09.11
Monasterio Nuestra Señora De Los Angeles / Monjas Dominicas
Mare de Deu del Roser, 2.
Sant Cugat.
Rising at 06.10.
Morning sitting at 07.15. The quality of presence is noticeable, even on the morning before the course has formally begun.
Quiet entered the more-than-full breakfasting chamber at 08.17 & gently moved into the room. Several warning announcements were made at 08.30, to alert those who have never been to a GC course before, that the accomodations & conditions may not be as comfortable as they would like, or deserve, them to be; and full refunds are available prior to the Inaugural Meeting.
Practising.
12.25 Kitchen Meeting at 09.30. Various comments were made addressing the quality of operation, noting the functional demands. How to put love in the preparation of food? Practical suggestions as to how this might manifest:
the flow of the work;
paying attention to where the food comes from, and to where it is going;
noting the sanctity of life that dies in order that life may continue.
A question: why is the beginning important?
Inaugural Meeting at 10.00 with introductions, stating:
who we are;
where we come from;
what brought us here;
our aim/s for the course.
My own aim/s for the course:
to see what is required of me;
and what is necessary for Guitar Craft.
Is Guitar Craft necessary?
Guitar Meeting for all levels of experience with inner & outer circles, beginning by bringing our attention to bear on self & surroundings. Then to guitar work with part of our attention maintained in the left hand, and then the right hand.
Two symphonic eruptions & circulations of varying kinds in 2-4 groups.
Then to self-selection in smaller groups of no more than 9 and no less than 2 members, for those who wish to extend & deepen their experience of circulating exercises.
13.43 Good comments at lunch, one of the noisiest lunches I have known in Sant Cugat.
One comment, from a person who has trained with actors, that he found similarity to our work this morning & exercising with Peter Brook (the English director who works in Paris): developing awareness of the people around us. Conventionally, this is rare among musicians, where emphasis is placed more on developing individual capacity.
Another, from someone who has read about circulations, but found that within the Circle he was feeling them.
And more.
16.03 A meeting in the Chapel with The LCG3 at 15.15 addressing developing variations on the symmetrical scale. The aim: fluency in extemporisation.
The Beginners have been having an introduction to the Alexander Technique with Sandra in the Ballroom.
Tea is 5 minutes late due to a glass being broken.
17.10 Beginners – and those whose guitar playing sucks! – met in the Ballroom at 16.30ish. Some difficulty with circulating: a circulation is an exact auditory representation of the state & condition of that Circle. Some popping strings added surprising tones to the circulations.
Moving to address the First Primary, and handing over to Buddies Martin, Fernando, Luciano & Victor.
Tea was the loudest I can remember here.
19.56 A few words introducing the practice of relaxation in the morning sitting given at 18.03.
T’ai chi at 18.30.
Dinner at 19.00.
Discussion on how to work this evening. Victor saw that tuning the instrument, before entering the Circle, was useful; and seeing this, a responsibility fell upon him to honour the seeing. The meeting with Victor is at 20.50.
RF Meeting with Special Study Group II at 20.15;
meeting with The LCG3 at 21.00.
20.35 Meeting with Study Group II: discussing the most important single exercise in GC.
21.25 The LCG3: we continue to develop variations, with a little soloing.
22.32 The House of Guitars evening meeting circulated in various ways, moving around the elusive downbeat in 2&3 groups. Then to two groups; those familiar with Whizz circulating on the inside whizzing with chromatically-disposed magic chords, and those unfamiliar with whizzing on the outside with single notes of their choice. Some of the whizzing touched take-off velocity.
22.32 The House of Guitars evening meeting circulated in various ways, moving around the elusive downbeat in 2&3 groups. Then to two groups; those familiar with Whizz circulating on the inside whizzing with chromatically-disposed magic chords, and those unfamiliar with whizzing on the outside with single notes of their choice. Some of the whizzing touched take-off velocity.
"We begin by doing nothing.
Then, we move to doing something."
