Developing a Guitar Solo Idiolect in Hard Rock and Metal Music Performance

Abstract

This PhD thesis examines how a guitar solo idiolect in hard rock and metal music performance may be developed in creative practice. Crucial to my thesis is understanding and demonstrating how consciously drawing upon ideas from aggregate influences, as well as documented analysis and reflections on practice, informs this transformative guitar solo idiolect development process.

Existing studies have explored the historical origins and stylistic attributes of hard rock and metal lead guitar performance, as well as themes of innovation, technology, and social issues in these genres. However, there has been little research that examines the development of a solo idiolect in hard rock and metal guitar performance from a practitioner's perspective. This is a significant gap in my field, as hard rock and metal are widely learned and performed popular styles by guitarists. My research addresses this gap through the application of blended creative practice, reflective, analysis, and autoethnographic methodologies, and by recounting and demonstrating findings through a folio of recorded performances and this accompanying exegesis.

In this exegesis, I discuss how my conception and application of a novel methodology enabled me to consciously innovate existing ideas from my collective influences to create original guitar solos. I also provide a contextual critique of the concept of virtuosity as applied to hard rock and metal guitar performance and a case studies discussion of my primary guitar influences. Additionally, I recount my various creative processes when developing and documenting my emerging solo idiolect. I conclude by discussing my folio of recordings and findings, as well as identifying avenues for potential further research. The main findings from this PhD project are that a guitarist's solo idiolect is comprised of technique, tone and phasing; my methodology permanently changed my practice as it enabled me to create my own guitar solos more effectively; and modifying and combining existing ideas from other practitioners amounts to innovation and novelty.