Developing an original integrated guitar technique system (IGTS) for right-hand picking to facilitate the expansion and enhancement of harmonic language and melodic contouring in guitar performance

Abstract

Over the past fifty years, guitar technique has evolved at remarkable pace, with innovations ranging from Eddie Van Halen's revolutionary two-hand tapping, through Guthrie Govan's bass-like thumb-slapping approach to Matteo Mancuso’s application of right-hand classical guitar to jazz, rock and fusion environments. Despite this progress, one aspect of technique, alternate-picking, has undergone little change. This thesis traces my practical research investigation aimed at developing an Integrated Guitar Technique System (IGTS) for the right hand that merges elements of Frank Gambale's sweep picking style, Bela Fleck's banjo-inspired approach, and right-hand classical guitar technique amongst others. The primary motivation for developing the IGTS was to advance my technical facility to enable an expanded harmonic vocabulary and increased variety and angularity in melodic contouring. My investigation involved creation of a series of original exercises focused on right-hand technique and specific harmonic vocabulary and a focus on melodic contours. The resulting developments were tested in a range of improvised performance environments as documented in this submission. These performances illustrate marked improvement in navigating challenging intervallic playing, facilitated by solving issues related to the trapped-zone (Grady, 2021), attributed to reduced directional changes and enhanced right-hand movement efficiency (Goodrick, 1987, Govan, 2015).

These findings underscore the practical application of IGTS as a valuable tool for advancing jazz guitar improvisation, greater technical capability, and expressive facility.

Date of Award	Jun 2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Rob Casey (Supervisor), Adam Melvin (Supervisor), Frank Lyons (Supervisor) & Linley Hamilton (Supervisor)