which is quite fun but not really worth the money and effort to me. If you are good and keep taking these classes, you may have the opportunity perform with some of the top students in some small venues with Fripp or organized on your own. This is the goal for the top students I guess. He said they are expanding the New England facility to accommodate 80 students per session. That is way too many. Imagine how long doing the dishes will take in that tiny kitchen.
I wish it was nothing but guitar playing and guitar instruction but it is not that at all. You will learn Fripp's technique for holding the pick, holding the guitar and NST. Some of the students think the NST (New Standard Tuning) is a big breakthrough but to me it really doesn't matter how you tune your guitar but how much your practice and your innate talent.
For more information join this Facebook group: Guitar Circles - New Standard Tuning.
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strashilol
Re: Robert Fripp Guitar Circle
@braincell
How so?
How so?
Last edited by strashilol on Fri Feb 04, 2022 7:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Robert Fripp Guitar Circle
They could save a lot of people money by making it an online YouTube course. The way they hold the guitar and pick is good for ergonomics (not as sure about the pick holding part.) The discipline is the most important thing. Practice practice practice. So many musicians don't practice their instrument other than with their band. Miles Davis said "If you sound good in the practice room, you are doing it wrong."
I prefer to play standing up. We spent too much time arranging chairs and they have to be exactly in a perfect circle which is idiotic. God forbid one chair be a half inch off. The secrecy, silence, adherence to reverence and solemness was the bullshit part of it for me. I don't want to sit in fucking silence for 10 minutes before every meal. That is stupid. Would rather have spent that time playing guitar with other students.
I prefer to play standing up. We spent too much time arranging chairs and they have to be exactly in a perfect circle which is idiotic. God forbid one chair be a half inch off. The secrecy, silence, adherence to reverence and solemness was the bullshit part of it for me. I don't want to sit in fucking silence for 10 minutes before every meal. That is stupid. Would rather have spent that time playing guitar with other students.