Robert Fripp's Diary

Monasterio Nuestra Senora De Los

07.07

Monasterio Nuestra Senora De Los Angeles (Monjas Dominicas), Sant Cugat, Spain.

07.58  The faithful are arriving for morning service…

09.08  Question/s at breakfast on composition: essentially, how do we know when we have a good musical idea? and what is the role of developing variations here? This partly implies: is developing variations to be considered as composition?

A long answer, or series of answers, including to questions not actually asked, was/were given. Silence also visited, but that was before the question/s was asked. Topics covered in a broad & sweeping panorama of related subjects…

Eastern & western approaches to music;

tuning systems;

formal properties & functions of music;

is musical thinking different in agrarian (to that of industrialised) societies?

is music of the evening appropriate at dawn?

serialism & the BBC Third Programme in the 1950s;

the Old Grey Whistle test: have window cleaners & jobsworths whistled Bartok?

chord substitution;

tables of kinship & affinity;

John Donne;

and more.

14.04  A morning of personal meetings and, mostly, valuable questions. A Dear Crafty written response to one of the larger GC family, on the question of sleep: how much sleep do we need?

Lunch: two performances, one by The LCG5.

A challenge presented for Friday: record two pieces for free hot tickle DGM Live download, to present a representation of our work here this week, to the larger world. Of course, the performers will have to give up all rights to publishing & phonographic copyrights, and royalties if any are accrued. If I’d been quicker, I would have asked for money from the players, too.

I was not aware, until this morning, that Hernan had intended to present a recording challenge this Friday: it was a notion that flew by yesterday. Clearly, the Spirit Of Nunez hovers here still. Although we are continuing to eat Hernan’s food.

17.33  An arising issue with a Crafty, not present on the course, which has considerable repercussions.

More personal meetings.

20.17  T’ai chi at 18.15.

Performance at dinner by The House of Guitars. When asked, all players claimed to have enjoyed their performance. From the top table, I had the impression of a large number of people waiting to be administered a high colonic.

Also at dinner:  discussion of difficulties in ex-patriot living; and establishing a GC House in the UK. The last serious attempt was c. 1993. This was before the UK property market took off again & the recession was still underway. This attempt collapsed, and was abandoned, because one person was not prepared to share the kitchen.

House of Guitars at 20.45.

22.03

F natural circulations;

Fm running figure in 12/8:

in different octaves;

with offsets;

tempo doubling.

C symmetrical circulation in 2 groups, 11/8 & 7/8. This was not quite disastrous, but tried very hard to be; it might be described as unhinged, but this implies being hinged beforehand.

New thrakking in 11/8 at 3 tempi, all with demon solos by Alain.

Centering circulation in C major.

Finally, a presentation by The LCG5 of the current state of A Fearful Symmetry, Part One.