KVR Audio

geoffrey · Post by **geoffrey** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:13 am

I believe his tuning is CGDAEG.
Cheers,
Geoff

Fractal Potato · Post by **Fractal Potato** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:05 am

I doubt the EMS Synthi would have been part of Fripp's sound on Scary Monsters, as Eno wasn't involved in that record. Though of course, Eno doesn't have sole rights to use a Synthi! Also Fripp only started using his new standard tuning in 1984, so not on Scary Monsters.

RTaylor wrote:Got any idea what Eno's "Sky saw" was?

From the Eno FAQ: http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/bria ... ofaqm.html

Q. What is "Sky Saw Guitar" (credited to Fripp on Another Green World)?

Paolo Valladolid explains:

Quoting Robert Fripp from a 1987 Electronic Musician interview ("Zen and the Art of the Guitar" or some such title) (this is paraphrased from memory): "Sky Saw Guitar is a specific technique of processing the guitar through a VCS-3 synthesizer with digital feedback. You hit one note and it rings forever."

R Carlberg adds:

I was a staff writer for EM at the time so I happen to still have the June 1987 issue on hand.

The interview, by John Diliberto, was titled "Zen and the Art of Fripp's Guitar." They're discussing his relationship with Eno.

EM: I believe he was the one who created Sky Saw Guitar.

RF: Yeah, Sky Saw was a name for a particular sound which had to do with feeding the guitar through a VCS Synthi synthesizer and digital feedback. It's a specific technical approach for getting the sound. You can get the sound or a very close approximation in a number of different ways, but that was the name he came up with. He came up with that particular sound. Wonderful rrrr. So gripping. Great. Yeah. My response to that is visceral. Now you don't need lots of clever notes and theories about musical organization. You just hit the G and go rrrr. And that's it. It's all over.

You know, that used to really frustrate me. There I would be practicing and working hard and all the different things one could play, and yet you turn up the amplifier and hit the one note and it would go hhhhhhmmmmmmzzzm and it would be all you needed. Wonderful appeal. Wonderful appeal."

The solo on St.Elmo's Fire (from Eno's Another Green World) is just superb.

RTaylor · Post by **RTaylor** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 3:16 pm

Fractal Potato wrote:I doubt the EMS Synthi would have been part of Fripp's sound on Scary Monsters, as Eno wasn't involved in that record. Though of course, Eno doesn't have sole rights to use a Synthi! Also Fripp only started using his new standard tuning in 1984, so not on Scary Monsters.

http://www.progressiveears.com/frippbook/ch08.htm

Tells a bit about it... I checked out a few more pages the other day and the closest thing I could find to an explanation from Fripp was the fact that he was feeling sick that day {Fashion}. I tend to think it was just Fripp though I don't know what they were using in the studio that day{s}.

robogone · Post by **robogone** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:13 pm

geoffrey wrote:I believe his tuning is CGDAEG.
Cheers,
Geoff

With the E high or low? That's either going to be really loose or snapping every 5 minutes! Even a C for the low E is going to be really loose. Still, this is Robert Fripp we're talking about!

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:17 pm

robojam wrote:
geoffrey wrote:I believe his tuning is CGDAEG.
Cheers,
Geoff
With the E high or low? That's either going to be really loose or snapping every 5 minutes! Even a C for the low E is going to be really loose. Still, this is Robert Fripp we're talking about!

Jeez, I would think that's a low "C"...still, yeah, that's nutso-loose!

Markleford · Post by **Markleford** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 6:10 pm

It's a low C. It's tuned in fifths with a minor third on top. This is the same tuning used for the GuitarCraft workshops.

Of course you'd use appropriately gauged strings to compensate.

- m

Fractal Potato · Post by **Fractal Potato** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 6:38 pm

It's no problem if you've got a Roland VG-8.

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 6:46 pm

Well, looks like Fractal Potato nixed the alt-tuning idea, anyway. I'm surprised there isn't some step-by-step page out there, like that one about The Edge, that deals with Fripp's sound. Perhaps he's just too obscure still.

RTaylor · Post by **RTaylor** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:35 pm

Fripp? Obscure?

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:39 pm

RTaylor wrote:Fripp? Obscure?

Yeah, to Mr and Mrs Joe Average, I would think. You should have seen the blank expressions and impatience when I saw him open for Satriani and Vai in 1998. Reminded me that he's not quite a household name.

james0tucson · Post by **james0tucson** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 4:10 pm

bduffy wrote:
RTaylor wrote:Fripp? Obscure?
Yeah, to Mr and Mrs Joe Average, I would think. You should have seen the blank expressions and impatience when I saw him open for Satriani and Vai in 1998. Reminded me that he's not quite a household name.

I can imagine Fripp being obscure in "joe average" circles, but obscure even to people who know who Vai or Satriani is?

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 4:17 pm

james0tucson wrote:
bduffy wrote:
RTaylor wrote:Fripp? Obscure?
Yeah, to Mr and Mrs Joe Average, I would think. You should have seen the blank expressions and impatience when I saw him open for Satriani and Vai in 1998. Reminded me that he's not quite a household name.
I can imagine Fripp being obscure in "joe average" circles, but obscure even to people who know who Vai or Satriani is?

I'm telling you, he was not going over well. Lots of metal-types agog and rudely chattering while he created impossible soundscapes.

RTaylor · Post by **RTaylor** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:02 pm

Consider that Fripp's familiar to most Crimson fans or folk that have followed art rock since about '67 or so... I can't see him as obscure.

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:06 pm

RTaylor wrote:Consider that Fripp's familiar to most Crimson fans or folk that have followed art rock since about '67 or so... I can't see him as obscure.

I'm speaking purely relatively. Of course he's totally well-known around here.

RTaylor · Post by **RTaylor** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:16 pm

I suppose there are people out there that don't know who Eno is either...

Sound of Fripp's guitar on Bowie's Scary Monsters