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OF NEON LIGHT: MULTIPHONIC AGGREGATES ON THE ELECTRIC GUITAR
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 December 2019
Abstract
Considerable research has been made into the harmonic properties and playability of woodwind multiphonics, while the utility of string multiphonics has received far less attention. In recent years, however, there has been an increasing amount of interest in the topic, and several publications have been devoted to acoustic guitar multiphonics. Primarily written for non-guitarist composers, these studies range from the scientific to the practical. Variously, they describe the sonic qualities of the multiphonics, discuss methods of performing them, or examine their spectral content and morphology. Until now, published research into guitar multiphonics has been limited to the acoustic guitar and has examined only its three lower strings. In this study, we analyse multiphonics on all six strings of the electric guitar and present a catalogue of harmonic aggregates on strings 3–1. We test these multiphonics on five different guitars and examine their response to three commonly used analogue effect pedals (compression, overdrive and distortion). In order to precisely indicate the spectral components and harmonic nodes, we have used the Extended Helmholtz-Ellis JI Pitch Notation (HEJI).
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References
1 In order to precisely notate the spectral components of these multiphonics, we have used the Extended Helmholtz-Ellis JI Pitch Notation (HEJI), devised by Marc Sabat and Wolfgang von Schweinitz. First released in 2004, this extensive collection of precisely defined accidentals has become a standard for writing music in just intonation. Building upon the methods of pitch classification pioneered by Hermann von Helmholtz and Alexander J. Ellis, this notation system is able to indicate any pitch in the glissando spectrum within a few cents’ accuracy in many harmonically derived enharmonic shadings. For more information about Helmholtz-Ellis Notation, see Marc Sabat and Natalie Pfeiffer, ‘The Extended Helmholtz-Ellis JI Pitch Notation’ (2005), www.marcsabat.com/pdfs/notation.pdf (accessed 22 September 2019).
2 Schneider, John, The Contemporary Guitar (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1985), pp. 135–8Google Scholar.
3 Josel, Seth F. and Tsao, Ming, The Techniques of Guitar Playing (Kassel: Bärenreiter, 2014), pp. 118–25Google Scholar.
4 Rita Torres, A New Chemistry of Sound: The Technique of Multiphonics as a Compositional Element for Guitar and Amplified Guitar (PhD Thesis, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 2015).
5 Martin L. Vishnick, A Survey of Extended Techniques on the Classical Six-String Guitar with Appended Studies in New Morphological Notation (PhD thesis, City University of London, 2014), pp. 239–44.
6 Fleischer, Helmut, Schwingungsuntersuchungen an Elektrische Gitarren, Beiträge zur Vibro- und Psychoakustik, 2/01 (Neubiberg: Institut für Mechanik, 2001)Google Scholar; or, more recently, Manfred Zollner, Physik der Elektrogitarre (Regensburg: Self-published, 2014).
7 Ulrich May, Elektrische Saiteninstrumente in der populären Musik: Entstehung, Konstruktion und Akustik der elektrischen Gitarre und verwandter Instrumente (PhD thesis, Universität Münster, 1984).
8 Herbst, Jan-Peter, Die Gitarrenverzerrung in der Rockmusik (Berlin: Lit Verlag, 2016)Google Scholar; Herbst, Jan-Peter, ‘Heaviness and the Electric Guitar: Considering the Interaction Between Distortion and Harmonic Structures’, Metal Music Studies 4/1 (2018), pp. 95–113CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
9 Josel and Tsao, Techniques of Guitar Playing, p. 212.
10 For audio samples of these aggregates and all others included in this study, please visit https://soundcloud.com/musikforschungbasel/sets/audio-examples-tempo-string-multiphonics-thomas-ciszak-and-seth-josel.
11 Acoustic guitar crafted by Gary Southwell, A-Series.
12 For a complete list of instrument specifications and equipment, see below.
13 For more information, please see Thomas Nicholson and Marc Sabat, ‘Farey Sequences Map Playable Nodes On A String’ in this issue.
14 Because hollow-body guitars do not usually provide the same level of power, sustain and harmonic brilliance as solid-body instruments, we wouldn't expect them to be as viable for performing multiphonics.
15 ‘Tri-Tones’, designed by Timber Tones (UK) www.timber-tones.com/tri-tones-padauk-1-guitar-pick-1082-p.asp (accessed 18 August 2019).
16 See May, Elektrische Saiteninstrumente in der populären Musik and Diego Leguizamón, Florent Masson and Shin-ichi Sato, ‘Subjective Preference of Electric Guitar Sounds in Relation to Psychoacoustical and Autocorrelation Function Parameters’, Paper presented at the International Congress on Acoustics conference paper, Beunos Aires, 2016.
17 Leguizamón, Masson and Sato, ‘Subjective Preference of Electric Guitar Sounds’, p. 4.
18 Readers interested in the physics of the plectrum motion and its effect on the string's vibration may refer to Zollner, Physik der Elektrogitarre, pp. 1–31.
19 Though not as powerful as the electric guitar, the steel-string acoustic could also produce fairly convincing results on strings 3 and 2.
20 These three models represent a classic family of electric guitar design, and they have had iconic status since the early 1950s. The ‘Legacy’ is a Leo Fender design, in the mould of his earlier Stratocaster; similarly, the ‘ASAT’ is modelled after the Telecaster.
21 For each of the post-effect signals we also mixed in the clean recording in order to clarify the attack and strengthen the general profile. This is a common production technique used both on stage and in the recording studio.
22 Josel and Tsao, Techniques of Guitar Playing, pp. 37–9.