Robert Fripp: From King Crimson to Guitar Craft [Paperback]

Eric Tamm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1990

Robert Fripp has been an influential presence in contemporary music since he founded King Crimson in 1969. Renowned among fellow musicians for his electric and acoustic guitar technique, Fripp is also a producer, teacher, composer and writer. He has worked with Brian Eno, David Bowie and Talking Heads and has produced albums for Peter Gabriel and Darryl Hall. Eric Tamm is the author of "Brian Eno: The Vertical Colour of Sound".

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Faber and Faber (1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571129129
• ISBN-13: 978-0571129126
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,535,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Eric Tamm: From Musicologist to Pedagogue, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Robert Fripp: From King Crimson to Guitar Craft (Paperback)

Alright, that title was a bit harsh. I did like the book overall. I found Mr. Tamm's initial level of dissection vis-a-vis Crimson to be a bit much for my liking, and didn't really feel that the book 'took off' until it became a diary of his experiences at one of Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft seminars.

The personal interpretation of the Guitar Craft process described by Mr. Tamm is a much more interesting and enjoyable read than the cold discussion of theory that precedes it.

If you're interested in Robert Fripp, King Crimson, or Guitar Craft, then your time will not be wasted.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MORE WAYS THAN ONE, August 27, 2004

By 

Kerry Leimer (Makawao, Hawaii United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Robert Fripp: From King Crimson to Guitar Craft (Paperback)

A case could easily be made against the widespread cultural abuse of music. From muzak in its many and more "progressive" forms to advertising jingles to radio and clubs, music has been enslaved to commerce, to celebrity and to perpetuating fairly vacuous states of mind among listeners. (Someone still has to prove that a majority of people actually listen to music instead of simply "hear" it). It's also become clear that, even considering the popular music press, we approach our understanding of music in a purely colloquial way. Reviewers resolutely do not take on music as music, they simply describe it through metaphor and excessive use of the word "like". Listeners seem to accept this. Through the wordless collusion of the industry, the publications and even the artists themselves, current popular musical culture is essentially illiterate, bigoted and unable to imagine any other future for itself.

Eric Tamm's book on the work of Robert Fripp is precisely the sort of cure music needs. The book actually manages to combine a musician whose work and music strives to change both the business and the audience with a writer whose own musical credentials are up to the task specifically because the author's perspective on the work and on the man is one that remains open, receptive and critical. This is not a book about being a fan. This is not a book for fans. This is a book about how music can shape and guide us to a more profound view of the lives we live by giving the practice of music the importance and attention it actually deserves.

Mr. Tamm is eloquent on both the music and the meanings which Fripp seems to intend. The author never lapses into a false certainty about what he hears and what he understands, giving the book the right sense of investigation and learning. He manages to tell us things that matter about the music in musical terms. Fripp's propensity for odd meters are made intelligible. Some fundamentals on scales are also very helpful. The writing does not descend into a parochial tone accessible only to those who have studied music theory. The facts of the music are made quite clear and are readily graspable by anyone interested in getting at the content of what he or she happens to be listening to. Besides, it's never a bad idea to read a little over your head.

But beyond the recorded catalog of Fripp's work, Mr. Tamm is eloquent in his presentation of time spent in Fripp's Guitar Craft classes. These pages provide a glimpse of how music might function among artists and audience, free of the preoccupations of the industry. And, as we can at least assume Fripp inteads, Guitar Craft goes further, to connect principals of music with principals of life. Reading it lets us ask a question about what the practice of music can really be about, and how the pursuit of music can ultimately affect our lives and our thinking about the world. If you care about music it's worth the effort to find this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A glimpse of a guitar genius, March 27, 2008

By 

Joseph C. Helton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robert Fripp: From King Crimson to Guitar Craft (Paperback)

Eric Tamm's book started out as a master's dissertation and became an enjoyable, although at times heavy, insight into rock music's quirky guitar genius Robert Fripp. Much background and insight is given to King Crimson, all the way up to and including the album Three of a Perfect Pair (the book was released in 1991 and so doesn't cover anything subsequent, nor does it go into great detail on the touring life within the band). Tamm then takes the reader into a week in GuitarCraft, Robert Fripp's week long guitar seminar. Much is also discussed on Fripp's philosophical views and a number of pages are devoted to Fripp's study of the teachings of George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, from which I was able to cull enough information to develop a sense of curiousity about this 'prophet'.

At any rate, the book is out of print, and hard to find (even harder to pay for, or so it would seem). For those who'd like a chance to read this book, may I suggest going to Eric Tamm's personal web site, where you can download the text of the book for free.

This book is a fascinating read, and the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that it does get pretty heavy at times, but for the reader who perseveres comes the reward of some greater insight into a complex musical genius.