21st Century Guitar: Evolutions and Augmentations

In the 21st century the guitar takes more physical forms than ever before. Ranging from relatively simple adaptions/modifications of existing instruments to custom-made specialist models; from multiple necks and additional strings to the removal or supplementation of frets; from on-board processing units to external synergies with technology, the guitar’s physical identity is in an exponential state of flux, raising many important questions: What are the reasons behind such myriad preparations, evolutions and augmentations? Is musicianship at the epicentre of developments; do trends in fashions, idiomatic conventions, and/or ‘gimmicks’ have a role to play?

This collection comprises an assortment of contributions from performers, academics, and practitioners which examine the diverse physical manifestations of the guitar across the modern performative landscape and explore the creative possibilities these new forms afford. Musicological insights spanning performance practice, contemporary organology, and technological augmentation are interwoven with interviews featuring leading practitioners from an array of performance cultures.