WOODWINDS
Bill McBirnie is a jazz and Latin flute specialist who was personally solicited by Sir James Galway to serve as his
resident Jazz Flute Specialist. Bill recently published a book on The Technique and Theory of Improvisation and
his most recent album, The Silent Wish (with Bernie Senensky), was nominated for a 2020 JUNO Award as Best
Instrumental Album of the Year. All of Bill’s Extreme Flute releases are available at CDBaby and iTunes. You can
also find out more about Bill at his website: www.extremeflute.com
By Bill McBirnie
Free Improv
I
would like to address a subject that is new to me, and
perhaps new to many readers here as well.
I have been improvising for over 30 years, and I
started improvising because I did not want to be script-
bound by page after page of music. When I thought
about what I might do at that time, I found that everyone
around me was playing bebop, so that’s what I learned how
to do.
Of course, I ran into difficulties immediately because I
didn’t know what to play, and my limited background in
classical harmony, history, and counterpoint was of little
use or relevance. But I persevered (with help from people
like educator/pianist Frank Falco and my brother, Jim) and
I eventually developed some facility as an improvisor. As I
began to perform, I found that I had to develop facility in
other idioms as well – notably, Cuban and Brazilian music
(with help from others, such as percussionist Memo Acevedo
and multi-instrumentalist Louis Simao).
I have been improvising on loosely-defined formats con-
sisting of a melody and chord changes (i.e., lead sheets) ever
since; however, these various idioms always involve a “struc-
ture,” and specific characteristics in terms of rhythm, melody,
and harmony.
Going Free
A few years ago, musician/composer/record producer Eugene
Martynec approached me to try some “free improv” with a
mouse that he uses to trigger sounds on his computer. This ex-
perience was transformative for me. (Eugene had, in fact, known
me for years, but he likely assumed that my orthodox playing
situations meant that I was not interested in free improv.)
In free improv situations, any pre-defined “structure” is basi-
cally thrown out the window. There is no metre, no melody,
and no harmony. So now I am improvising with no pre-defined
structure, and with no idea where the music is heading, right
from the very start. This was, is, and always will be the challenge
of free improv, but it is a genuinely exhilarating challenge!
It all begins not with a downbeat, but with silence! Sound
is the raw ingredient, and this means the approach is typically
more textural which, in turn, implies the use of extended
techniques. (I don’t favour these in my own playing, so I don’t
use them much at this stage in my development. But hey, it’s
“free improv,” so that’s okay!)
What is most important in free improv (and other idioms
as well) is finding an inner peace, and then listening carefully
for whatever is about to – or might – happen, and interacting
with the other players on an altogether different level (and
not necessarily by merely imitating or mimicking what is go-
ing on around you, but rather by finding your place within it).
The mindset in free improv is also very different because it
requires the player to suspend both ego and judgement so that
something sonically meaningful can emerge on a collective
level, without any single player necessarily leading or taking
charge of the situation. This is a far cry from simply “playing
the head and then taking a solo.”
And players are careful not to “judge” one another in the
process, because this is inconsistent with achieving an over-
all group dynamic and “flow.” Also, trying to impress anyone
(whether a player or a listener) is irrelevant to the exploratory
nature of the undertaking.
So neither ego nor judgement have any place in what is
a very different musical process, and the risk is high! In fact,
free improv entails the highest level of musical risk, and one
which the players – as well as the listeners – accept beforehand,
because there is always the chance that things will not work
out very well. But no one ever allows this prospect to interfere
with the process, because playing free is a very different – and
challenging – improvisatory situation.
I am a latecomer to it, and I will continue to play in con-
ventional orthodox musical situations, but I have found free
improv to be fascinating as well as formative – so much so that
I feel it should form part of your development as a musician,
regardless of which idiom you choose to follow.
Since I never obtained any formal credentials in music, I
have never been “curriculum bound”; however, based on my
recent experiences, free improv should really be a part of the
curriculum in any music program, because liberating yourself
from any internally- or externally-imposed musical constraints
will free you and enable you to approach whichever style of
music you choose to play with a much more open mind.
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 29