Thesis (M.A.)--Marshall University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 21-23).

During the first half of the twentieth century, a unique style of guitar playing known as Kentucky thumbpicking was developed by a handful of musicians in the western coal field region of Kentucky. This guitar tradition was elevated to national prominence by country guitar virtuoso Merle Travis. Subsequently, this style became characterized as "Travis Picking." Kentucky thumbpicking incorporates a steady and muted bass line that alternates between the root, fifth or third of a chord. The bass is also accentuated with the use of a thumbpick worn on the right hand. Simultaneously, the index, occasionally middle and ring fingers, play the harmony and melody on the upper strings of the guitar in a syncopated rhythm. Thumbpicking is venerated because of its reverence for individualism and adaptability. One of the primary reasons it has become so prominent is because of its flexibility; it is able to be adapted to various types of music. An historical overview of Kentucky thumbpicking is provided in order to trace its origins and development as well as explaining the style’s technical traits. Arrangements of a select few songs from the advent of this style’s development are transcribed and discussed in order to demonstrate how this repertoire translates to the classical guitar and guitar playing techniques. Insight from the perspective of a classically trained guitarist will illustrate how thumbpicking procedures can be incorporated into the classical guitar repertoire. Thereby introducing Kentucky thumbpicking to a new audience.

The purpose of this study is to understand the principles of the “School of Tárrega” by analyzing Tárrega’s thirty elementary-level studies and twenty-five intermediate- and advanced- level studies according to books written by Pujol and Roch. Tárrega set the modern sitting position based on the guitar of luthier Antonio Torres’, and two of Tárrega’s outstanding pupils, Roch and Pujol, wrote three volumes of methods, which are the foundations of the “School of Tárrega.” Therefore, the principles of the School of Tárrega, such as sitting and playing positions, right- and left-hand playing positions, right- and lefthand finger movements, and sound quality are first discussed in this study. Then, the fiftyfive guitar studies are discussed and analyzed in groups according to their different technical purposes, such as scale playing, arpeggio playing, blocked chords, barré technique, slur technique, and special sound effects. When applicable, the modern technique will also be visited and compared for understanding the similarities and differences between the modern approach and the School of Tárrega. / School of Music

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborgs universitet, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 387-396).

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborgs universitet, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 387-396).

Thesis (D.M.A.)--UCLA, 2007. / Vita. Includes original and revised versions of Honoring song : variations on an American Indian theme. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 249-250) and discography (leaf 251).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-07-22Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:10:59Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 romao_pcv_me_ia.pdf: 10893333 bytes, checksum: 6889a353402b29b76dea4bf7556c1cdd (MD5) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / Esta dissertação tem como foco a Guitarra Clássico-Romântica, antecessora direta do violão moderno. Procuramos verificar, através de uma pesquisa de cunho bibliográfico, o processo de surgimento e as progressivas transformações pelas quais passou este instrumento. Para tanto, valemo-nos da metodologia de pesquisa histórica proposta pela historiografia francesa, em particular, a História das Mentalidades. Iniciamos este trabalho com um levantamento das questões significativas para os indivíduos europeus no período entre a Revolução Francesa e a primeira grande guerra. Mais especificamente, a primeira parte deste trabalho visa a compreensão das fronteiras entre o público e o privado, e do processo de formação do indivíduo como ator social. A segunda parte da pesquisa é dedicada aos processos de confecção da Guitarra Clássico-Romântica, às personagens envolvidas com este instrumento, e, fundamentalmente, aos Métodos escritos para ele. Através da avaliação dos Métodos, procuramos compreender as idéias que permeavam a composição e a execução para Guitarra no século XIX. A terceira parte tem caráter reflexivo, e avalia o ocaso da produção de Métodos a partir do século XX, o advento da “técnica estendida”, bem como se propõe a refletir sobre a etimologia dos termos “técnica”, “escola” e “tradição”. Esta pesquisa justifica-se pela necessidade de constituição histórica do instrumento mais numerosamente encontrado nas Américas, bem como pela possibilidade de compreensão dos mecanismos sociais através dos quais um instrumento, um instrumentista ou um Método perdura, tornando-se parte da História. Não obstante, esta pesquisa estende-se ao âmbito da musicologia histórica, uma vez que, para o concerto de defesa, executaremos peças do repertório novecentista com uma réplica da Guitarra Clássico-Romântica / This dissertation has the Classic Romantic Guitar as a theme. This instrument is the immediate antecedent of the modern guitar. Our aim is to verify, through a bibliographic research, the process of birth and transformations suffered by this instrument. Therefore, we adopted a methodological background from the French historiography, called History of Mentalities. The present research starts gathering the most meaningful questions for a nineteenth century persona, more precisely in the period between the French Revolution and the First World War. Thus, the first part of this essay seeks to comprehend questions like the frontiers between the public and the private aspects of live, and the perception of an individual as a social actor. In the next moment, we quest to unravel the procedures of construction of the Classic Romantic Guitar, as well as identify the people involved, and most closely, the Methods written for this instrument. Through the evaluation of these Methods, we look for understanding on the ideas that guided the composition and the guitar performance during the nineties. The final part of the essay is more reflexive, and analyses the desertion of the publications of Methods from the twentieth century, the creation of the “extended technique”, and reflects about the terms “school”, “technique” and “tradition”. This research is justified by the necessity of a historical establishment for the most frequently found instrument in all Americas, and by the possibility to comprehend the means through which an instrument, a performer or a Method resists to time, and become part of History. Finally, this research extends itself to the field of historical musicology, since the last concert presented as part of this Masters will be performed on a replica of a classical-romantic guitar

Mario Davidovsky is an American composer who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on March 4, 1934. Beginning in 1958, he was a student of Aaron Copland at the Berkshire Music Center (currently the Tanglewood Music Center) in Lenox, Massachusetts. At Berkshire, he also met American composer, Milton Babbitt, who persuaded him to work at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center (currently the Computer Music Center at Columbia University) in New York City. Davidovsky was appointed Associate Director of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in 1960 where he inevitably began experimenting with the relationships between live instruments and electronic sounds. Synchronisms No. 10 for guitar and tape (1992) is a piece for solo classical guitar and pre-recorded synthesized sounds. The piece was dedicated to David Starobin, the current Professor of Guitar at the Manhattan School of Music, who also edited the guitar part. This particular piece in the Synchronisms series shows that Davidovsky is aware of the limitations of the guitar in regard to dynamic range and decay of sound. Knowing these limitations, Davidovsky utilizes the various abilities of the instrument including its wide timbral range and use as a percussive medium. Although Davidovsky himself has been quoted as not using pitch-class sets of any kind, a post-tonal analysis can be applied to this piece in order to further understand individual sections and interaction between guitar and recording. Also, a review of the performance techniques necessary to approach this piece, and how said techniques are implemented, will help the musician perform at a higher level.

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide an introduction to the composer, Lawrence Weiner, and to his Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, one of the many neglected guitar concerti that merits closer study and more frequent performances. Weiner, a prolific and prominent composer in the South Texas region, composed the concerto in 1986. The concerto was never published. This dissertation is the first attempt to study Weiner's Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra to date. This study provides insight into the compositional style of Weiner, and the understanding and performing of this work. The compositional language of this concerto is examined through an analysis of the aspects of form, harmonic/tonal scheme and thematic development. A performance edition and suggestions that are approved by the composer are also presented.

The study addresses the preparatory information needs of potential performers of solo classical guitar concerti. Identifying a range of specific decisions that play an important part in the pre-performance planning of an anticipated concerto performance provides performance considerations for each selected concerto. The content of six solo classical guitar concerti spanning almost 180 years by six composers from four countries was analysed for the purpose of this study. Two early guitar concerti by guitarist composers Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829) and Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841), two modern concerti by non-guitarist composers Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) and Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) and two modern concerti by guitarist composers Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) and Leo Brouwer (b.1939) were investigated. The study examines specific compositional and performance aspects of each concerto to serve as a guideline for professional performers, students and teachers. Each concerto was analysed according to similar themes: the historical significance of the investigated concerti, pre-performance considerations, the level of difficulty of selected concerti, technical observations, performance recommendations and observations regarding balance between the soloist and orchestra. As an addendum the study provides a comprehensive list of published concerti for solo classical guitar. / Mini Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted