[DOC] Canaletto: 192 Colour Plates by Maria Peitcheva in Arts-Photography

Description

Improvisation rattles some listeners. Maybe theyrsquo;re even suspicious of it. John Coltranersquo;s saxophonic flights of fancy; Jimi Hendrixrsquo;s feedback drenched guitar solos; Ravi Shankarrsquo;s sitar extrapolationsmdash;all these sounds seem like so much noodling or jamming; indulgent self-expression. ldquo;Justrdquo; 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 Corbettrsquo;s A Listenerrsquo;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 impulsemdash; found all around the worldmdash; 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 ldquo;Fundamentals;rdquo; 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 ldquo;Advanced Techniques;rdquo; 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 resourcesmdash;recordings; books; videosmdash; and a registry of major practicing free improvisors from Noeuml;l Akchoteacute; 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 worldrsquo;s most notoriously unapproachable artforms into a rewarding and enjoyable experience.