Motel Modesto A Service Station
10.23
Motel Modesto, A41 Service Station, Bourne End.
Rising at 08.00, the first time since back from Cuernevaca. It was hard to get up.
A breakfast Valentine-call from the Minx – yippee!
16.23 Off to Wilson World HQ c. 10.35.
Today’s work: the new stereo mix of Red. In the overall process of re-working the KC classic catalogue using new technology, making-available in current formats, mixing for 5.1 and re-mixing in stereo, we put Red aside. The original mix is superb, and we felt we couldn’t improve on it. But, as all the original tracks were available and computerized from the surround mix, well I…
II...
III...
Honouring the spirit of the original mix, the new and about-to-be-becoming publicly-available mix, is now incrementally advanced. Clarity of sound, minor tweaks not possible during the original sessions (for several reasons), this new mix of Red is recommended. A casual listener would probably not notice much, if anything at all. But for serious listening in the privacy of the chamber, this is it.
During a cake-break, opinions voiced: if ITCOTCK was the beginning of Progressive Rock (it was never P..g), Red is the end. Steven suggested that the simple, single repeated guitar notes at the beginning of the instrumental section, the end of the song part of Starless, “brought Prog to an end”. Apparently, while other Prog guitarists were looking to play lots of notes, Fripp was looking to play as few as possible.
I spit upon the P word – p’tah.
I found it quietly terrifying to revisit a classic mix. And now, feelings of satisfaction and gratitude to Steven for taking on a major piece of work.
Leaving c. 15.45 and returning to e-flurrying.
17.56 Replying to a Crafty of the early years:
Subject: A Question that is burning…
an act of mastery only takes place when the master is out of the way.
so, a child can hit it because they are innocent.
or, the master, because they assume the virtue: as if for the first time.
the technique needs to be brought within, so the master can play without concern for the how.
play is important: “effortless” has a spontaneous and creative element.
this takes time. the minimum period of an apprenticeship to mastery is 21 years.
and then there are stages of mastery.
we may get glimpses through the window, to remind ourselves of where we are going.
but to get through the door, and live on the other side, takes a long time.
more accurately, only the rarest live on the other side. it's more a question of, we can go through the door and spend time on the other side.
and it's not guaranteed.
does the ‘act’ ever really get that ‘effortless’ for the Master?
not if they are thinking in those terms.
but you have your own field of expertise. you can answer the question yourself, and you probably have!
23.45 And even a little practicing on a
Crimson guitar…
