This diploma thesis deals with the spectrum analysis, frequency characteristics, Chladni figures and simulation of modal and harmonic analysis of an acoustic guitar in ANSYS program interface. In the acoustic guitar analysis, various details that can influence the instrument spectrum are discussed. Especially on its performance over time, the number of generated harmonic components and their performance. Then the guitar bracing innovation of the dreadnought guitar was created from the measured, simulated and calculated data. Four acoustic guitars with the innovation were then made. These innovated instruments were further analyzed and compared with the acoustic guitar before the innovation and with a competitor’s guitar. Furthermore, the thesis describes parts of an acoustic guitar, wood properties, theoretical background and measurement methods.

American composer David Kechley was profoundly impacted by a 1990 trip to the Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. The composer describes the finely raked, small white stones in the midst of fifteen large rocks in the Japanese Zen garden as "planned randomness." Kechley's inaugural composition for saxophone-guitar duo, In the Dragon's Garden, reflects his experience at the Ryoan-ji Temple. The use of minimalistic compositional techniques without literal repetition in the work represents a departure from the first generation of Minimalist composers, such as LaMonte Young, Steve Reich, Phillip Glass, and John Adams. An analysis of minimalistic compositional elements, combined with an interview with the commissioning ensemble, the Ryoanji Duo, provides insights into the interpretation and preparation of this complex work. Furthermore, this document contains helpful information pertinent to the saxophone-guitar duo. Details on balance and amplification, orchestration, and collaboration with the composer will supply performers and composers with essential knowledge needed to participate in this growing musical medium.

Under mina tidiga år som gitarrist i utveckling, figurerade otalet myter och berättelser på musikaffärer, i konsertlokaler och bland gitarristvänner. Detta var myter om gitarrutrustning, hur man fick samma gitarrljud som på favoritskivorna, vissa gitarrmodellers bästa årgångar osv. Nu, äldre, möjligen klokare, och strävande efter att bli en mer upplyst musikproducent, har ett utforskande av dessa myter förändrats från att vara ett till synes omöjligt uppdrag, till ett realistiskt projekt. Den här undersökningen har fokuserat på uppfattningen av elgitarrförstärkarna i min ägo och tagit avstamp i mitt eget musikskapande, detta med utgångspunkt både från lyssnar- och användarperspektiv. Förstärkarmodellerna skiljer sig åt konstruktionsmässigt och slagkraften de haft i populärkulturen. Två intervjuer, två blindtester och en personlig utvärdering gjordes för att utforska gitarrförstärkarnas sound, spelbarhet och gensvar. Resultaten pekade i slutändan på att vi väljer förstärkare annorlunda då vi utgår från fördomar, tidigare erfarenhet och visuellt intryck än vad vi gör när vi enbart lyssnar på deras ljud. En antydan till variation mellan förstärkarnas påverkan på gitarristers spelkänsla verkar också kunna existera men på grund av de komplexa parametrarna involverade i en sådan analys är det svårt att fastställa några tydliga tendenser. Det som dock kan reflekteras över är att vi troligen lyssnar på, och spelar genom gitarrförstärkare med mer än våra öron och ögon, samt att en förstärkares taktila egenskaper, design och kulturella signifikans troligtvis är av större värde än vi kanske uppfattar enbart genom ljudande material. / During my early years as a developing guitarist, numerous myths and stories circulated in music stores, concert venues, and among guitarist friends. These myths revolved around guitar equipment, how to achieve the same guitar sound as on favourite records, the best years for certain guitar models, and so on. Now, older and possibly wiser, striving to become a more enlightened music producer, my exploration of these myths has shifted from being a seemingly impossible mission to a realistic project. This investigation has focused on the perception of the electric guitar amplifiers in my possession, based on my own music creation, taking into account both listener and user perspectives. The amplifier models differ in their construction and the impact they have had on popular culture. Two interviews, two blind tests, and a personal evaluation were conducted to explore the sound, playability, and response of the guitar amplifiers. Ultimately, the results indicated that we choose amplifiers differently when we rely on biases, past experiences, and visual impressions than when we solely listen to their sound. There also seems to be a hint of variation in how amplifiers affect guitarists' feeling of ease when playing, but due to the complex parameters involved in such an analysis, it is difficult to establish clear tendencies. However, what can be reflected upon is that we likely listen to and play through guitar amplifiers with more than just our ears and eyes, and that the tactile properties, design, and cultural significance of an amplifier are probably of greater value than we may perceive through purely sonic qualities.

I det här självständiga arbetet framkommer det att notläsning inte alltid ses som någonting nödvändigt av elgitarrelever på gymnasiet, men det finns vissa tillfällen de värderar det högt. I det här självständiga arbetet undersöks diskursiva uppfattningar och diskursivt innehåll i gymnasieelevers utsagor kring notläsning på elgitarr. Fokusgrupper har använts för att samla in data till analysen. Det teoretiska perspektivet i arbetets analys är diskurspsykologi, vilket används för att tolka hur bakomliggande föreställningar, normer och värderingar formar en diskurs. Att förstå någonting diskursivt innebär att ta hänsyn till att det inom olika kulturella, historiska och andra sammanhang finns olika faktorer som formar vad som anses vara det normativa. Arbetets frågeställningar är ”Hur samtalar gymnasieelever om notläsning på elgitarr?” och ”Hur kan gymnasieelevers förhållande till notläsning på elgitarr förstås diskursivt?”. Resultatet visar på två diskursiva uppfattningar kring notläsning på elgitarr: notläsning och självförverkligande samt notläsning som svårt att lära sig men nyttigt. Resultatet visar att gymnasieelever tycker det är viktigt med notläsning i olika sammanhang. De pedagogiska implikationerna är att anpassa notläsningsundervisning efter elevernas nivå samt att främja motivation och engagemang. / In this study, it is evident that sight reading is not always considered necessary by high school electric guitar students. However, there are certain occasions when they highly appreciate it. This study examines discursive perceptions and discursive content in high school students' statements about reading sheet music on the electric guitar. Focus groups have been used to collect data for the analysis. The theoretical perspective in the analysis of this work is discursive psychology, which is used to interpret how underlying assumptions, norms, and values shape a discourse. Understanding something discursively involves considering that within different cultural, historical, and other contexts, there are various factors shaping what is considered normative. The research questions are "How do high school students discuss reading sheet music on the electric guitar?" and "How can high school students' relationship to reading sheet music on the electric guitar be understood discursively?". The results indicate two discursive perceptions regarding reading sheet music on the electric guitar: sheet music and self-realization, as well as sheet music as difficult to learn but useful. The findings show that high school students find sheet music important in various contexts. The pedagogical implications are to tailor sheet music instruction to the students' level and to promote motivation and engagement.

Syftet med studien är att utforska min relation till min gitarr utifrån ett livsvärldsperspektiv. Mina frågeställningar är: Hur upplever jag min relation till min gitarr? och Vad sker med relationen under en period av utforskande? Studien utgår från ett fenomenologiskt livsvärldsperspektiv och metoden bygger på observationer av loggboksanteckningar. I resultatet presenteras teman som: En livsvärld tyngd av känslor och tankar, Att ta hand om min gitarr och vår relation, Om hur jag vill att det ska vara och om hur jag vill att det ska kännas med min gitarr, Min egen relation till gitarren och min relation till andra genom gitarren och Livsvärlden förändras. I sista kapitlet diskuteras resultatet utifrån reflektioner över teman som Om att ha kul med sitt instrument och Det kärleksfulla lugnet. / The purpose of the study is to explore my relationship with my guitar from a life-world perspective. The research questions are: How do I experience my relationship with my guitar? and What happens with the relationship for a period of exploration? Theoretical perspective is phenomenological life-world perspective and the method is observations of logbooks writings. The result is presented with the themes A life-world heavy of emotions and thoughts, Taking care of my guitar and our relationship, How I want it to be and how I want it to feel with my guitar, My own relationship to the guitar and my relationship to others through the guitar and The life-world is changing. In the last chapter, I discuss my results with the help of the themes About having fun with your instrument and Loving serenity.

This study examines phrase and larger formal structures in the first movement of Leo Brouwer’s Elegio de la Danza (1964), a work that draws on tonal and post-tonal traditions. By adapting key features of the tonal motive, as described by Douglass Green, and the tonal period, as proposed by Green and William Caplin, the model seeks to provide a tool for the discussion of phrases and larger forms in Brouwer’s work. An analysis of primary parameters, such as melody, harmony, and rhythm, provides the means to discuss how the composer articulates beginnings and endings of statements and responses, which are then grouped into antecedent and consequent phrases. These periods articulate large-scale sections, which outline a ternary formal design. Secondary parameters (dynamics, tempo markings, instrumental markings) further contribute to the identification of formal structures in Brouwer’s work.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka och analysera hur gitarrlärare iscensätter övningsstrategier i enskild undervisning på gymnasial nivå eller motsvarande. I studien har ett multimodalt och designteoretiskt perspektiv använts. Relevant har varit att observera hur lärare, medvetet eller omedvetet, använder olika teckensystem för att gestalta tänkbara övningsstrategier i undervisningssituationer. I studien har videoobservation använts som metod och tre gitarrlärare har observerats vid varsitt lektionstillfälle. Urvalet har bestått av lärare från två olika musikskolor samt en privatlärare. Undervisningen har bedömts vara på gymnasial nivå eller högre. Resultatet belyser på vilket sätt många olika teckensystem används parallellt för iscensättandet, och vilka typer av strategier de kan sägas representera. I studien identifieras två huvudtyper av iscensättande; det performancebaserade och det pedagogiska. I studiens avslutande diskussion problematiseras hur dessa kan ha potentiella för- och nackdelar för enskilt övande. / The purpose of the study was to examine and analyse how teachers present strategies for practice within single student guitar lessons on a level corresponding to that of the Swedish gymnasium. In this study, a multimodal and design theoretic perspective was used. It has been relevant to observe how guitar teachers, on a conscious or unconscious level, utilize different sign systems to stage possible strategies for practice in these situations. In the study, video observation has been used as a method, and three teachers has been observed, each for the duration of one lesson each. The selection has consisted of guitar teachers from two separate music schools and one private teacher. The teaching has been estimated to be on the level of the Swedish gymnasium or higher. The results highlight how different sign systems are used together for staging, and what types of strategies they can be seen to represent. In the study identifies two types of presentations are identified; the performance-based and the pedagogic. In the study’s final chapter their potential advantages and disadvantages in individual instrumental practice are discussed.

Ce mémoire porte sur le rôle du geste musical dans le développement de styles musicaux devenus syncrétiques. Il s’attarde à définir dans le détail le style de guitare populaire assiko propre aux Bassa du Cameroun du Sud lequel est représenté internationalement par le guitariste et percussionniste traditionnel Atna Njock. Grâce à une approche dialogique et participative, les techniques du jeu assiko sont explorées et comparées à des exemples de jeu de guitare européenne, afro-américaines et africaines. Les influences qui définissent le jeu d’Atna découlent de la culture Bassa et de son histoire marquée par l’influence coloniale et missionnaire, mais sont aussi alimentées par la «philosophie» (voire la spiritualité) et le passé musical de l’artiste. L’approche participative fournit une perspective émique, c’est-à-dire interne à la culture, de la gestuelle et de la structure du jeu assiko même si nous confrontons les propos du musicien à notre propre regard analytique. La comparaison avec divers instruments de percussion auxquels Atna a été initié montre comment ceux-ci ont forgé son jeu guitaristique. Son rôle de « garant » de la tradition musicale Bassa influence son approche et se manifeste par une préoccupation particulière pour l’« authenticité » dans la reproduction des rythmes d’un « langage » musical donné. Ses liens avec la culture Bassa, s’expriment notamment par le biais de sa reproduction du style de jeu de son maître, Jean Bikoko « Aladin ». La contribution particulière d’Atna à la technique de guitare de Bikoko est comprise comme un ajout à la lignée ancestrale. Une analyse d’un morceau du répertoire assiko issu du plus récent album d’Atna illustre d’ailleurs comment son incorporation de styles « modernes » reproduit les processus traditionnels en intégrant des éléments culturels étrangers. / This master’s thesis is concerned with the role of musical gesture in the development of musical styles that have become syncretic. It seeks to define in detail the popular guitar style of assiko, particular to the Bassa of Southern Cameroon, as represented internationally by the guitarist and traditionally initiated percussionist, Atna Njock. Through a dialogic and participative approach, the techniques that underlie assiko guitar playing are explored by comparison with European, African American, and African examples. The influences that define Atna’s playing are contextualized within Bassa culture, with its troubled history of colonial and missionary influence, and elaborated by an account of his particular musical philosophy (or spirituality) and background. The participatory approach provides an emic perspective, meaning internal to the culture, of assiko playing technique and structure while subjecting the musician’s statements to our own analytical scrutiny. The comparison with the various percussion instruments on which Atna was initiated demonstrates how these instruments shaped his guitar playing. His role as “guarantor” of Bassa musical tradition underlies his approach to music, which manifests as a particular concern for “authenticity” in the reproduction of the rhythms of a given musical “language”. His connection to Bassa culture is ultimately expressed through his reproduction of the playing style of his master, originator of modern assiko, Jean Bikoko “Aladin”. Atna’s particular contribution to Bikoko’s guitar technique is conceived as adding to the ancestral lineage. An analysis of a current assiko piece from Atna’s most recent album demonstrates how his incorporation of “modern” styles reflects traditional processes of incorporating foreign cultural elements.

Three Ideas is a collection of three one-act (musical) plays intended to be performed either as a series or as separate pieces. In order for them to be performable in either of those ways, they need some sort of unifying fabric running throughout the collection, yet they must remain individually strong enough to stand alone outside the context of the series and still seem complete. The concepts Tonal and Nagual, Bell's Theorem, and Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind were chosen because of their theatrical possibilities as well as their philosophical implications. All three of the concepts deal with an unknown, or at least unseen, force that has a strong influence (possibly control) over our actions and the actions of objects around us. This force could possibly radiate from within ourselves, or it could be completely outside us.

The three print series I completed within the past two years appear hardly related at first. However, these individual bodies of work, when examined chronologically, are continually informed by similar ideas. The most obvious of these is the act of piecing elements together to form something that had previously not existed, yet still influences the original source. In all three series, images are taken from an original source and re-contextualized. The idea of cultural or anthropological landscapes is also a theme throughout my work. Each individual series toyed with the idea of an imaginary or theoretical anthropological landscape in direct comparison to its pre-existing model. These humorous and oftentimes puzzling images are influenced by my over-active imagination, fueled by equal parts pop culture, playful cynicism, and desperate idealism.