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06.28  14.56 Lunch at 13.00. Jaxie asked what went down, and up, in the Circle meeting that she missed while working in the kitchen. Various good comments on this, mostly from Beginners, and then moving to other matters… Time telescoped in the relaxation. Why are we asked to abstain from playing for a week? The question is already answered, in experience. Various comments on this. Victor wondered whether Frank had noticed anything today. Yes! Several thousand things! Frank commented on several of the thousands, including Ed the driver who took Frank to the airport. Ed wondered whether he could come on a GC course when he had never played before. Ed had been at a Frippertronics performance in Houston, 1979. Ed is most welcome in the future, and when he arrives Robert will greet him: Weren’t you at Peaches, Houston in June 1979 for the Frippertronics show? Rhubarb! Frank wondered about rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb; aka the endless, helpless wittering of unintentional speaking (my words). Rudebaker ruderbaker ruderbaker is a synonym for rhubarbing. Work for the afternoon called, with words of necessity and sufficiency. Victor visited Purgatory to mention an update on Circulations’ terminology: +1 and -1 meet with some confusion in Victor’s children-students. Forward one and backwards one Victor finds more useful. 15.00 Circulations with Victor. Tea at 16.00. This is Purgatory I…  II...  18.53 George B visited at 16.30 to discuss various current arisings and reflections. A very good short meeting. Then off to the Movements Hut to meet with the Beginners at 17.00. Firstly, an introduction to movement in the Circle: how to enter, move, change seats, and leave the Circle. Secondly, the Seven Assumptions For Work In The Circle, including the invisible Eighth Assumption. And since no one remembered the Fourth Assumption, this became the Six Assumptions plus an invisible one. Thirdly, moving to address the mechanics of playing the instrument. In the Guitar Circle, these are the Guitar Craft Primaries. Beginning with the right hand: holding the pick, alternate picking, the guitar moving to the body. The left-hand and the Principle of Succession. Curt and Victor made themselves available to support different levels of experience within the Beginners. Tony is meeting with Advanced Beginners and Intermediates at 18.00. A personal meeting, by chance. 20.22 At dinner, Silence visited strongly. At the end of this, the subject of Seven Assumptions For Work In The Circle was raised. As this has now been posted on the board, the missing Fourth Assumption had appeared: a common practice. The question was asked: What is the Assumption of Virtue? and addressed at some length, including reference to the primary characteristic of mastery: the assumption of innocence within a field of experience. The power of Beginners - the innocence available, asking the wrong questions at the right time and the right questions at the wrong time - makes something possible. This is refreshing. We are fortunate to have so many Beginners on the course. A good question, asked at the wrong time while I was leaving the Movements Hut, was invited. This was a Right Question and this was now the Right Time. The question, from a Beginner: whether other Beginners experienced the sense that they didn’t actually know their hands, when formerly they believed that they did. Tony asked people to raise their hands if this was so with them. Nearly all the hands in the dining room, of perhaps 60 people, were raised. Curt suggested that the hands not raised were the hands of liars. Sandra commented that this was reflective of the larger picture, of being out of touch with the whole of the body (my paraphrase). Sandra commented that this was reflective of the larger picture, of being out of touch with the whole of the body (my paraphrase). Tom made a very good comment, based on his observation of the Beginners Circle at 17.00: If one of the Assumptions were absent from the Circle, what would he do? Would he refuse to go in? This led to a conversation among the tables that dissipated the force of the observation. But since excellent dessert was being served, who cares? Following dessert, we addressed work for this evening. What to do? The first suggestion was for an evening sitting, the second was for a Guitar Circle. Perhaps the person making the first suggestion might sit in the middle of the Circle? The third suggestion was: I want fun! How to put all these together? A House Of Guitars was called for 21.30. On the board… Seven Assumptions For Work In The Circle. Intention Presence Goodwill Common Practice Playing In Tune Playing In Time Listening 1. Intention. Our entry to the Circle is intentional. One simple, practical example: when entering the room, crossing the liminal threshold into the sacred space of the Circle, we pay attention to our first footfall. Our attendance is not by accident, nor is our participation arbitrary. This implies that we have an aim. 2. Presence. We cultivate a sense and awareness of our personal presence, of the Circle and our place within it. This is determined and governed by the quality of our volitional attention. 3. Goodwill. We participate in a spirit of goodwill. We leave any negativity at the door, outside the room, and enter holding goodwill towards the others in the Circle: without judgment, without criticism, without hostility. The quality of our feeling lives is revealed in the quality of sound we produce from our instrument: the depth and richness of timbre. This is the personal correspondence to playing in tone. 4. Common Practice. We assume familiarity and a sufficiency of competence in the elements of a common practice: the morning sitting and Doing Nothing; the Guitar Craft, C pentatonic major, tuning; specific guitar techniques, such as the Primaries: NB the GC repertoire is useful but not necessary; entering, moving within and leaving the Circle; circulating; the scale of C major / A natural minor; the GC House Rules. 5. Playing in tune. This is indicative of our personal state. 6. Playing in time. This is indicative of our personal harmony. One practical example: punctuality. 7. Listening. This is indicative of our station; ie our level of Being. If we can’t listen to ourselves while speaking, we’re not quite present with what we are saying. If we are absent from our speaking, our words are empty: there is nothing to be said. If we have nothing to say, better to say nothing. For some, this is very hard. So, if we don’t listen to ourselves while speaking, better to be quiet. (This is part of the practice of Necessary Speaking employed in the GC Kitchen). If this is true of words, how much more of music? The Eighth Assumption: The Assumption of Virtue. Saturday 2nd. October, 2010 Casa De Encuentros San Juan Bosco Av. Fuerza Aérea 1800 Funes Pvcia. de Santa Fé Argentina. 23.02 Two concentric Circles: 30 guitars in the outer, 19 in the Inner. Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists: when ready, please begin. Circa 20 minutes. Inner Circle: when ready, please begin. A few members of the Outer Circle joined, then fell out. After a long time, the Outer Circle joined the Inner. Things came to life. Circa 30 minutes. Then, moving from the two concentric Circles to one large Circle. Jaxie became Queen Vicious and began the Buzz Whizz. At a point, this changed direction. But the instruction was not – a very fast buzz whizz - but Buzz Whizz at faster than the speed of light! Four of the team changed positions, and the Buzz Whizz whizzed. The Circle/s was an authentic incarnation and manifestation of The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists, and on the first day of a Beginners’ Course including some who have not played the instrument before. This is remarkable.  Search Robert Fripp's diary archive. |
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