Derek Bailey Live In Barcelona

Thanks to Miguel Copon at Prepared Guitar for discovering this video of Derek Bailey performing live at G’s Club in Barcelona in 2004.

Many have attempted this style since Bailey developed his own guitar language in the Sixties. Few bring to it the utter control, dynamics, and yes, lyricism of the master.

Derek Bailey: “Live at G’s Club” from SUMMA arxiu videogràfic on Vimeo.

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7 thoughts on “Derek Bailey Live In Barcelona

  1. that term Prepared Guitar has become a total mainstream or cliché since – inside a niche though – its likely to be used as a complete generic – the same tabletop guitar has the last 10-15 years – it means nothing to me therefore its perfect to be used here

  2. Great to hear and see Derek again. I once had the pleasure of visiting him at his home, and got to hear him live in NYC at the original Knitting Factory during the US Company Weeks. He was a very nice man and an exceptional, visionary player. I feel lucky to have seen and known so many fascinating, inventive guitar players, but Derek was truly special.

  3. Hi all,

    well, I’d always wondered why people put Derek into the “prepared guitar” box, since he never prepared his guitar. Oh, I’ve seen him with a bottleneck at some point, but…

    Second I would also question that many have attempted his style. Some, probably, but in my 25 year career as an experimental guitarist most colleagues are more coming from the Fred Frith direction (as I do), or later Keith Rowe.

    Of course, it’s all so off the mainstream, we may overlook the small but significant differences here.

    Hans Tammen

    • Good point about the prepared guitar Hans, but that is just the name of the site where I found it, and Miguel, I believe, uses the name metaphorically to represent out of the mainstream music and art in general (some posts have nothing to do with guitar). No doubt more are coming from Frith, but in my recent roaming of the YouTube in search of guitarists for my site, I have found a number of young guitarists attacking acoustic instruments ala-Bailey. Always good to hear from you.

      • You’re completely right, Michael, Prepared Guitar is a metaphorical title, not a box, a flag or a boundary. But, ocassionaly Derek Bailey uses preparation for his guitar. For me, it’s not important at all, but Mr. Tammen, you can check it here http://efi.group.shef.ac.uk/mbailpg3.html. And even in wikipedia “Although Bailey occasionally made use of prepared guitar in the 1970s (e.g., putting paper clips on the strings, wrapping his instruments in chains, adding further strings to the guitar, etc.), often for Dadaist/theatrical effect, by the end of this decade he had, in his own words, “dumped” such methods.”

        About his influence, I found a lot of people declaring his clear influence, a lot in the 13 questions pages, for instance. Of course, Frith, Rowe, Bailey, plus John Fahey are important seminal references.

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