Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music

by Derek Bailey

Derek Bailey’s Improvisation, originally published in 1980, and here updated and extended with new interviews and photographs, is the first book to deal with the nature of improvisation in all its forms—Indian music, flamenco, baroque, organ music, rock, jazz, contemporary, and ”free” music. By drawing on conversations with some of today’s seminal improvisers—including John Zorn, Jerry Garcia, Steve Howe, Steve Lacy, Lionel Salter, Earle Brown, Paco Peña, Max Roach, Evan Parker, and Ronnie Scott—Bailey offers a clear-eyed view of the breathtaking spectrum of possibilities inherent in improvisational practice, while underpinning its importance as the basis for all music-making.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Art, Jazz, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Derek Bailey was an English avant-garde guitarist and an important figure in the free improvisation movement. Bailey abandoned conventional performance techniques found in jazz, exploring atonality, noise, and whatever unusual sounds he could produce with the guitar. Much of his work was released on his own label Incus Records. In addition to solo work, Bailey collaborated frequently with other musicians and recorded with collectives such as Spontaneous Music Ensemble and Company.

Reviews

[Saskia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it’s cool that he tried to write a definitive examination of improvisation throughout history and in different contexts but he shoulda stayed in his lane. The first half where he was discussing topics like Indian traditional music, organ improvising, baroque music was a slog and it became much more relevant/ interesting/ good/ whatever when he started writing about scenes and movements he was part of, even when he went to great pains to try and be objective about a practice which literally Cannot be objective. And where he could only write about it because of his Actual Experiences. Like ?? It’s okay, just don’t pretend objectivity is a possibility Derek.

I really enjoyed the tension of all these people trying to explain that the more they improvise and develop these beautiful and profound practices the less they are able to articulate it but then describing this in really interesting ways, and I’m so glad that I read this after beginning to develop my own practice and considering these questions without an ‘academic’ or ‘historical’ framework. (Boorloo / aus punching above our weight fr, also ⚠️ THE Jim Denley, improvising celebrity in WA only, quoted ⚠️)

Almost no women are mentioned and it is very Britain focused and he does spend a lot of time writing about his own projects and treating himself as a case study but I did enjoy reading that stuff/ found the first hand reflection really useful. But like ,, can women not improvise ??? 🤔 where are the people of colour aside from African American free jazz 1960s bros ?? Do queer people exist …?!

Derek Bailey is also extremely funny and I wish that he didn’t try and pretend he could write about any of this objectively and just committed to the bit. Maybe the one that made me laugh the most was “Records simply supply a different listening experience to listening ‘live’; for the majority of people, apparently, a preferable one. Perhaps the debate over recording improvised music keeps rearing its head because, unlike other recorded music, there is no apparent economic justification for it.” Honourable mention to “some of these players have shown a great interest in the practices and rituals of ethnic music…[list of him saying musical traditions that are obscure from his perspective and which are appropriated by exploratory musicians sometimes in an icky way]… to provide an aural event about as far removed from the directness and dignity of ethnic music as a thermo-nuclear explosion is from a fart.” He also has a lot of hate for western classical music which I was very into.

Naoko and Uma if you’re still here you should both read so we can discuss ! Also I feel vindicated that Jim is a celebrity cough CMI cough

[Todd Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essential text on improvisation in music, the late Derek Bailey's book takes a truly global look at the role of improvisation in different cultures and situations. From the complexities of Indian music to the British free-improv machine of which he was a vital cog, Bailey covers a wide range of concepts and shows how very different forms of music can be interrelated through spontaneous creation. As a guitarist Bailey developed his own ideas of "non-idiomatic improvisation", in which he consciously tried not to emulate anything that could be taken as jazz, blues, rock or other pigeon-hole styles. This book helps to illustrate just how formidable a task that was, given the importance of improvisation in so many musical traditions. Absolutely vital.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book by derek bailey has been on my shelf for quite some time, but i finally got around to reading it. it's a wonderful book for people who want to expand their knowledge of musicians' (and his) views on improvisation in *many* genres. thus, much of the book is a set of questions and interviews posed by bailey to a group of improvisers, composers, and non-improvisers. he covers the guru model of improvisation in indian music, the authenticity of improvisation in flamenco, patterned practice in baroque improvisation, stretching of structure and form in organ improvisation, the complications of playing the same solos in rock "improvisation," and finally the influence and (arguable) demise of jazz improvisation. the second half of the book includes a wonderful section on composition and the ways in which composers deal with control in their writing. the most informed parts of the text for me are the last three, which dive into the realm of free improvisation and ways to structure music and group collaboration (the world of musicians with whom derek bailey is himself involved).

i'm so glad i read this book, because a lot of it will be useful for background material in my dissertation. notable excerpts for me:

t. carl whitmer's thoughts on improvisation (p. 33): 'don't look forward to a finished and complete entity. the idea must always be kept in a state of flux.'
'an error may be only an unintentional rightness.'
'do not get too fussy about how every part of the thing sounds. go ahead. all processes are at first awkward and clumsy and "funny".'
'polishing is not at all the important thing; instead strive for a rough goahead energy.'
'do not be afraid of being wrong; just be afraid of being uninteresting.'

question posed by anthony pay(p.72): 'i mean how much are you entitled to be free with music?'

thoughts by anthony pay (p.74): 'what reason has one for existing other than to be involved with what is actually being created in your particular time?' and finally 'if you can understand what it means to be disciplined and to be accurate, committed and involved with something which is purely notated, and also be capable of being free, of being able to step outside the inhibition that notation produces, and do something which is your own and relevant, then i still think that combination is probably the highest form of instrumental talent that there is. and it is only the really great instrumentalists who can do that, who are free of their instrument to that extent.'

thought of john stevens, drummer and former member of spontaneous music ensemble (p. 99): 'application is even more important than technical facility, because application is the key to taking part, to being involved.'

'but ultimately the greatest rewards in free improvisation are to be gained in playing with other people.' derek bailey (p.113)

i highly recommend this book for bailey's insight, candor, and honesty. the only critiques i have are 1.that it's kinda disorganized (only in some parts) and 2. that it's not longer :)

<3

[kaelan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although he started out as a jazz-based guitarist, Derek Bailey is best known as one of the major progenitors of "non-idiomatic improvisation" (otherwise known as "free improvisation" or simply "free improv"); and in Improvisation: Its Nature And Practice In Music, he employs a variety of artist interviews and passionate diatribes to describe this most ancient of human musical arts. The result is a groundbreaking account of improvisation through its various guises, from Hindustani classical music to baroque organ improvisation to modern jazz and beyond.

Throughout this short(ish) book, Bailey proves himself a highly opinionated and rather cantankerous fellow, which means that he doesn't strive for any sense of journalistic neutrality. Rather, these interviews—featuring such notable figures as John Zorn, Steve Lacy and Jerry Garcia (there is a disturbing lack of female musicians here)—function as a dialectical exchange of conflicting ideas, beliefs and views. Of particular interest is the "Objections" section, in which improviser-turned-composer (as well as former Bailey-collaborator) Gavin Bryars defends the preeminence of composition over improvisation. (Bailey, of course, argues for the opposite.)

Besides the interviews and polemics, I also greatly enjoyed Bailey's recollections of the early free improv scene, including his experiences playing in the Joseph Holbrooke trio and the Music Improvisation Company. The transition from jazz into free improv was by no means an easy one, and these sections provide a fascinating eye-witness account of one of the most important developments in modern music.

Yet despite the book's historical and cultural importance, it suffers from several drawbacks, most of which are stylistic in nature. Bailey's guitar chops are exceptional; his writerly acumen, less so. Without going into his (admittedly) haphazard research habits, the guitarist's prose tends towards the awkward and syntactically torturous, and he has an irritating habit of cut-and-pasting huge swaths of quoted text with little thought to flow or integration.

Still, Improvisation remains an essential text for anyone interested in free jazz, free improv and/or the 20th century avant-garde. Bailey's description of solo improvisation alone makes it a worthwhile read; the same goes for the edifying conversation with Bryars. If only Bailey was a more accomplished writer, or at least had a more judicious editor.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is totally indispensable for anyone interested in improvisation. i often copy sections and use it as required reading for my free improvisation classes.

basically, what derek does is look back over the past 300 years of musical activity, and discusses how improvisation was a part of the activity - from (church) organ music to flamenco to jazz to non-idiomatic free improvisation and so much more. his prose is clear, erudite and simply put - not surprisingly if you think of his playing.

highly recommended.

[Jim Doran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A valuable and instructive collection of commentary, interviews, and summaries from Derek Bailey, who traces all music back to the practice of improvising. The most helpful sections are in the first half of the book, where Bailey interviews musicians within different idiomatic musical traditions, among them Indian, Flamenco, and Church music. Thinking about how improvisation works within these approaches, and how free improvisation differs from all of them, was immediately inspiring.

It's as great a text for conjuring questions as it is for answering them, however, which makes the second half, focused on free improvisation, just as valuable. Anyone interested in the overlap of avant garde composition, modern composition, jazz, free jazz, free improvisation, and etc. would do well to read Part Four, which focuses on composers, aleatory methods, and an extended interviews with Earle Brown and Anthony Pay.

[Michael Karman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone talks about this as a book on improvisation, which of course it is.

It's just that it's so much more. It is one of the best books I've read on music, period. I have been playing and reading about and listening to music all my life (60), and I felt I learned more about music generally from this book than I had from any other. It could really have been titled The Nature and Practice of Music.

I think of it that way, too, because the parts about improvisation specifically are a bit out of date. Not much, mind you. But there's little if anything applicable to EAI that I could see. I would love for Derek to have lived to talk about and talk to people like Otomo Yoshihide, eRikm, Sachiko M, and Andrea Neumann, to name just a few current artists.

But what we have is great, and its greatness goes far beyond the nature and practice of improvisation.

I would call it indispensable.

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The relationship between any music which is improvised and its audience is of a very special nature. Improvisation's responsiveness to its environment puts the performance in a position to be directly influenced by the audience." Quite an enlightening book. There isn't one bit of music that has remained unaffected by improvisation. So then, where does original thought in music occur? Is it possible to create something so completely original without being affected by improvisation of music, culture of the past? Is improvisation even original in nature? Overall, a great look at the nature and practice of it in music.

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book that everyone who's interested in music improvisation should read. In this book Bailey (may he rest in piece) tried to theorize the musicmaking method and the scene that was so close to his heart. His thoughts about free improvisation and the definitions of idiomatic and non-idiomatic improvisation musics (a division which he later in his life softened a little) is fascinating.

[Jack Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's monumental in subject matter. Should be required reading in most music circles. Its applications are not nearly limited to the European free improvisation movements which Bailey is associated with. There are chapters on modern sounds like jazz and rock, along with chapters on older traditions including flamenco, organ music, and the music of India. I wish it had more of Bailey's entertaining, dry wit.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was largely indifferent to this book. He seemed downright mad that classical music lost its improvisational mojo, but seemed to fixate on it. None of the interviews told me that much.

Would love a recommendation of anything like this but more recent.

[Grig O' · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye-opening book, insightful and deliberate. It's also one of those books where the author is so invested in his subject it becomes infectious.

[Svalbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scritto da un musicista inglese, Derek Bailey, già parecchio tempo fa (tra gli anni ‘80 e ‘90 del secolo scorso; lui è morto nel 2005) questo interessante libro è stato recentemente ripubblicato dalla casa editrice ETS in una forma curata ed elegante, la stessa dell’altro libro da me recentemente letto e recensito (e comprato insieme a questo al Salone del libro), “La musica per amare la vita” sui musicisti dilettanti.

Improvvisare significa eseguire musica non scritta, che nasce e si sviluppa nello stesso momento in cui viene suonata. Almeno nel mondo accademico occidentale è una pratica abbastanza poco praticata negli ultimi secoli; in altre culture invece è sempre stato un caposaldo, addirittura la norma, dove se mai l’eccezione era la musica scritta. E comunque gli etnomusicologi sono abbastanza concordi sul fatto che nella musica delle origini l’aspetto improvvisativo fosse predominante, e che la separazione tra musica improvvisata ed eseguita sia stata posteriore all’invenzione di sistemi di notazione (utilizzati soprattutto come supporto mnemonico quando già andava stabilendosi un “canone” di musiche che dovevano essere eseguite in un certo modo e non in un altro, ad esempio col canto gregoriano).

Ovviamente l’autore non ha certo la pretesa di esaurire l’argomento, ma l’excursus è estremamente interessante: si parla di varie culture extraeuropee, in particolare estesamente della forma dei raga indiani; si distingue tra improvvisazione idiomatica (quella in cui il musicista può basare le sue improvvisazioni su un dizionario di modalità espressive chiaramente definite, e in qualche modo deve stare in quel contesto; ad esempio, il jazz tradizionale) e improvvisazione non idiomatica, invece un contesto dove si può fare un po’ quello che si vuole, decisamente più frequentato nella musica contemporanea e in ambienti più d’avanguardia. L’unico ambito in cui l’improvvisazione è sopravvissuta nella tradizione accedemica occidentale è quello organistico, tanto è vero che è una vera e propria materia insegnata, ma la cosa ha un suo perché: spesso l’organista deve adeguarsi ai tempi della messa, e comunque si tratta di un’improvvisazione certamente idiomatica e rigorosamente formale, basata su progressioni, modulazioni, scale e tonalità.

Viene indagato anche il fatto che i musicisti tradizionali occidentali hanno una vera e propria renitenza a lasciarsi andare all’improvvisazione: questo per anni e anni di didattica in cui si cerca di riprodurre nel miglior modo possibile la pagina scritta nel sacro rispetto di quanto ha scritto il compositore, e che in qualche modo ha rigorosamente tagliato le gambe alla creatività del “qui ed ora”; e anche perché si tende a considerare il compositore un musicista di livello più “alto”, e fare qualcosa che richiama la produzione e non l’esecuzione viene percepito come un peccato di presunzione.

Il libro è completato anche da una serie di interviste a musicisti improvvisatori, gruppo a cui anche lo stesso autore ovviamente appartiene. E’ interessante il fatto che all’improvvisazione ci siano diversi approcci, che vanno dal lasciare che le proprie mani vadano in totale libertà controllandole il meno possibile, a chi afferma che l’improvvisatore, al contrario, deve essere un compositore capace di pensare velocissimamente (è il caso ad esempio del celebre organista Jean Langlais). Bella poi questa testimonianza di Frederic Rzewski: «Nel 1968 ho incontrato Steve Lacy per la strada a Roma. Ho tirato fuori il mio registratore a cassette portatile e gli ho chiesto di descrivere in quindici secondi la differenza tra composizione e improvvisazione. Mi ha risposto: “In quindici secondi la differenza tra composizione e improvvisazione è che nella composizione hai tutto il tempo chie vuoi per decidere cosa dire in quindici secondi, mentre nell’improvvisazione hai quindici secondi”. La sua risposta era durata esattamente quindici secondi ed è ancora la migliore formlazione del problema che io conosca».

Probabilmente oggi, dopo anni e anni di sperimentalismi estremi e ritorni a formalismi più o meno marcati, l’improvvisazione è meno emarginata nell’espressione musicale dell’epoca in cui Bailey scriveva questo libro e suonava (esistono anche sperimentazioni molto tonali e molto leggere praticate soprattutto da pianisti al confine tra jazz e new age), ma comunque gli spunti di riflessione in esso contenuti sono ancora del tutto validi.

[Thomas Feng · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe it's because I'm a musician and am picky about reading about music, but I don't like to be expert-splained (read: mansplained!) at at length... no doubt music/creativity/improvisation are ineffable but it's like a lot of breath in each section toward whatever "je ne sais quoi" which hip-smart-poetic people sometimes throw around in whatever dutiful deference to whatever mystical thing that just runs through them.

I'm tired of this kinda off-the-cuff philosophizing! like people getting #heady while casually "talking shop" just puts me off (and I LIKE talking shop; it's that bro-ey easy-going self-importance that drives me up a wall). did I mention that it felt like a long mansplanation? (in however many interviews there was only ONE who was not male, and she got two paragraphs.) like I can handle a book by a male author (lol) but the polyphonic format of this book made it feel like a parade of male experts "setting the record straight" and just wow the last third of this book was a drag.

I liked the premise of the book, which was not to give a theory or history of improvisation so much as to like, offer a portrait of different modes of improvisation that the author has encountered (so I accept his disclaimer that the book is not intended to be "comprehensive", though with the way the book proceeds with all these interviews and explorations into niche sub-genres it's hard not to feel like he's attempting some kind of comprehensive survey). like it's personal enough that he includes his own hot takes here and then, and yet still somehow read to me as an attempt at a field guide.

I'm a square so the parts about organ, jazz (a very condensed history and hot take) and the Occidental angst around "The Composer" were interesting to me indeed. oddly it was the ending sections about the author's experience in the UK free improv world that was the biggest struggle to get through – because musically that is very interesting to me and I also usually like a personal on-the-ground perspective.

[Cobertizo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta es la auténtica obra nuclear de la libre improvisación. La única que gracias a su relato coral(desde Earle Brown hasta John Zorn) logra señalar y nombrar aquello que por definición es inefable: la creatividad incendiaria en su primigenio estado. Y no otra cosa es la improvisación. Oigan, si no, el significado que le confiere Jaime Muir al respecto, al ser entrevistado por Bailey:

"Bueno, lo diré de otro modo: prefiero, con mucha diferencia, las tiendas de trastos viejos a las de antigüedades. No hay nada que descubrir en una tienda de antigüedades, todo ha sido descubierto ya, mientras que en una tienda de viejo las cosas sólo han sido recogidas y reunidas. Pero en un vertedero de basura las cosas no han sido recogidas ni nada; de hecho, han sido rechazadas completamente. Este es el territorio de lo no descubierto, de lo no identificado, de lo no reveindicado, de lo inexplorado: el futuro, si lo pensamos bien. Hay quien coge un vertedero de basura y lo convierte en tienda de antigüedades. Eso es alquimia, realmente, pero recuerda a la fiebre del oro, sugiere una especie de codicia, evoca un deseo de apropiarse de algo, de coger cosas de la tierra y no devolver jamás"

[RA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a big fan of Derek Bailey's music since I first heard it in the late 70's (I believe).

An essential book for musicians, especially those interested in improvisation. This is the revised version, by guitarist Derek Bailey, one of the pioneers of "free improvisation;" and there is an accompanying documentary series (5 parts) available on YouTube.

There is a number of viewpoints from different musicians/composers, etc. about the nature, progress, shortcomings, strengths, and importance of freely improvised music.

There are discussions concerning pro-instrument (trained musicians) and anti-instrument (non-trained/new musicians) improvisation; how different musicians teach it; the impact this style has on improvisors and non-improvisors; differences between collective and individual improvisation; and the unique nature of improvised music in a temporal setting.

Absolutely thought-provoking. As an early adherent of "free" music 9fo various types, and improvised/experimental music, this was really fun to read, but I had to slowly and carefully read this, in order to digest the ideas.

[UlyssicBurial · Rating 3 out of 5]

Improvisation is, as a primary resource on the topic - from one of the most celebrated figures in the field - informative and detailed, concise in its descriptions of the relevant history of Hindustani Classical, Liturgical Organ music, Flamenco, etc, and how attitudes towards improvisation differed across genre, culture and background.
As a text to be read, it's not always as sharp. The vitality of Bailey's musical output doesn't always translate to the written text, and large parts of the middle portion of the book I found v sluggish.
A brisk read, mostly comprised of interviews between Bailey and a stellar line-up of musicians - Max Roach, John Zorn, Earle Browne and more - which makes it very easy to breeze through. Certainly enlightening, an easy rec for music fans and scholars.

[Can Acar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Çevirisi oldukça özenli, Türkçeye çevrilmiş konusunda nadir kitaplardan. Derek Bailey, Hint müziği, flamenko, caz ve serbest müzik icra eden yetkin müzisyenlerle sohbet edip "Doğaçlama Nedir?" sorusuna cevap ariyor. Cevaplanması şüphesiz oldukça soyut bir soru. Ancak bence çok daha kapsamlı ele alınıp, daha detaya inilebilirdi. Mesela gelenek ve sözel aktarım doğaçlamayı nasıl etkiliyor? Neden klasik müzik dogaclamadan bu kadar uzaklaştı? Türk müziği gibi makamsal müziklerde dogaclama nasıl ele alınıyor? gibi sorulara cevap almak isterdim açıkçası. Gereğinden kısa geldi kitap.

[Joe Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well considered and wide-reaching book on improvisation; perhaps the most prestigious and with good reason.

As a huge Bailey fan my interest was piqued in the latter chapters in which the iconoclastic guitarist analyses his own music and projects. The earlier chapters on the differences, similarities and impact of improvisation across different cultures and points in history are as engaging as the reader's own interest in the topics in question.

[Joshua Jankiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely eye-opening. Derek Bailey is not only so insightful because of his personal experience being one of the greatest free-improvisation guitarists of all time, but he's able to get inside the head of all these musicians he interviews and frame their perspectives into a clear, unified whole. The only thing that's limiting it: he doesn't really give enough mic time to improvisations detractors! I would love for him to have cut them down a notch or two. Still, great!

[Jacob MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some really brilliant moments of commentary, and the interviews shine in the format they're put down. I expect that the sticking-out bits change over time: Take and leave what's useful to practice. As a reference work, probably not as strong, though there are plenty of references to interesting music and other books on the subject. The ending is a bit abrupt, especially Bailey's answer to what music is, which as far as I can tell he dodges to that point.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good content with a boring presentation. Outside of the dryness of the book, I loved all of it. Improvising is a fundamental part of my life and music, so reading all of these different perspectives on the subject was enlightening. Highly recommended for improvisers.

[Federico Rodríguez-Jiménez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reading for anyone interested in improvised music. Although Bailey's style is not really easy, this book it's still a great resource for musicians wanting to dive in the meandering waters of uncertain sound.

[Bailey Brosamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting history of improvisation in the context of different musics. Food for thought! It was more of a brief description of traditions than a full-scope, in-depth panorama of each tradition.

[James Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes a wider look at improvisation than most, not tied to any one genre of music. I like the reminder that so-called classical music was once an improvised genre.

[Alf Bojórquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ya un poco viejo, pero un básico sobre la improvisación libre.

[Roberto Cataldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lettura fondamentale per qualsiasi Musicista

[Giuseppe Pisano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fondamentale.

[Mike Benoit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing about music is like dancing about architecture?

Not in this case.