Robert At Home.

[Arpangel]

Robert in a way kind of reminds me of my 1st and only Piano tutor.
No matter how hopeless I was then as a kid my elderly tutor would always find something genuinely encouraging to say to me in his gentle way.

There is a simple short phrase from Robert's 1979 Frippertronics utube video that was burned into me when I first saw it I think a decade earlier.

I’ve been in Fripp's presence a few times, and he does not tolerate fools gladly, as I was made aware, sometimes I do things that seem right, and he’s one of those people that can instantly point out that what you’re doing is a grave mistake, a mistake that a lot of people wouldn’t even have noticed, at the time.
I was also made aware, in no uncertain terms, that I was in the presence of more than a mere human being, great artists have this, a command, over everything they do, and a certain spirit, that emanates from them.

[tea for two]

I’ve been in Fripp's presence a few times, and he does not tolerate fools gladly ....

I was also made aware, in no uncertain terms, that I was in the presence of more than a mere human being, great artists have this, a command, over everything they do, and a certain spirit, that emanates from them.

Ah then Robert is different to my dear old Piano tutor lol.
My dear old Piano tutor in his gentle light hearted ways was right for me as a kid and still would be.

Although, many could not make music with such a person that "doesn't tolerate fools gladly."
I'd just chortle at Robert for getting so easily "triggered" as kids say nowadays.
I'd still respect his musicianship.

In musical collaborations it's important to be on same similar wavelength as persons : more important than being on same similar wavelength musically.

I agree any person naturaly gifted in any field from looking after animals to carpentry have a certain spirit evident.

[merlyn]

... I do believe he’s quite a religious person, so that may help.

Possibly not in the conventional sense. You may have noticed Fripp disappeared between about 1974 and 1979. During this time he was 'studying' with J.G. Bennett who was a disciple of G.I. Gurdjieff, Gurdjieff being most accurately described as a guru.

Fripp used to write a column for Guitar Player magazine called 'Guitar Craft', and it was completely different from the other columns. It would include advice like "Before we play sitting, we must practice sitting". There were also aphorisms, and one that I still remember is "Honour necessity. Honour sufficiency." That means we have to practice, but we can practice enough.

More than you could possibly want to know about Robert Fripp is online in the form of Fripp's Diary. The format of this, which can be like an uncensored brain dump, is as unconventional as his music. Is it an autobiography? No, but it could be material for a biography. No further interviews required as all the material is already there.

The ideas in Guitar Craft do seem to be influenced by Eastern philosophy, and Gurdjieff in particular.

[Arpangel]

... I do believe he’s quite a religious person, so that may help.

Possibly not in the conventional sense. You may have noticed Fripp disappeared between about 1974 and 1979. During this time he was 'studying' with J.G. Bennett who was a disciple of G.I. Gurdjieff, Gurdjieff being most accurately described as a guru.

Fripp used to write a column for Guitar Player magazine called 'Guitar Craft', and it was completely different from the other columns. It would include advice like "Before we play sitting, we must practice sitting". There were also aphorisms, and one that I still remember is "Honour necessity. Honour sufficiency." That means we have to practice, but we can practice enough.

More than you could possibly want to know about Robert Fripp is online in the form of Fripp's Diary. The format of this, which can be like an uncensored brain dump, is as unconventional as his music. Is it an autobiography? No, but it could be material for a biography. No further interviews required as all the material is already there.

The ideas in Guitar Craft do seem to be influenced by Eastern philosophy, and Gurdjieff in particular.

I was made aware of Gurdgieff after listening to "Hear Comes The Flood" from Fripp's Exposure album, it features the voice of J G Bennett, as you know.
I then explored all I could find about Bennett, which lead me to Gurdjieff.
Just listening to Bennett is therapeutic, I’ve studied Gurdjeiff over the years since then, and have come to absolutely no conclusions about him, apart from the fact that he may have been somewhat of a charlatan, highly unlikely, id like to believe, but you do have to wonder about some people, who tend to surround themselves with a aura of mystery, I understand the fundamentals of a lot of religions, and "cults" but Gurdjieff has always alluded me.

[merlyn]

A quote from Gurdjieff I remember is :

Fairness and decency? How can you expect fairness and decency from a world of sleeping people?

Updating that for the twenty first century, and more in line with what Robert Fripp is trying to get over is :

Fariness and decency? How can you expect fairness and decency from a world of slack jawed consumers?

[Arpangel]

A quote from Gurdjieff I remember is :

Fairness and decency? How can you expect fairness and decency from a world of sleeping people?

Updating that for the twenty first century, and more in line with what Robert Fripp is trying to get over is :

Fariness and decency? How can you expect fairness and decency from a world of slack jawed consumers?

How can you go into battle with a pea shooter, when everyone else is using automatic weapons.

Fairness? as my solicitor once said, doesn’t exist.

[Arpangel]

Pure gear porn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stZj7LyLxVU

Interesting he uses the iPad Mellotron, good choice, no point at all, in owning a hardware digital Mellotron.

[tea for two]

Marvelous thing about Robert is that at his age his fingers hands wrists are still flexible agile.

I'm thinking of investing in an EBow to get somewhere near to Robert's Frippertronics glide sound.

I know you said Guitar is a mystery to you.
Yet I feel if you can get an EBow and a Lap Steel Guitar, you might very well surprise yourself.

[FrankF]

I'm sure you know this already, but I'm pretty sure he uses a Fernandes sustainer on all his custom guitars. Never seen him use an Ebow, and he certainly didn't for Heroes, although, to bore on a bit more, Mick Ronson used an Ebow when HE played Heroes at some live gig or other (see YT).

I coveted one of the Schechter guitars with a Sustainiac pickup for quite a while, but to me, all the YT reviews of the Sustainiac sounded rather unsubtle, whereas with an Ebow you can control and modulate the sound in so many ways. It's an incredible tool...if you persevere.

[sonics]

You might also want to check out Steve Vai's use of the Sustainer. For another perspective, of course.

[Arpangel]

Marvelous thing about Robert is that at his age his fingers hands wrists are still flexible agile.

I'm thinking of investing in an EBow to get somewhere near to Robert's Frippertronics glide sound.

I know you said Guitar is a mystery to you.
Yet I feel if you can get an EBow and a Lap Steel Guitar, you might very well surprise yourself.

I was thinking of re-learning the piano, from scratch, doing the grades, and then going on to organ lessons, just for the sheer hell of it.
Then I looked at my swollen arthritic fingers, and thought no, get real, this is never going to happen, maybe in the next life.
Using an EBow isn’t Fripp’s style, it’s a bit like seeing Vladimir Ashkenazy strap on a Moog Liberation.

[sonics]

Using an EBow isn’t Fripp’s style, it’s a bit like seeing Vladimir Ashkenazy strap on a Moog Liberation.

...but Liberace with a Liberation? That I can imagine!

[Arpangel]

Using an EBow isn’t Fripp’s style, it’s a bit like seeing Vladimir Ashkenazy strap on a Moog Liberation.

...but Liberace with a Liberation? That I can imagine!

Introducing The Moog Liberation "Liberace Edition"

They should reissue it.

[tea for two]

Marvelous thing about Robert is that at his age his fingers hands wrists are still flexible agile.

I'm thinking of investing in an EBow to get somewhere near to Robert's Frippertronics glide sound.

I was thinking of re-learning the piano, from scratch, doing the grades, and then going on to organ lessons, just for the sheer hell of it.
Then I looked at my swollen arthritic fingers, and thought no, get real, this is never going to happen, maybe in the next life.
Using an EBow isn’t Fripp’s style, it’s a bit like seeing Vladimir Ashkenazy strap on a Moog Liberation.

Robert wouldn't want us to just copy him.

We go where we want to go, exploring ways we want to explore.

I know I would move pretty quickly on to exploring EBow : trying to make a sound as Bowed Psaltery, Chinese Erhu, Indian Sarangi, so forth.

::

When Vladimir Ashkenazy in 2014 was a guest at the London Jewish Cultural Centre in Golders Green, I had just the month earlier moved to Golders Green.
I was so upset at myself for not even knowing that Vladimir was visiting.
Also I was upset because I so wanted to hand over to Vladimir two of my simplest Piano pieces for Vladimir to play.
Vladimir with his deep sensitivity would have understood the simple sensitivity of these two Piano pieces (written 2008/2009).

If it was say Little Richard I would handed over a ballsy Piano piece for Little Richard to play and laugh.

Nowadays I wouldn't be upset, it would be oh well, a shrug.

::

I prefer Lap Steel nowadays it's a Lot easier on my wrists.

[Arpangel]

Ashkenazy is a great pianist, but, not my personal favourite.
Baremboim (Beethoven) "thee" greatest IMO, along with Moura Lympany (Chopin) both masters of those two composers.
The musicians that I listened to as a child, always, stay as the greatest interpreters of certain composers, they became yardsticks.
As time has gone on, conductors have speeded things up, to the point where all emotion is lost.
It started like that in the early twentieth century, then mid century it all calmed down, slowed down, then it speeded up again around the late 70’s, with people like Simon Rattle, and Nigel Kennedy, and all those new Japanese classical musicians "rattling on"
There are some great Japanese classical musicians, but can we, really, understand a culture that is so radically different from our own musically, could a European musician play a piece of oriental classical music with as much feeling and appreciation as a Chinese, or Japanese person could?
Interesting.

[tea for two]

Baremboim (Beethoven)

....Nigel Kennedy,

I adore the concept Daniel Barenboim with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and Edward Said.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/West%E2 ... _Orchestra
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CEEfjddzCPI
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K22pkacxfN0

Only thing with Daniel
I wish Daniel would encourage those young musicians in the Divan Orchestra to write their own music for the Divan Orchestra to play.

::

My favourite Classical Pianist (aside from my dear old music tutor) is Victor Borge.
For mirth Victor brings
https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&s ... ctor+borge

::

Thing I dig about Nigel Kennedy he is up for playing Blues Rock including including Hendrix
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y_AREFRtI14
Jeff Beck
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HIkQnjodCrg

Probably reasons I like Django so much is because of his jauntyness, alongside the deepness ofcourse.

Now to listen to some jaunty stuff from Robert and the League of Gentlemen lol.

[Arpangel]

Thing I dig about Nigel Kennedy he is up for playing Blues Rock including including Hendrix
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y_AREFRtI14
Jeff Beck
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HIkQnjodCrg

I just think it’s all a bit self conscious, and a bit like a circus act, this "type" of a bringing together of the genres, it’s a union that neither wants anyway.
OK, we had prog, but that was different, it grew, in a natural way, it wasn’t aiming for the Des O'Connor show.
Ah, the League Of Gentelmen, check-out Rossmore Road, by Barry Andrews.