Courses and Workshops Calendar Archive
Seattle Guitar Circle 1994-2003

See, also, Guitar Craft Course schedule posted on guitarcraft.com

back to curtgolden.com

This full-length residential seminar presented the basics of Guitar Craft, and was open to anyone that wished to attend. No prior experience was required. This course covered all of the prerequisite skills required for further study in Guitar Craft. It was ideal for those wishing to make a beginning in Guitar Craft, as well as anyone with prior experience who felt the need to begin again. The focus was on fundamental principles in the use of both hands, coordination and the direction of attention. Work was done on steel-string acoustic guitars, using a pick. The Alexander Technique was presented as an avenue toward developing an intelligent and efficient use of the self, as applied to the skills of the guitar. The course was presented by Curt Golden and Frank Sheldon. All have long experience in Guitar Craft, going back to 1985. The kitchen was be headed up by Patrick Smith and staffed by members of the Seattle Guitar Circle and other experienced Crafties.

The Practice Circle hosted an Introductory Circle on Sunday January 12. Unlike the Beginner's Circle, no previous lessons were required; the Practice Circle assisted with tuning, guitar placement, and other preparatory questions, and also participated in the circle, conducted by Curt Golden. The only requirement was a guitar and the interest in seeing what work in a guitar circle is like.

The sixth At-A-Distance Course was not a Guitar Craft course, but participants must have attended a Guitar Craft or a related course, such as a New Standard Tuning Weekend. As before, AAD Six was web-based. The course was conducted and themes posted by Curt Golden and Frank Sheldon, and observations posted by participants. There were 103 participants, worldwide.

The Seattle Circle hosted a Repertoire and Performance workshop. Bert Lams, Curt Golden and Paul Richards were the instructors for this weekend. The weekend focus was expanding repertoire and performance issues for guitar circles. The weekend ended with a performance at a local residential care facility.

The Practice Circle hosted an Introductory Circle on Sunday October 13. Unlike the Beginner's Circle, no previous lessons were required; the Practice Circle assisted with tuning, guitar placement, and other preparatory questions, and also participated in the circle, conducted by Curt Golden. The only requirement was a guitar and the interest in seeing what work in a guitar circle is like.

This full-length residential seminar presented the basics of Guitar Craft, and was open to anyone that wished to attend. No prior experience was required. This course covered all of the prerequisite skills required for further study in Guitar Craft. It was ideal for those wishing to make a beginning in Guitar Craft, as well as anyone with prior experience who felt the need to begin again. The focus was on fundamental principles in the use of both hands, coordination and the direction of attention. Work was done on steel-string acoustic guitars, using a pick. The Alexander Technique was presented as an avenue toward developing an intelligent and efficient use of the self, as applied to the skills of the guitar.

The course was be presented by Curt Golden, Frank Sheldon and Tony Geballe, with special guest Fernando Kabusacki. All have long experience in Guitar Craft, going back to 1985. The kitchen was be headed up by Patrick Smith and staffed by members of the New Jersey Guitar Circle and other experienced Crafties.

In conjunction with the July Beginner's Circle, there was a one-day special project, open to all guitarists at every level. The challenge for the experienced players was to expand the current repertoire by one piece. These participants worked on a piece of Guitar Craft repertoire, Calliope, coordinated by Derek Difilippo. At the same time, beginners worked with Travis Metcalf and focused on learning Eye of the Needle. In addition, the two groups worked together on calisthenics and circulations. The day concluded with a Roving Circle performance at a residential facility in Wallingford. The cost was a $15 donation to the hat for the house.

The Practice Circle hosted an Introductory Circle on Sunday July 14. Unlike the Beginner's Circle, no previous lessons were required; the Practice Circle assisted with tuning, guitar placement, and other preparatory questions, and also participated in the circle, conducted by Curt Golden. The only requirement was a guitar and the interest in seeing what work in a guitar circle is like.

The Practice Circle hosted an Introductory Circle on Sunday April 7. Unlike the Beginner's Circle, no previous lessons were required; the Practice Circle assisted with tuning, guitar placement, and other preparatory questions, and also participated in the circle, conducted by Curt Golden. The only requirement was a guitar and the interest in seeing what work in a guitar circle is like.

Instructors: Curt Golden and Steve Ball. The Aim of the weekend was to increase facility with circulation and improvising. To listen to the context we are playing in and respond in an appropriate musical, manner. Difficulty level was moderate. A working knowledge of the fret board, comfort with playing in various keys and comfort with improvisation was necessary, and while Beginners were welcome, they found themselves challenged.

The workshop began with concepts of circulation. We not only pass a note, we pass a quality. Our note exists within a musical context. Can we be available to this context? Can we listen to the circle? From here, we will expand into improvisation and circulations as a means of musical composition. Various approaches to this were presented (Group Loops, Theme and Variation, and more).

This fifth At-A-Distance Course (AAD) was not a Guitar Craft course, but most participants had attended a Guitar Craft course or a related course, such as a New Standard Tuning Weekend. Like last year, AAD 2002 was web-based. Themes were posted by Frank Sheldon and Curt Golden, and observations posted by participants. 123 people participated.

The introductory course in Guitar Craft (Level One) was offered concurrent with a Level Two+ course to address the needs of returning students. The Courses were directed by Robert Fripp, assisted by a team of long time crafties, including Curt Golden, Paul Richards, Bert Lams, Tony Geballe, Bill Rieflin and Debra Kahan. Frank Sheldon and Sandra Bain Cushman presented the Alexander Technique. A team of experienced crafties, headed by Patrick Smith and Tom Redmond ran the kitchen and the house work.

The Courses were directed by Robert Fripp, assisted by a team of long time crafties, including members of Los Gauchos Alemanes and the Berlin Guitar Ensemble. Frank Sheldon (USA) and Cathy Stevens (UK) presented the Alexander Technique. A team of experienced crafties ran the kitchen and the house work. During the course, the League of Crafty Guitarists was reactivated.

The Practice Circle hosted an Introductory Circle on Sunday November 11. Unlike the Beginner's Circle, no previous lessons were required; the Practice Circle assisted with tuning, guitar placement, and other preparatory questions, and also participated in the circle, conducted by Curt Golden. The only requirement was a guitar and the interest in seeing what work in a guitar circle is like. If you are interested in future Intros, please contact the Practice Circle.

A Weekend Workshop for guitarists of all skill levels on Saturday October 13 and Sunday October 14 from 9am-4pm on both days. Instructors included Curt Golden, Steve Ball, Trey Gunn, Bill Rieflin, and Frank Sheldon.

A 5 week Project focusing on Performance.

This weekend course was an Introduction to the Circle and the New Standard Tuning. 

This course been cancelled.

This course been cancelled.

Hosted by the New Jersey Guitar Circle; Curt Golden, Frank Sheldon and Tony Geballe conducting. The first experiment with a 3-day weekend. Likely not the last. Details on the NJGC website.

This fourth At-A-Distance Course was not a Guitar Craft course, but participants had attended a Guitar Craft or related course, such as a New Standard Tuning Weekend. The Theme was Completion.  

Four weeks of focus on Circulating.

Conducted by Tommy Eckert, with Frank Sheldon

Conducted by Tommy Eckert, with Frank Sheldon

Hosted by the New Jersey Guitar Circle

Hosted by the New Jersey Guitar Circle; with forty-four aspiring guitarists.

Hosted by the New Jersey Guitar Circle; Tony Geballe, Frank Sheldon, Curt Golden and several dozen aspiring guitarists.

This third At-A-Distance Course was not a Guitar Craft course, but most of the participants had attended a Guitar Craft or related course, such as a New Standard Tuning Weekend. The Theme for AAD 99 was Personal Practice.

The workshop was devised for the NJGC core membership and those with Guitar Craft and NST experience who wish to re-connect.

Bay Area Guitar Circle. A retreat for the regular membership of the Bay Area Beginner's Circle, those with Guitar Craft and NST experience. The theme was Practice, and was be the culmination of a two-month exploration of the skills necessary for an efficient and effective practice. The course concluded on opening day of AAD99, which will further explore this skill.

A series of 4 intensive large group circle workshops. Members of the Seattle Guitar Circle (which includes all who participate in the Beginner's Circle, the Repertoire Circle, the SGC Performance Team, as well as anyone who is now or wishes to be active with our work here) were encouraged to participate. 

This two day retreat for the Bay Area Guitar Circle, with guests from Los Angeles and Denver, focused on the basics of Performance.

Workshop with members of the Seattle Guitar Circle and invited guests at Samadhi Yoga Center. The workshop, entitled "Aerodynamics of the Spectral Path: Introduction to Harmonic Chant, presented Hykes work in music, meditation and harmonization." The focus was on listening awareness, the harmonics of the voice, breath and sensation exercises and the harmonic series as the universal "musical DNA" in nature.

This two day retreat for the Bay Area Guitar Circle, with guests from Los Angeles and New Jersey, focused on the development of Repertoire, as part of the Circle's preparation for performances in the late Spring and early Summer. Particular pieces of repertoire were presented, and the skills of learning, practicing and rehearsing in a group addressed.

This course took place in Seabeck, WA, near Seattle. The weekend included three parallel and interacting courses: "Beginners Circle" with Curt Golden and Frank Sheldon; "An Introduction to Tapping" with Trey Gunn; and a "SeattleCircle Retreat" focusing on personal practice and group repertoire. Bill Rieflin and Beth Zumann contributed classes in aspects of rhythm. The participants included 14 for the Introduction to Tapping, 16 for the Beginner's Circle, 10 for the Retreat, 6 instructors and 4 children.

The seventh meeting of the Bay Area Beginner's Circle was held in the form of a Weekend Intensive Workshop on January 23-24, 1999 in Los Altos and Menlo Park, CA. Curt Golden conducted. There were eight participants, plus one additional player who was able to join for Saturday afternoon only.

This weekend workshop was open to members of the New Jersey and New York Circles and those with prior experience in Guitar Craft or working with the Guitar Craft standard tuning for the guitar. The four core members of the NJ team organized the weekend at which they were joined by one fellow member of the (original) Northeast Beginner's Circle, two from the NY Guitar Circle (including the happy return of one prodigal), and two traveling just for the event, one from Boston and another from Virginia. The weekend began on Friday night and concluded Sunday afternoon. The work was divided between guitar mechanics, individually and in the group, and group skills utilizing circulations and repertoire. For Saturday night there was a performance challenge involving both repertoire and two pieces composed and rehearsed during the day. The NJGC is considering making these weekends a regular part of their calendar, semiannually or even quarterly.

A follow-up to the first circulation project and also meeting twice a week, the focus for this course was pulse-division, interval training, and an exercise in melody creation.

This second course, like the first held in the Fall of 1997, was not a Guitar Craft course, but all the participants had attended a Guitar Craft course or a course organized by people who have been connected with Guitar Craft for many years. AAD 98 was run along similar lines of the first course, but with some important additions and changes.

The week began with a radio interview on Tuesday afternoon and a meeting of the Santiago Guitar Circle that evening. For the workshop there were 15 participants, of whom five were beginners. Meetings took place at Projazz in Santiago, Wednesday through Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday all day. The full group worked on circulations, exercises and new music. From time to time the group was split, the beginners would work on guitar primaries with Christian de Santis while the more experienced team worked on repertoire with Curt Golden.

The week began with a performance Sunday evening by Ensamble de Guitarras de Buenos Aires at Templum. The course then took place in two phases. Monday through Thursday, private lessons were offered during the afternoon and the Circle met for 4 hours each evening, attended by 18-20 guitarists with a wide range of experience in Guitar Craft and the GC Standard Tuning for the guitar. On Friday, the team moved to Casa de Retiro Sagrado Corezón in Castelar on the outskirts of Buenos Aires for a residential weekend. Attendance for the weekend was filled out by a number of players who had been unable to participate during the week. The focus of the entire workshop was "playing together" and virtually all work was done in circulation.

The Seattle Repertoire Circle came together in response to a clear need for an intermediate step between the Beginner's Circle and the primary performance team of the Seattle Guitar Circle. The first task for this group is to learn, practice, rehearse and be able to perform four pieces of music.

Meeting in Seattle on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings, this project explored the fundamental skills and "primaries" of circulating.

A one-day intensive workshop hosted by the Seattle Guitar Circle, and conducted by Debra Kahan (voice), William Rieflin (drumming), Frank Sheldon (Alexander Technique) and Beth Zumann (rhythm melodies).

The first meeting of the Bay Area Beginner's Circle was held on Saturday July 11, in Los Altos. Curt Golden conducted. There were nine participants. For four, this was their very first experience with this technique and tuning. The group worked extensively with the fundamentals of the right and left hand. Exercises in rhythm, pulse and circulation were also introduced.

A series of weekly meetings which simulated an open-mic night at a coffee house and designed to hone performance skills. It was an opportunity for performers to try new material, to critique one another on performance technique and to take direction from the other participants on new ways of presenting material.

The first meeting of the Seattle Beginner's Circle was held on Saturday, May 30th. There were ten participants representing the complete gamut of right and left hands (for better or worse), varied experience levels, combined with a gratifying willingness to make an effort. There were even moments when music paid us a visit.

A gathering immediately following the Level One Course, attended by the Seattle Guitar Circle core team, visiting staff members and a number of players arriving specifically for the weekend. For the staff, after a week of hard (but largely non-musical) work, an opportunity to "recharge and reconnect," focus on the music and to work with Robert, individually and as a group. The weekend also served to set in motion a number of endeavors for the Seattle Guitar Circle, including the Beginner's Circles, the SeattleCircle.com website, and the Secret Cafe.

The first North American Guitar Craft Course since 1992. Organized, hosted and staffed by Seattle Guitar Circle, with the assistance of a number of guests including Trey Gunn, Tony Geballe, Paul Richards (California Guitar Trio), Martin Schwutke and Christian de Santis (Los Gauchos Alemanes), and Carolina Leguizamón from Argentina.

A three week project to refine or define a daily personal practice within a supportive structure. Participants were asked to commit to a morning sitting and a practice time each day during the 21-day project. Three Saturday meetings addressed practical aspects of establishing and maintaining a sustainable daily personal practice.

This course was not a Guitar Craft course, but all the participants had attended a Guitar Craft course or a course organized by people who have been connected with Guitar Craft for many years.

Hosted by the Seattle Guitar Circle with Instructors Frank Sheldon, Tony Geballe, Paul Richards, Steve Ball, Trey Gunn, Bill Rieflin, and Tobin Buttram. Fifty-one participants spent the weekend working together and separately in two circles, one for beginners and one for the more experienced team. Highlights included Ear Training work presented by Trey and polyrhythm work presented by Bill Rieflin.

Hosted by the Seattle Guitar Circle with alternating instructors including Frank Sheldon, Steve Ball, Bill Rieflin, and Trey Gunn. The SGC core team met every Saturday and Wednesday evening for six weeks working together on Ear Training, an early form of Group Loops called "Skybars," follow-the leader exercises, repertoire, and circulations.

Hosted by the Seattle Guitar Circle with Instructors Frank Sheldon, Tony Geballe, Bert Lams, Hideyo Moriya, Paul Richards, Steve Ball, Fernando Kabusacki, and Martin Schwutke, and Bill Rieflin. Forty-six participants spent the weekend working together on primaries and circulations. Highlights included a masterfully multi-dimensional dinner-time rendition of "Country Roads" by Hideyo.

 updated: 02/18/2005