The Electric Guitar in Rock Music

This research examines the role and practices of the electric guitar in rock music in terms of playing styles and techniques, technologies, and various relevant cultures. With a portfolio of three books, four articles, and three chapters, the research analyses the affordances and limitations of harmonic distortion for solo and rhythm guitar playing in rock music from its beginnings to contemporary practices, with a particular focus on virtuosity and ‘shredding’—the (often) ostentatious display of technical prowess. Concerning technology, the research explores the musical, sociological, and psychological dimensions of equipment choice and acquisition (including the so-called ‘gear acquisition syndrome’), advances in guitar and amplification technologies, and the creation of an effective and expressive guitar sound in record production. Finally, the research documents how playing practices and equipment use are negotiated in mainstream and niche cultures, focusing on more recent scenes prevalent on the internet. The portfolio, as a whole, fills significant gaps in current (electric) guitar scholarship by examining topics relevant to practising guitarists from a musicological perspective, as opposed to 1) common approaches in popular/cultural studies that tend to ignore issues of playing and technologies in favour of issues related to identity, society, and the environment, and 2) computer science and engineering approaches that quantify the material reality of the instrument with little regard to playing and guitar culture.