Meeting Sunday Sep. 18th

Attendees: David, Glenn, Martin, Mary Beth, Victor

We begin with an Embroidery, then move on to a circulation of 8 "rounds" each of D pentatonic and C pentatonic. Next we work on Askesis, looping the intro and main section. Victor asks us to tap our feet and if we are able, to count out loud as well. We attempt the same thing with the section in 15. Victor would like us to try and have the piece ready for the performance on Oct. 8th. We then move onto an "any note" fast circulation. We then stand up and do the Thrak polyrhythm with marching, slowly at first then speeding up the tempo. Victor then hands out magic-ish chords and beats to play them on in 5. After quite enough of that, we go back to our stools and discuss some of the logistics of promoting the upcoming New Standard Tuning course . Glenn hands out nice flyers for us to put up in various places.

DBK

Saturday Sept 10, Wedding Gig

MB and I were the first of the ensemble to arrive at the church. Dev arrived next. Martin called to say he was on his way. Eventually Victor and Alex arrived. We got the PA going, and did some sound checking. Around 10:50 we began playing... pick a note (D Maj) C Pent/D Pent circulation, Eye of the Needle. The bride and groom had not yet made an appearance, so five of us did some circulating in G while Victor soloed (this wasn't quite successful, to my ear) Calliope, Moving Force, and then Invocation, which morphed into Growing Circle for the groom's walk down the isle. One pair in the wedding party didn't seen to want to walk to that music and waited until it was over. We did some circulating to cover their passage. Sat for ceremony, which was very nice. We played Hope for the 'recessional' music, which worked quite well, and then Third Relation, which worked a little less well.

Standing around unplugged outside, we played Moving Force again and Bicycling to Afghanistan. Martin declared we were done, so we were. We got held up a little loading our stuff out of the church, because they were taking pictures in the front, and there was no rear entrance. Eventually we were set to go. There was a big group shot arranged. We stood on the church steps and played Asturias as things were being organized.

Martin headed to the reception, the rest of us headed to Crazy Burger, a popular little restaurant in Narragansett.

Thursday September 8th, Wedding Team Amplified

Victor's basement
the wedding team: Victor, Glenn, Martin, Alex, MB, Dev

We ran through our repertoire for the event. Growing Circle, Hope (lots of Hope), Aspiration, circulation in C Maj Pentatonic, and D Maj Pentatonic (alternately), Third Relation, Eye of the Needle, Moving Force. At one point we took a break, and Victor gave us some ice-pops. At the end of the evening, after talking through some details, we recorded a quick version of Growing Circle, so the groom would know how quickly to walk.

Meeting Sunday Septmber 4th, 2005 (Wedding Performance Team)

Sunday September 4th - at South Boston
Attendees: Alex, Dev, Glenn, Martin, Mary Beth, Victor

Victor and I arrive at about the same time, and set up six spaces (in the hopes that Dev will be able to attend). Victor and I begin to look at Invention #10. We work through the first page with some successs, and begin the second when Glenn and MB arrive. They set up and we work a bit more on #10 when Martin arrives. Finally, Dev arrives and the team is complete for the evening.

We begin looking a the available repertoire for the wedding:
Eye of the Needle
Hope (now available with Dev for fast circulations and backup arpeggiating)
Invocation
Growing Circle

We take another look at Invention #10, and split into sections for more concentrated work. After rejoining, we try again, and pare down to a quartet, and finally to a duo. It seems that this piece will work well as either a duo or a circulated piece, but does not seem to work at the moment as a group piece played in this manner. It is still noted as good work to do.

More potential repertoire run:
Third Relation
Moving Force
Circulations: In G; G, D; G, D, C; F, D

We ended the meeting with some discussion of Ben Bennett, which led to some observations and notions about a Leader and the Group, the hazards of the Leader projecting onto the Group, or the Group taking on the processes of the leader. Also, some possible ways to avoid this. Some notions offered about Teachers and Students, and how while some may have been more in contact with the Whole, they were still human, as well as the idea that the Teacher's path is their best guess at the time, and that the best teachers will not usually say "the way I got here is the way you must travel", or "here are the six steps you must take", but through their experience will help the Student make some guesses that work for them.

Some final thoughts on how the sense of pride in accomplishment can destroy the accomplishment (and the true Joy at its heart), as guilt can destroy progress. Perhaps the idea that when we miss a note, that instead of guilt, when we truly feel remorse at the missed note, we might be headed in the right direction.

Meeting Sunday August 28th

Sunday August 28th at South Boston
Attendees: Alex, Dev, Glenn, Martin, Mary Beth, Terry and Victor
Visitor: Victor's nephew, Abel

We began by in a semi-circle with Able as the audience. Victor called some repertoire,Circulation, Eye of the Needle, Bicycling to Afghanistan,Third Relation, Bartok , Growing Circle, Bach Invention #10, Larks Thrak, Asturias and an embroidery. We took a break, and then everyone but me worked on Askesis running sections then stringing them together. The we ran Invention #10 a few times. There was discussion of the wedding performance and the team for that and the NST weekend. We discussed the role the GCNE is playing at the course and I think it was good to talk it out. Victor spoke of the role of discipline and it's relationship to freedom. He mentioned that the Muslin world views freedom much differently than we do, gaining freedom within a much more structured and disciplined system, where our system based on full personal freedom. Victor said neither was more correct just different.