“Where there is music there is hope”
If one had to choose a single aphorism, of the many associated with Robert Fripp, this is probably the key line. It informs everything he does as a writer, performer, band member and teacher. That last description is also significant. Of all of Robert’s diverse work, it is Guitar Craft that he describes as 'my proper work in life’.
So it comes as no surprise that, when choosing what aspect of his life to present in his first book, it is Guitar Craft that was, without hesitation, chosen as the subject.
Begun in 1985, Guitar Craft and the Guitar Circle has welcomed over 3,500 musicians – including former King Crimson members Trey Gunn and Bill Rieflin.
“Music creates the musician”
The Guitar Circle collects much of Robert’s Writing on the subject across decades of diaries, introductions to seminars and courses, online writing and more, to present a comprehensive guide to developing a relationship with the guitar, with music, with the individual musician and working with others.
It won’t teach readers how to ‘play in a day’, a week, or even a year. It might, however, help an inquisitive musician to develop a personal discipline/approach to playing the guitar that will accompany that musician for life.
“Three capacities of the excellent player: to solo; to accompany; to be silent.”
The book also encompasses the Four Pillars Of Ethical Conduct: Honesty, Responsibility, Equity, Goodwill
Straightforwardness + Transparency translate as Honesty.
Accountability + Owning-up equate to Responsibility.
Fairness + Distributive justice we understand as Equity.
Common decency we recognise as Goodwill.
Principles which Robert Fripp insists are met in all his work including within the music industry, an industry most often noted for ignoring all Four Pillars and, just as frequently, music itself.
The Guitar Circle is unlike other books by contemporary artists on guitar playing and music.
“In strange and uncertain times, a reasonable person might despair. But Hope is unreasonable, and Love is greater even than this.”
About the author:
Robert Fripp has been one of the most innovative and inventive British guitarists for over half a century.
He was a founder, in 1969, of King Crimson and the sole remaining founding member when the band completed its touring in Japan in late 2021.
Beyond his trail-blazing work with King Crimson, his collaborations with Brian Eno, David Bowie, Daryl Hall, Peter Gabriel, Blondie, and Talking Heads to name but a few, have resonated with audiences around the world. In the 1990s, his 1970s Frippertronics system gave way to Soundscapes and with it a new generation of performers such as Future Sound Of London, The Grid and many others who were not only citing Fripp as an influence, but eagerly having him appear on their records.
His Guitar Craft courses, begun in 1985 and continuing today, have to date been attended by more than 3,500 guitar players with several groups – The League of Crafty Guitarists, California Guitar Trio, ZUM, The Robert Fripp ~String Quintet – forming as a result of the courses.
