Seth F. Josel, Michelle Lou

The Techniques of E-Guitar Playing

Seth F. Josel, an innovative guitarist, and electroacoustic composer Michelle Lou have collaborated on this long-overdue book, inspired in no small part by a new generation of soloists whose extraordinary virtuosity has opened up a whole new instrumental performance practice.

The book comprehensively shows the technical possibilities of the instrument and the accompanying electronic components. Composers benefit in particular from the in-depth analyses of contemporary works for electric guitar, which include many examples of the instrument's use in chamber music and ensembles. At the same time, the numerous musical examples show a wide range of possibilities for notation.

The book examines various playing techniques of the right and left hand and deals with overtones, the use of foreign objects, signal processing, amplification and the relatives of the electric guitar. The extensive diagrams of multiphonics and effects deserve special mention. Sound samples accessible on the Bärenreiter website document a variety of the techniques described in the book.



About the authors

As an ensemble member and soloist, Seth F. Josel has participated in world premieres of more than 100 works and has appeared as a guest with leading orchestras. He has worked closely with composers such as Mauricio Kagel, Helmut Lachenmann, Tristan Murail and James Tenney. From 1991 to 2000 he was a permanent member of the ensemble musikFabrik. "The Techniques of Guitar Playing" – his first book with Bärenreiter, co-authored with Ming Tsao (BVK02243) – was published in 2014.

Composer and instrumentalist Michelle Lou earned degrees in double bass and composition from the University of California San Diego and Stanford University. Her works have been performed at festivals such as MaerzMusik, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Wien Modern, Rainy Days, Ultima, Darmstadt, Klangwerkstatt, Timepans and MATA, among others. She teaches composition and electronic music at the University of California San Diego.

With contributions by Richard Barrett, Daniel Brew, Daryl Buckley, Juan Parra Cancino, Nicolas Collins, Thomas Ciszak, Yaron German, Nicholas Deyoe, Wieland Hoban, Douglas Osmun, Aart Strootman, Ming Tsao, Samuel Vriezen.

Interviews with Yaron German, Nicholas Deyoe and Dan Lippel.