Former King Crimson member Trey Gunn has partnered with Gabriel Riccio to create a set of full-band transcriptions of the band’s 1995 release THRAK. They do a good job not only of transferring those recorded performances into written form (working within the limitations of traditional Western notation), but also of providing a detailed explanation of the decision-making process used to create these scores. It also gives the standard tunings used in the transcriptions.
Each song is notated clearly with additional written performance and timbral instructions. Each part is labelled according to the instrument and the performer on the original recording. The guitar, bass and Chapman Stick parts are provided in notation and TAB (with tuning changes), and the drum parts are written according to standard drumset notational conventions. The 1995 original recordings served as the “primary text” for these transcriptions, with other performances and the 2015 version serving as secondary materials. Gunn and Riccio make a point to indicate when elements of the transcriptions only appear in one source.
All in all, this is a good resource for musicians who are interested in learning to play these songs, provided they have the skills necessary to read the notation. It is also a wonderful resource for music scholars who are looking for a way to study these songs from an academic perspective. My review copy was a nineteen-page excerpt in PDF format, but the actual scores are printed on high-quality paper in a 9”x12”, spiral bound format.
Transcriptions from the THRAK release
VROOOM
Coda: Marine 475
Dinosaur
Walking on Air
B’Boom
THRAK
Inner Garden I & II
People
One Time
Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream
VROOOM VROOOM
VROOOM VROOOM: Coda
MUSICIANS on the THRAK release
Robert Fripp – Guitar, Mellotron, Soundscapes, Vocals & Production
Adrian Belew – Guitar, Lead Vocals & Production
Tony Levin – Bass, Extended-Range Bass, Electric Upright Bass, Funk Fingers, Backing Vocals & Production
Trey Gunn – Chapman Stick, Warr Guitar, Backing Vocals & Production
Bill Bruford – Drums & Production
Pat Mastelotto – Custom Percussion & Production
ADDITIONAL INFO
Transcriptions – Gabriel Riccio
Editing & Tabs – Trey Gunn
Information – 7D Media
Information – Bandcamp
LINKS
King Crimson – Website | Facebook
Gabriel Riccio – Website | Transcriptions on Bandcamp