Book excerpt: What is experimental music today? Recent attempts to define or identify examples of experimental music have been cautious and subjective, offering very little guidance to anyone with an interest in this field of activity. Is experimental music a historical event that refers only to John Cage and his influence, or does it have a greater spread and longevity? The development of this musical practice over the last 45 years merits a fresh definition and discussion. An experimental approach is not identifiable in specific sounds or techniques, and its scope would be drastically limited if it were judged on the basis of social or aesthetic groupings or self-identifications of composers.