A Week in the Guitar Circle

I’m sitting in my Queens hotel room reflecting upon the events of the past week in the Guitar Circle at Glen’s Cove on Long Island. I’m coming away with even more head/heart growth than I did last year, and — if my 2021’s experience is any indicator — I’ll continue to unpack the seeds of knowledge and experience minor epiphanies and substantial breakthroughs in the coming months.

I first encountered the name Robert Fripp as a teenaged subscriber to Guitar Player magazine. Being aware of his affiliation with progressive rockers King Crimson, young punk-rocker me didn’t (yet) feel a deep connection with his musical output, and yet the words in his monthly article always seemed to connect to some deeper place in music. I couldn’t help but be drawn in by his writing, and the fact that all the hair metal “all shred all the time” subscribers uniformly loathed RF’s article drew me in even further.

Of course, over time I would discover from liner notes that Fripp’s name was all over the credits of some of my favorite records. David Bowie, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, and — perhaps my favorite of these — The Roches (if you’ve not experienced the heartbreaking beauty that is The Hammond Song, please correct this as soon as possible). While my tastes then leaned toward music I deemed simple, straightforward, and direct (i.e. not prog rock), I eventually began digging into the Adrian Belew-era King Crimson material and working my way backwards. Love it or hate it, the sheer musical power cannot be denied.

At the age of 20, I even considered seeking out one of Fripp’s Guitar Circle events, but a myriad of obstacles always seemed to present themselves, whether they were the lack of funds or the tendonitis bout that sidelined my career for two whole years.

Fast forward to late 2019, and I’m seeing an advert going around for a GC event happening in 2020. Remembering my youthful desire to check it out, I checked with work about using some of my professional development monies to attend. I was given the green light, but before I sat down to sign up, COVID reared its head and canceled everything.

When the event was rescheduled for 2021, I made sure to make a (very) belated pilgrimage to NY to study with a true guitar master. I had a largely positive experience, but it was a lot to take in as a first-time attendee (new guitar tuning, advanced playing techniques, etc.). I continued connecting with the community throughout the following year though, which served to deepen my affinity for an instrument with which I had a long love/hate relationship. When the 2022 event was announced, I jumped on it.

I’m not going to go into great detail about the courses, as there’s SO much there it would take tomes by people far more qualified than I (that, plus with discouraging of filming, taking pictures, cell phone usage, etc., I sense that sharing too much of that may run afoul of a certain rule reminiscent of those for Fight Club). What I feel I CAN say is that I feel a much stronger connection to music, my instrument, and the universe than when I showed up.

I can also say: playing one of my Bach cello suite solo arrangements on guitar with Robert sitting fifteen feet away is every bit as terrifying as it sounds.

Many thanks to Robert, his amazing staff, and the fantastic community of guitar colleagues. My heart is full, and I’m looking forward to the next time.