Looking for guidelines on modern guitar music notation

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FwL
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Looking for guidelines on modern guitar music notation

Post by FwL »

I'm wondering if anybody knows of any resources for notating modern guitar music.

Gould has a chapter on classical guitar notation, but nothing regarding electric guitar techniques, chord symbols, tablature, etc.

Attempting to use Google only results in page after page on how to read basic notation.

.
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OCTO
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Re: Looking for guidelines on modern guitar music notation

Post by OCTO »

I think you can try with these as a starter:
-- Extended Techniques for the Classical Guitar: A Guide for Composers by Robert Allan Lunn
-- The Contemporary Guitar by John Schneider
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FwL
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Re: Looking for guidelines on modern guitar music notation

Post by FwL »

Thanks for the recommend.
jrethorst
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Re: Looking for guidelines on modern guitar music notation

Post by jrethorst »

+1. Lunn's "Extended Techniques" is a dissertation; free PDF available at http://robertlunncomposer.com/Extended_ ... Guitar.pdf.

John R.
John Rethorst
jrethorst
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Re: Looking for guidelines on modern guitar music notation

Post by jrethorst »

Aside from books specifically on modern music, is there a more general notation reference for classical guitar? Gould's "Behind Bars" has 20 pages on the instrument, which is nice. I've heard of standard notation reference books from Read and from Ross -- do they have anything specific to guitar? Are they recommended in general?

John R.
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Re: Looking for guidelines on modern guitar music notation

Post by jrethorst »

I can only afford one of these:

"Music Notation: A Manual of Modern Practice" by Gardner Read, 1979

"The Art of Music Engraving & Processing" by Ted Ross, 1987

"Behind Bars: The Definitive Guide to Music Notation" by Elaine Gould, 2011

as a guide to notating tonal music on the treble clef. Which one should I get?

Thank you,
John R.
John Rethorst
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OCTO
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Re: Looking for guidelines on modern guitar music notation

Post by OCTO »

As mentioned above, this one is not only specific for the modern music writing, but has a lot of various information in general:

"The Contemporary Guitar" by John Schneider

'The book reads nicely but is also an excellent reference. Described by David Starobin and Elliot Fisk as “encyclopedic” in scope, this 360 page book covers a huge range of knowledge along with many audio examples and score illustrations. The book dives into historical backgrounds from 1800 to the present as well as new developments and designs for the acoustic and electric guitar. In terms of exploring the literature and instrument the book takes an in-depth look at timbre and notation, pitched sounds, microtones, unpitched sounds, electronics and more.

The Contemporary Guitar by John Schneider is one of the most in-depth and knowledgeable books about the contemporary concert guitar and its literature. From new musical language, notation, and the physics of sound to microtonality, instrument design, and historical surveys of the literature, this book is exactly what the guitar world needs. More importantly, this book will help non-guitarists and composers embrace the guitar for its unique possibilities and understand its historical and current legitimacy as a concert and new music instrument.
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David Ward
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Re: Looking for guidelines on modern guitar music notation

Post by David Ward »

jrethorst wrote: 13 Jan 2021, 20:00 I can only afford one of these:

"Music Notation: A Manual of Modern Practice" by Gardner Read, 1979

"The Art of Music Engraving & Processing" by Ted Ross, 1987

"Behind Bars: The Definitive Guide to Music Notation" by Elaine Gould, 2011

as a guide to notating tonal music on the treble clef. Which one should I get?

Thank you,
John R.
If that's your specific question and not related primarily to guitar notation, then I should go for Gould. If primarily for guitar: what OCTO says.
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jrethorst
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Re: Looking for guidelines on modern guitar music notation

Post by jrethorst »

Octo and David, thank you -- very helpful!
John Rethorst
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