Standardizing timbral and movement based graphical notation: Conveying the expressivity and idiomaticity of effect pedals, amplification and amplified/electric instruments
Within Western Art Music, various orchestration, instrumentation and organology treaties have served as standardized pedagogical guides for composers to adequately understand the sonic dimensions and capabilities of musical instruments to enrich the soundscape of their compositions.
In the 20th and 21st century, various composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Alfred Schnittke, Tristan Murail and Steve Reich have utilized amplified electric instruments such as the electric guitar and electric bass in their own compositions to enrich their soundscapes. Within these compositions, a resonant, non-resonant or semi-resonant instrument is amplified through an analogue or digital amplification system using microphones or electromagnetic pickups, which are then typically paired with effect pedals that change the tonal quality of the instrument.
There is an innumerable amount of accessible effect pedals on the market. These pedals typically have common construction formats and usage methods that modify/modulate the sound to the performer’s/composer’s desire. Effect pedals are almost always a part of an amplified instrument setup.
This presentation will introduce compositional methodologies/strategies employing graphical and movement-based notation to elicit full tonal, dynamic, expressive and technical control, as well as an idiomatic understanding of the tripartite signal processing system: instrument – effect pedal(s) – amplification. I will explore how this system interacts with its sonic and instrumental environment within the framework of Western Art Music.
Keywords: electric instruments, effect pedals, idiomatic approach, graphical notation
Biography
Yanis El-Masri is a PhD candidate at the University of Aveiro, holding an FCT studentship (2024.06603.BD) to complete his doctorate studies in music composition. He has completed both his licentiate (2021) and master’s degree (2023) in music composition at the University of Aveiro under the tutelage of Professor Doctor Evgueni Zoudilkine. His most relevant academic work has been his master’s thesis/artistic project “Chamber concerto for augmented electric guitar and mixed ensemble: An exploration of timbre and extended techniques” in which he implemented the electric guitar, as well as its augmentations/expansions, within an original music piece written in the scope of Western Art Music, with emphasis on sonic experimentation and polystylism. Beyond that, he has composed various orchestral and chamber pieces for award-winning short films, as well as having his chamber and orchestral works premiered in various countries in Asia, Europe and South America.
INET-md / University of Aveiro, Portugal – yaniselmasri@ua.pt