Table of Contents

Free PlayPrologue: A New Flute
Introduction

The Sources
Inspiration and Time's Flow
The Vehicle
The Stream
The Muse
Mind at Play
Disappearing

The Work
Sex and ViolinsPractice
The Power of Limits
The Power of Mistakes
Playing Together
Form Unfolding

Obstacles and Openings
Childhood's End
Vicious Circles
The Judging Spectre
Surrender
Patience
Ripening

The Fruits
Eros and Creation
Quality
Art for Life's Sake
Heartbreakthrough

Notes
Bibliography
Illustrations

About the Author

Stephen Nachmanovitch is a musician, author, computer artist, and educator. He is an improvisational violinist, and writes and teaches about improvisation, creativity, and systems approaches in many fields of activity

Reviews

“Nachmanovitch tells it like it is in the most important book on improvisation I’ve yet seen.” 
—Keith Jarrett, pianist

“A classic . . . altogether vitalizing. The remedy for creative block and existential stuckness.”
—Maria Popova
 
“This is an unusually intense, packed, thought-through book on the most difficult subject in the world: mystic creativity. If you want to be intellectually informed about how people actually create things, then you should read it at least once.” 
—Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

“When I first heard Stephen Nachmanovitch in San Francisco and when he later visited my school in England, I was captivated by his being, as were all others. Now having read Free Play, I understand his approach more deeply. Would that Free Play found its way into every school, office, hospital, and factory. It is a most exciting book and a most important one.” 
—Yehudi Menuhin, violinist

“I am grateful to Stephen Nachmanovitch for sharing his wisdom in these pages. I expect—I hope—to be rereading his book and practicing with it for the rest of my life.”
—Ruth Ozeki, author of The Book of Form and Emptiness
 
“Stephen Nachmanovitch has produced a celebration of human uniqueness. In so doing, he helps us to make better use of our resources of playfulness, ingenuity, and creativity in general. What it amounts to is a guide for getting the most out of whatever is possible.” 
—Norman Cousins, author of The Anatomy of an Illness

“I absolutely love this book. What a blissful, friendly, fiercely intelligent thing; it expresses truths that I am groping towards in a way that is emboldening and clarifying. I don't think I have ever felt so happy to shout about or recommend a book and I know I will read it again and again.”
—Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of Write It All Down
 
“The mother of all improvisation books.” 
—Jeffrey Agrell, University of Iowa
 
“This book is important not only because it delves into the creative process, but also because Nachmanovitch creates the opportunity for the reader to get in touch with his/her own creative possibilities and abilities. This is an essential book for everyone.”
—Harvard Educational Review
 
“The kit of tools Nachmanovitch lays before us are high-level generalizations, and could be applied equally well to just about any discipline from cooking to comedy. His intent is clearly unitary. He circles like a falcon around the inexpressible. His text is the finger in the haiku, pointing at the moon.” 
—Keyboard Magazine
 
“Free Play is a superb guide for anyone who aspires to create, whatever the medium.” 
—New Woman