Music Improvisation Magic - SNEAK PEAK

Q. Tell us about the book and how it was written?

A. I've been spending a lot of time with group improvisation for the last 10 years including writing my doctorate thesis on the practice of the Cold Bath Street Band. You can read this online etc. All fine, but the one of the central aims of doing the research in the first place was to provide information that could be useful to musicians and music teachers. To be frank, it felt unlikely that they would wade through the academic speak of the thesis.

So, time to translate the key findings into accessible language. I was very lucky in that my bosses at the University of Central Lancashire allowed me time to do this. First I had to decide what was key - revisiting the thesis and highlighting the important insights. Then there was new stuff to add - what had emerged in the two years since it was written? Then the substantial task of putting it all together in a journey/sections that made sense for the reader, giving it some shape and style and (hopefully!) making it fun to interact with.

The book isn't designed as a cover to cover read, more a workshop manual for group players; musicians gradually working through the advice and topics, trying them out as they go. I wrote it thinking of 'developing musicians' - hopefully this means most of us. It's broad, not for one specific instrument or style. Yes, a musician in a college who wants to make their band better, but just as much someone who has been playing for many years and wants something to reignite/focus their interest, or even to disagree with!

Q. Who else was involved in the project?

A. One of the joys of this project has been the people I've worked with. I wanted to strengthen the text by including not just my research, but also snapshots of advice and input from other players. I reached out to many of the musical contacts I'd made over the years, asking for their thoughts on improvising, how they did it etc. The answers were fascinating - some common themes and ways of thinking - but everybody's take on it was different.

An obvious choice, the editor was Jon Aveyard who I've known for a long time and have a lot of respect for. He also knows my work extremely well, so the editing process was actually fairly quick... and I do stress fairly!

To bring the text to life, I worked closely with painter Linda Smith. I'm a very visual person, having a book that was just text wouldn't represent me, or indeed how I think musicians learn best, which usually in my experience includes using diagrams, images and exercises. We learn by doing and want to try things out - make 'our own versions'. That's what's being encouraged here. I had this idea that every chapter would have its own colour and that Linda would produce paintings based in single colours. In isolating just one colour, Linda's work to some extent mirrored the approach taken to the text, which was to highlight and discuss as components (complex) elements of music that would normally be experienced in the (even more complex) multicoloured world. She took the ball and ran with it. After some initial discussions and test work, the main canvases quickly appeared. At this point it was clear that the project was taking on a further life - becoming something very exciting.

Once Linda had the paintings ready we took them to photographer Michael Porter. There was then a fascinating exchange as he worked out how to capture them. Particularly getting the colour with any accuracy was very difficult and he did a sterling job. The initial pages of each chapter show the full painting and then there are a number of details, going right up to the canvas to see all the brushstrokes and little intricacies. Whilst never forgetting the 'total music' (Martyn Archer), the book's whole approach is to help engage what some find a defeatingly complex activity in improvising, through having highlighted and considered its building blocks.

Linda Smith's canvases were painstakingly translated by photographer Michael Porter

My friend Stuart Robinson is a talented graphic artist so he devised the cover - emphasising the importance of clearly presenting the text. At the same time, layout expert James Keane was rejigging my unprintable Word file into something that really worked on the page. Again this was a long job, painstakingly repeatedly pouring over the files to get every last detail. Another example of great work.

Thank you all! So lucky to work with these people!

Q. What's next?

A. The main mission is to disseminate - get the book and it's ideas into musician's hands and heads - through workshops, gigs, talks at community groups, schools/colleges/universities, festivals/ events etc.

Initial responses have been very positive and I encourage people to get in touch if they want to get involved or think improvisation should be part of their event. coldbathstreet7@gmail.com

Music Improvisation Magic is available through this website from May 30th.