New book explores evolution of electric guitar virtuosity
How budding guitar virtuosos can maintain a foothold in the changing landscape of the music industry is under the spotlight in a new book from two University of Huddersfield academics.
Rock Guitar Virtuosos: Advances in Electric Guitar Playing, Technology and Culture (Cambridge University Press ), by Dr Jan Herbst and Alexander Paul Vallejo, reflects on how traditional ways of releasing and presenting music have been challenged since the digital revolution changed the music industry.
Dr Herbst, Reader in Music Production, was familiar with renowned players like Eddie van Halen and Yngwie J Malmsteen. Alex, currently studying a PhD at the university, was a fan of Jack Gardiner and Tosin Abasi, who have risen to prominence in the 21st Century, as well as being a highly accomplished guitarist himself .
The book offers young musicians a view of how guitar virtuosos are now perceived in a world where their music can be dissected almost as soon as it is released. It’s a very different situation compared to the one Van Halen and Malmsteen dealt with early in their careers, when physical releases and touring were how musicians reached their audiences.
Eddie van Halen's solo on 'Eruption' on Van Halen's debut album in 1978 introduced his revolutionary tapping style of playing to a wide audience.
Dr Jan Herbst
Reader in Music Production
"By showing the evolution of virtuoso playing and how contemporary guitarists make a living, our book shows a way forward, especially for students. Some music students are quite business-minded already, while some want to simply make music and improve their musicianship.
“But eventually, they will need to consider their options when they graduate, and this book can act like a guide into how this can be done. What are the income streams? How important are videos and social media? How do these feed into paid products, services, or subscriptions? We hope that these insights will be very valuable.
“We wanted to bring our two approaches together and start something new as the basis for a book. There is not a lot of electric guitar scholarship out there, so we looked at how it has changed over time in terms of development and playing, as well as the gear and equipment.”
Study Music Production at the University of Huddersfield
The traditional model of playing live and recording to release an album, while not completely replaced, has shrunk in the face of the options presented by channels including YouTube and Instagram. But this, in turn, presents potential pitfalls with feedback, and in particular criticism, easier to give.
And Dr Herbst says the book also outlines how guitar virtuosos face special pressures surrounding a perceived need for their output to be of the highest possible standard.
“It is about the supposed ethics of virtuosity – the pressure to be perfect and better than anybody else. Artists now feel compelled to go to great lengths to demonstrate their authenticity. There is a lot of pressure to be perfect.
Alex Vallejo plays a solo version of the national anthem
“Older players, like Joe Satriani, went out and played live. They could be observed, and the audience could make their judgements by seeing and hearing them in the flesh. That’s not the case with some newer artists, some of whom have never played together with musicians they work with, as it can be an online collaboration. Potentially, they might never play live at all, it is just a recording-based scene, and there isn’t the option to validate the authenticity of a performance in a live setting.”
But the positive side of the digital world now open to musicians is that, as the book discusses, there are more ways to get their music to an audience.
“We also wanted to look at how guitarists can have a career and make a living out of their practice. The portfolios of activities and income streams available to them have really broadened,” Dr Herbst continues. “In the old days, you could just play guitar, compose songs, and that would be enough with royalties from record sales in the kind of numbers you do not get today. You could tour, and there was money floating around. However, once file sharing came in and everything went digital, then the whole music industry changed, and traditional forms of revenue declined.
“Artists still need to tour to sell directly to fans, but nowadays, a lot of money is made online. They are important streams for artists, who, as well as being artists, are now content creators. They either make money directly from their content or they use this as marketing for further products. They can educate online, offer one-on-one tuition, or even sell products like backing tracks, guitar tablature, signature amplifier simulations, or jewellery made from guitar strings. With these newer streams, they can make more money than the players from earlier eras.”