To me, art is the capacity to experience one's innocence: craft is how you get to that point. Maturity in a musician would be the point at which one is innocent at will. At that point the relationship between music and the musician is direct and reliable.

Robert Fripp

Categorized in : Art Music Maturity

I would like, with the sun shining through the window on a crisp early-autumnal mid-morning, with a sufficiency of Monster Cappucino flowing in my veins to prompt minimal sentience, to declare my view for the record that Drummer Jokes are a cruel and pernicious form of humour introduced to the world by under-humoured persons lacking in sensitivity and concern for other drummers.

concern-for-others views morning

My life as a professional musician is a joyless exercise in futil... by Robert Fripp

My life as a professional musician is a joyless exercise in futility.

futility musician exercise

Discipline is never an end in itself, only a means to an end. by Robert Fripp

Discipline is never an end in itself, only a means to an end.

discipline ends mean

What we hear is the quality of our listening. by Robert Fripp

What we hear is the quality of our listening.

quality music listening

If a professional musician in a symphony orchestra is playing Beethoven. But this particular orchestra have played this particular chestnut so many times, they can play it in their sleep. Does the genius remain present in the music or not?

symphony play sleep

Music is the cup which holds the wine of silence. by Robert Fripp

Music is the cup which holds the wine of silence.

music wine silence

According to USA today, the average length of an attention span o... by Robert Fripp

According to USA today, the average length of an attention span of a man in America is 23 minutes.

usa average men

The spoken form is in fact a very restrained representation of what is possible in the musical language.

musical language facts

Music can be transformative, utterly transformative. The act of m... by Robert Fripp

Music can be transformative, utterly transformative. The act of music is utterly transformative.

We know others to the extent that we know ourselves. by Robert Fripp

We know others to the extent that we know ourselves.

What is necessary is possible, what we want is expensive. What is... by Robert Fripp

What is necessary is possible, what we want is expensive. What is unnecessary is unlikely.

unlikely unnecessary want

The science is in knowing; the art in perceiving. by Robert Fripp

The science is in knowing; the art in perceiving.

Music never goes away. It is always available, but we're not alwa... by Robert Fripp

Music never goes away. It is always available, but we're not always available for music.

Michael Giles the first drummer of King Crimson, never agreed to the name King Crimson. But then, if you'd knew Michael, you would know he didn't agree to the album cover either. So maybe Michael didn't agree to the point of definition with many things.

kings names firsts

There is a difference between being a timekeeper and keeping the pulse or being in step with the pulse in the band.

pulse band differences

But above that, most mature adults can hold their attention on something for 45 minutes, whether they like it or not. But above that requires training.

training adults attention

Performance is a vehicle for entering different worlds of experie... by Robert Fripp

Performance is a vehicle for entering different worlds of experiencing.

entering different world

If you are playing repertoire material, you're stuck. There's not... by Robert Fripp

If you are playing repertoire material, you're stuck. There's not huge amounts you can do.

stuck materials can-do

The aim is freedom conscience and truth by Robert Fripp

The aim is freedom conscience and truth

So, you can set up an orchestra down this end of the railway station playing one particular area, and simultaneously at the other end something completely different going on. And in the middle they meet, or not, depending.

railway-station orchestra different