Robert Fripp's Diary for Monday, 31st March 2008

Robert Fripp's Diary

	Monday, 31st March 2008

08.17

Basement Belewbeloid, Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

In today’s inbox, a letter regarding the application to the Charities Commission for the proposed Guitar Craft Foundation of Research & Practice…

Additional Information Required

1. It is not clear who the activities are aimed at. I assume that it will be the general public, but that there will also be other activities aimed at certain sections of the public, e.g. students is this correct?

2. It is not clear who will be able to use the premises for study, rehearsal and performance. How are potential beneficiaries selected to take part? Will the proposed charity devise a formal programme of study, or will it simply provide a space for personal study? Presumably the rehearsal and performance aspects are restricted to performances organised by the proposed charity? Will the performances be open to the general public?

3. Please explain who it is envisaged will be able to take part in the residential courses? How are these participants selected? If a participant could not afford the costs of the course would the trustees provide a bursary to attend?

4. Will the proposed charity offer any opportunities for children or vulnerable adults to attend residential or other courses without their parents/carers? If so this raises the issue of Criminal Records Bureau checks (see below).

5. It is also not clear who would provide any education or training and what relevant skills or qualifications they have to do so. Please can you clarify this?

6. With regard to developing teaching skills of experienced students, this may confer a private benefit on to those students. On what basis are these skills developed? Is it intended that those students would then provide lessons to the proposed charity’s beneficiaries?

7. Please explain why scholarships would only be available to exceptional students. What is the criteria for selection for a scholarship? How are/will beneficiaries be chosen?

8. Turning to the guitar performances, how do the trustees select which performers to take part? what assessment is made of the performers’ work to ensure that the performance is capable of educating the public?

9. I am unclear what is envisaged by codifying and formalising guitar craft principles and practice. Please clarify this and explain what activities the trustees will undertake in furtherance of this.

10. Finally, the name of the proposed charity includes reference to research. What research will be undertaken? Presumably the proposed charity will own the results of any research and publicise the results?

From the reply…

Guitar Craft has just celebrated its 23rd. anniversary & is now operating & underway in various groups which meet regularly on 3 continents. The group in Seattle has not-for-profit status, and our courses in Europe & Argentina are mostly held at facilities made available by the Catholic church…

Most of the questions have no bearing on the practical realities of Guitar Craft. It would be possible to jump through the “bureaucratic hoops”, providing this was the current focus of Guitar Craft activities. But, for any reasonable approach to establishing a Guitar Craft House in the UK, this is a preposterous waste of time & energy; and I regret that I have allowed myself to believe an application would be straightforward. My gut has told me that this would be as protracted & unprofitable a process as it has proved to be.

So, I acknowledge: England is not the place for Guitar Craft.

My thanks & gratitude to you for your help & support with this, and it's time to abandon our application for registration with the Charity Commission.

18.14 Day Two in the Crimson Rehearsal Zone.

I…

II…

III…

IV…

V…

VI…

VII…

VIII…

Slow traffic on the way back to the Basement…

Dribble. Dribble. Two days of Crim rehearsing & I’m dribbling. This is today’s report…

A drumfest of Crimsonising. Alternatively, a Crimsonising of Drumfest. Astonishing double drumming from Pat & Gavin.

Two quintessential Crimson moments during Larks II:

The first was when I had a sense of King Crimson coming to bear, inhabiting the music. Very moving.

The second, quite hilarious, with Ade’s & the English guitarist’s legs pumping to each hold their downbeat, in opposite directions because our downbeats are reversed; and Ade is on my upbeat. This was a hoot to see, both of us hanging onto our time. This is the particular nature of the Larks’ climb (the Larks’ ascending, as it were): the first, single, bar of 11/8 sets off the following bars of 5/4. For me, it’s the downbeat determined by the eleven, for Ade, the downbeat derived from the five.

Dribble.

23.40 So pitiful was the dribblingness, I suggested to Ade that we set off to the local Mexican restaurant. The Margarita was Monster.

RF: Would you like to know why I made the call?

Ade: I was wondering about that. (Ade knowing that no force would compel me to return to the horrors of Crim).

The point of seeing/s related.

An el fabbo dinner with my Old Buddy Ade

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