Guitar Craft

Guitar Craft (GC) is a series of guitar and personal development classes, founded and often presented by Robert Fripp, who is best known for his work with King Crimson. The Introduction to Guitar Craft (2004) describes GC as three things:

Related Topics:
Guitar - Robert Fripp - King Crimson

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• A way to develop a relationship with the guitar;
• A way to develop a relationship with music;
• A way to develop a relationship with oneself.

In the wider guitarist community, GC is best known for its advocacy of New Standard Tuning, Fripp's term for the alternate guitar tuning that came to him in the late 1970s, and that he had personally switched over to by the mid 1980s. In GC itself the tuning is only one tool used towards a wider aim of re-inventing the student's guitar playing from scratch. This in turn is designed to foster a personal renewal and self-development.

Related Topics:
New Standard Tuning - Alternate guitar tuning

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New Guitar Craft students are not expected to have any guitar experience at all, and it has been suggested, by Fripp and students, that previous experience can sometimes work against the course objectives, because of the expectations it places on the course and on music in general.

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Some course activities have little or nothing to do with the guitar, such as "sitting" (meditation), housework, the Alexander Technique, and philosophical discussion. One notable tactic in a GC course is to pressure students with a deadline, such as performing a concert at a local venue at short notice.

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Guitar Craft has been the subject of criticism for various reasons, such as its holistic approach to the guitar. Its aim of rebuilding a student's guitar playing and wider personal practices has been called "brainwashing" and a cult in the image of its founder (Fripp).

Related Topics:
Holistic - Cult

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The success of the courses in revitalizing a student's guitar playing is debatable; in the 20 years since its foundation, few GC students have gone on to further success. One exception is Trey Gunn, who became a musical collaborator of Fripp's after attending one of the first GC courses, and was a member of King Crimson from 1994-2002. He has taken a more individual approach to music and established himself as a solo artist and bandleader in his own right. The California Guitar Trio are a group of GC veterans who have worked together since 1991 with some critical success.

Related Topics:
Trey Gunn - King Crimson - California Guitar Trio

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