We are definitely in the middle of the middle.
Breakfast after the sitting. The 60 Points Exercise is both difficult and not so, in that the concept is fairly easy to grasp, but the execution is quite difficult. The good news is that the problem is identified: an inability to, or perhaps inexperience in, maintaining attention. It both works, and does not.
[What follows is not exactly what I wrote down, but is tempered by experience and observation from the past couple of months. Nonetheless, I am choosing to retain the same journalistic style.]
The less experienced "gnarlies", as the aspirants have been termed, have what is to me an inexplicable difficulty with counting time. I am in a curious spot, wherein I float in and out of those-who-cannot-count. When in the company of those who count, I generally do not fit in this club, but am still easily shaken; if put with a number of severely rhythmically-challenged people, I can not as yet hold my head above water, and become drowned in a sea of off-timing. My boat is little more than a raft.
Maybe I am wrong, but I think that the body is starting to work with me, or rather that I am starting to work with my body [within the context of this course]. Things are getting easier for me, musically; I think something that is helping is the occasional need to fill a leadership role. Having to be the example really firms up your stance.
RF gave a very engaging lecture today, in regards to the tetrad:
Spontaneous Composition
Extemporization - - - - - - - - | | - - - - - - - - Improvisation
Riffs and Tricks/The Rank and File
The unfortunate part is that it was in direct relationship to the gnarlies. Not even the low house, so to speak, can be maintained. I find that I sit somewhere around 8 o'clock (if the tetrad were a clock), with an amount of facility, and can do the job, but have trouble maintaining the job in improvisation. Moving towards noon is usually impossible, but I do feel that it has happened, personally.
Anyway, the nature of was presented as rightfully bleak, but I am thankful because I am aware of a place of less bleakness--regardless of whether I am able to attain it.
Tony G is here, as has been noted. This has been an interesting course for me, in that a lot of names and faces that are either familiar or known to me have been on the course: people from the AAD course, or mentioned in RF's diary, or names from the history of Guitar Craft. There are those, of course, that I remember from the last course. This is beginning to leave the realm of the remembered and imagined, and approach the realm of the active and alive. Guitar Craft, and whatever it may become, has definitely moved itself into the realm of the present, for myself. This may be coming off a little nebulous and needlessly florid, but having a person to attach to a name is very powerful, and makes this more real than a book or a diary can suggest.
I believe that we crossed the Great Divide, at dinner tonight.
9:15: Tonight, the House of Guitars became the Orchestra of Crafty Guitars. The inner circle was comprised of Tuning the Air, with some noteable additions to their number (Fernando and Mary Beth). The outer circle was primarily composed of the Gnarlies, with Tony and Mariana serving as section leaders. Personally, I was flanked by Alex and Hank, with David on the other side of Hank. Seating was crystallized.
No improvisation, only practicalities and whizzing. Now that we're relatively familiar with each other, the whizzes are becoming much faster and fluid, with some sputters (to be expected). David likes to call this the "personality" or "voice" of the whizz--indeed, it does seem to reflect the state of the circle.
Afterwards, the inner circle ran some repertoire, and I got a chance to finally see how that group works in the circle, and "how it should be done". When I get back, I am very interested in attempting "in the round", as well as some of the exercises that I've seen here.
Anyway, the nature of was presented as rightfully bleak, but I am thankful because I am aware of a place of less bleakness--regardless of whether I am able to attain it.
Tony G is here, as has been noted. This has been an interesting course for me, in that a lot of names and faces that are either familiar or known to me have been on the course: people from the AAD course, or mentioned in RF's diary, or names from the history of Guitar Craft. There are those, of course, that I remember from the last course. This is beginning to leave the realm of the remembered and imagined, and approach the realm of the active and alive. Guitar Craft, and whatever it may become, has definitely moved itself into the realm of the present, for myself. This may be coming off a little nebulous and needlessly florid, but having a person to attach to a name is very powerful, and makes this more real than a book or a diary can suggest.
I believe that we crossed the Great Divide, at dinner tonight.
9:15: Tonight, the House of Guitars became the Orchestra of Crafty Guitars. The inner circle was comprised of Tuning the Air, with some noteable additions to their number (Fernando and Mary Beth). The outer circle was primarily composed of the Gnarlies, with Tony and Mariana serving as section leaders. Personally, I was flanked by Alex and Hank, with David on the other side of Hank. Seating was crystallized.
No improvisation, only practicalities and whizzing. Now that we're relatively familiar with each other, the whizzes are becoming much faster and fluid, with some sputters (to be expected). David likes to call this the "personality" or "voice" of the whizz--indeed, it does seem to reflect the state of the circle.
Afterwards, the inner circle ran some repertoire, and I got a chance to finally see how that group works in the circle, and "how it should be done". When I get back, I am very interested in attempting "in the round", as well as some of the exercises that I've seen here.
- Soundball (circulating and random). Perhaps something to try would be to know a piece, and attempt to circulate it in a random fashion around the circle.
- When ready, begin.
- Play the same note at the same time (one person plays a note, and everyone tries to play it as he or she is playing--this would then move to two notes, then three, etc.)
- 60 Points
- Pattern circulating.
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