Rock Guitar Virtuosos
Advances in Electric Guitar Playing, Technology, and Culture

This Element is the first comprehensive study of virtuosic rock guitar playing, technology and culture in the 21st century.

Jan-Peter Herbst (Author), Alexander Paul Vallejo (Author)

9781009055970, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 December 2023

112 pages
22.8 x 15.1 x 0.6 cm, 0.18 kg

The guitar has been an integral part of popular music and mainstream culture for many decades and in many places of the world. This Element examines the development and current state of virtuosic rock guitar in terms of playing, technology, and culture. Supported by technological advances such as extended-range guitars, virtuosos in the twenty-first century are exploring ways to expand standard playing techniques in a climate where ever-higher levels of perfection are expected. As musician-entrepreneurs, contemporary rock guitar virtuosos record, produce, and market their music themselves; operate equipment companies; and sell merchandise, tablature, and lessons online. For their social media channels, they regularly create videos and interact with their followers while having to balance building their tribe and finding the time to develop their craft to stay competitive. For a virtuoso, working situations have changed considerably since the last century; the aloof rock star has been replaced by the approachable virtuoso-guitarist-composerinnovator-producer-promoter-YouTuber-teacher-entrepreneur.

1. Introduction
2. Establishing a canon
3. Overview of electric guitar playing techniques
4. First-generation rock guitar heroes
5. The emergence and decline of shred
6. Guitar technology, playing, and culture in the twenty-first century
7. The virtual scene, and how contemporary virtuosos make a living
8. Conclusion
References
Appendix.

Subject Areas: 20th century & contemporary classical music [AVGC6]