Robert Fripp's Diary

Camp Caravan Royalston Massachusetts This

14.44

Camp Caravan, Royalston, Massachusetts.

This the first break in the last day I will be here at Camp Caravan. The course continues tomorrow without me.

Meeting with the Special Study Group after breakfast. Then two consecutive guitar meetings with the large Circle.

The first meeting:

addressed inter-group circulations within 6 groups; with whizzing in various forms. References were made to English bellringing, now established in England for 1,000 years & formalised in the 17th. century following the Reformation.

Permutations, depending on the number of bells in the peel (or guitars in the circle):

3          = 6 permutations       (1 x 2 x 3)

4          = 24                            (1 x 2 x 3 x 4)

5          = 120                          (1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5) etc.

6          = 720

7          = 5,040

8          = 40,320

9          = 362,880

10        = 3,628,800

11        = 39,916,800

12        = 479,001,600.

 A complete peel is ringing of all the permutations. A 4-bell peel might take 30 seconds, a 12-bell peel probably 40 years.

The second meeting:

circulating with attention moving to limbs on each circulation;

Tone Clock on 12-bar boogie bass-line with various soloists; in C, D flat & D.

Lunch: a strong presence of silence, and a sense that it was invited in by several of those present. Comments invited on what we see for our work of the afternoon.

20.12  Small groups before tea. The small group working in the dining room (at the request of the Kitchen Team that they might hear the work of a Circle) brought two new approaches to circulating, one of them drawn from contact with the Mevlevis.

After tea, a large group was lead in turn by those who have been leading large circles, presenting approaches they have found of value. Then, whizzing of various kinds.

Ben & Cindy were our dinner guests, and came to the Caroline Waterlow room for a catching-up conversation afterwards.

This evening we are to be honoured by a performance from Elan Sicroff, piano in the Movements building, of music from the Gurdjieff – de Hartmann repertoire.

23.13  Superb performance & a privilege to be one of a small audience, in an intimate setting, listening to playing of this quality.

Then to our Final Meeting, the Course Completion Meeting tomorrow with Curt. Various comments were offered, and Crafties AAD spoken for. Reference was made to the 100 Guitar Whizz in Seattle at some time in the future.