The Machines, created between 1967-1972, mark a shift from the traditional narrative style of Gavin Bryars other works. »I define a machine as a structured process that governs musical actions within a specific sound world, shaping how listeners perceive it. For example, Welsh Rarebit is a Machine that manipulates how bread and cheese are heard.« »Autumn Countdown Machine« features six pairs of bass melody instruments, conducted by percussionists who adjust a bell-metronome’s timing, creating intentional dissonance

Autumn Countdown Machine features six pairs of bass melody instruments, conducted by percussionists who adjust a bell-metronome’s timing, creating intentional dissonance.
Son of Gothic Chord involves four keyboard players navigating a sequential chord progression across an octave.
Jews Harp Machine explores variations of the “Ging, Gang, Gong, Gung, Ho!” articulations.
Drinking and Hooting Machine delves into the non-percussive sounds of bottles, evoking the sensation of owls practicing slow descending scales. (John White, March 1976)

The Squirrel and the Ricketty Racketty Bridge was composed in 1971 at Derek Bailey’s request. It uses two guitars played simultaneously in a flat position, like keyboards. This piece critiques jazz and its literature with humorous, ironic notes in the style of Erik Satie, engaging the performer in a fictional dialogue. The music contrasts the left hand’s even pulse, mimicking a walking bass, with the right hand’s selective, lazy trumpet-like punctuations. The title references the guitar’s nut, bridge, and the English children’s song Billy Goat Gruff. Bailey recorded this piece in 1971, and this new version features four players on eight guitars, each with distinct instruments, adding fresh complexity. (Gavin Bryars, 1971)