A listener's guide to free improvisation / John Corbett.
| Author/creator | Corbett, John, 1963- author. |
| Format | Electronic |
| Publication | Chicago ; London : The University of Chicago Press, 2016. |
| Copyright Date | ©2016 |
| Description | 1 online resource |
| Supplemental Content | ProQuest Ebook Central |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Preparing to go into the field -- Range and diversity -- Fundamentals -- Rhythm: the hurdle -- Duration: another hurdle -- Basic identification: who is doing what? -- Entrances and exits: mapping the flow of events -- Interaction dynamics: the core -- Dynamics dynamics: passive-aggressive improvising -- Transitions: observing how the music changes -- Structure: the butcher shop -- Personal vocabulary: each unto themselves -- Advanced techniques -- On watching while listening -- Live or memorex? -- Kindling: 20 starter records for your improvised music collection -- Once vs. ongoing -- The level of mystery -- The ambiguous and the unresolved: is Tony dead? -- The rule of threes -- Dancing between the hypothetical poles -- Poly-free -- Kindling II: 20 classic poly-free records -- Distraction and sleep -- Thinking and chewing gum (at the same time) -- You and the night and the music: audience participation -- Additional reading: seven great books (plus one DVD) -- A little rouge, a touch of blush -- On the moral superiority of improvised music -- Life list: a selected checklist of major living free improvisors. |
| Abstract | "Improvisation rattles some listeners. Maybe they're even suspicious of it. John Coltrane's saxophonic flights of fancy, Jimi Hendrix's feedback drenched guitar solos, Ravi Shankar's sitar extrapolations--all these sounds seem like so much noodling or jamming, indulgent self-expression. "Just" improvising, as is sometimes said. For these music fans, it seems natural that music is meant to be composed. In the first book of its kind, John Corbett's A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation provides a how-to manual for the most extreme example of spontaneous improvising: music with no pre-planned material at all. Drawing on over three decades of writing about, presenting, playing, teaching, and studying freely improvised music, Corbett offers an enriching set of tools that show any curious listener how to really listen, and he encourages them to enjoy the human impulse-- found all around the world-- to make up music on the spot. Corbett equips his reader for a journey into a difficult musical landscape, where there is no steady beat, no pre-ordained format, no overarching melodic or harmonic framework, and where tones can ring with the sharpest of burrs. In "Fundamentals," he explores key areas of interest, such as how the musicians interact, the malleability of time, overcoming impatience, and watching out for changes and transitions; he grounds these observations in concrete listening exercises, a veritable training regime for musical attentiveness. Then he takes readers deeper in "Advanced Techniques," plumbing the philosophical conundrums at the heart of free improvisation, including topics such as the influence of the audience and the counterintuitive challenge of listening while asleep. Scattered throughout are helpful and accessible lists of essential resources--recordings, books, videos-- and a registry of major practicing free improvisors from Noël Akchoté to John Zorn, particularly essential because this music is best experienced live. The result is a concise, humorous, and inspiring guide, a unique book that will help transform one of the world's most notoriously unapproachable artforms into a rewarding and enjoyable experience."--EBSCO. |
| Source of description | Print version record. |
| Issued in other form | Print version: Corbett, John, 1963- Listener's guide to free improvisation. Chicago ; London : The University of Chicago Press, [2016] 9780226301778 |
| ISBN | 9780226347462 (electronic bk.) |
| ISBN | 022634746X (electronic bk.) |
| Stock number | 5038D07B-1054-4B5B-8FEB-A47619077FA8 OverDrive, Inc. http://www.overdrive.com |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |