Digital Commons Network^™

An Immersive Study Of The Artistry Of Gilbert Biberian —Guitarist, Composer, And Pedagogue— And Creative Responses From A Musical Apprenticeship, Stephanie J. Darcey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This project examines the music of Istanbul-born British classical guitarist and composer Gilbert Biberian (1944-2023) and the potential of this music to stimulate original composition using an intuitive approach. Biberian is recognized as one of the most original and creative guitar composers from the second half of the twentieth century. His musical language embraces and integrates traditional tonality, jazz, post-tonal idioms, and the music of the Middle East. There are three strands to this project: an overview of Biberian’s life, philosophy, and music; a musical apprenticeship with Biberian on technique and musicianship; and also on my compositions. There will be …

A Musical Analysis Of Tosin Abasi's Contemporary Guitar Techniques, Thumping And Selective Picking, On The Madness Of Many (2016), Ashton Weaver

Theses : Honours

The progressive metal genre has gained popularity over the past fifteen years, attracting virtuosic musicians navigating complex meter, harmony, and technically demanding melodies. Guitarists within this genre often use extended techniques to generate innovative sounds and create unique compositions.

Award-winning, modern guitar hero Tosin Abasi embodies this individualistic virtuosity within the band Animals As Leaders, releasing five albums with the group. The extended techniques “Thumping” and “Selective Picking” have been pioneered by Abasi, with contemporary guitarists adopting these techniques following the release of Abasi’s educational DVD Thump! (Guitar Messenger, 2016). Despite the growing popularity of “Thumping” and “Selective Picking,” their …

Evaluating Ideasthesia As A Creative Tool In Compositional Practice: A Personal Reflection On Coloured Hearing Synesthesia, Suzanne Kosowitz

Theses : Honours

This research presents an evaluation of my compositional process with regard to synesthesia as a creative tool. Traditionally, the phenomenon of synesthesia has been discussed in perceptual terms, such as something that is seen visually elicits an additional experience in another sensory domain, such as sound. However, recent research has identified that there is an additional process involved in creating the secondary sensory experience, which is a semantic representation of concepts (ideasthesia). Specifically, my research considers ideasthesia in combination with a personal reflection on coloured hearing to provide a retrospective analysis of one of my compositions, Dance in Defiance (2012) …

The 'Marimba-Vibe' Double Keyboard: An Explorative Investigation Of A Nascent Solo Percussion Idiom, Paul Tanner

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The development of the concert marimba and invention of the vibraphone in the twentieth century was accompanied by a concomitant growth in repertoire for each instrument. Both belong to the core instrumentation of many new music groups, and percussionists are at times required to perform the instruments simultaneously, combining their distinct timbral personalities. However, the number of solos for the ‘marimba-vibe’ (the term I use to describe a marimba and vibraphone arranged in close proximity to each other in order to be performed by one player) without additional percussion instruments, is minimal. This gap in keyboard percussion repertoire and research …

Developing A Music Composition Practice: Exploring The Choreography Of Cymatics, Joshua Jervis

Theses : Honours

Cymatics is an area of physics popularised by Hans Jenny that observes the influence of sound but more simply vibration on physical matter. When sound is directly applied to a substance, for example, water, the vibrations create kaleidoscopic movement within the medium. Specific variables primarily of pitch, container size, and water volume contribute to creating a variety of geometric shapes. Without sound cymatics does not exist and is, therefore, a visual characteristic of sound itself.

With an investigation into the behaviour and application of cymatics, this research uses the findings of an investigation to develop a ‘choreographical’ language that can …

Representations Of Chronic Migraine And Therapy Through New Electronic Music Composition, Peter Mcavan

Theses : Honours

This thesis explores compositional techniques in electronic music that depict and explore chronic migraine and the therapies that manage the condition. Migraines are typically described as a destructive, violent force or a hopeless ailment, but research shows that this perception is damaging for new patients learning to manage migraine. Furthermore, evidence suggests that better understanding of how pain works can be instrumental in reducing pain (a process called Therapeutic Neuroscience Education). Drawing from this literature and my experience as an electronic musician suffering from chronic migraine, I utilise a practice-led research methodology to explore current scientific understandings of migraine and …

Creative Constraints: Developing A Method For Restrictive Jazz Composition, Harry Mitchell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research aimed to develop a method of jazz composition that utilises data-based restrictions to facilitate the composition process. An analysis rating tool (ART) was developed based on methodologies created by Aaron Stroessner and Jan LaRue to extract elements of melody, harmony, rhythm and form from compositions on Seamus Blake’s album Bellwether and Will Vinson’s album Stockholm Syndrome. The ART then facilitated a practice-led composition process in which the data from the analysis were used as the primary source of creativity to generate and record a set of 10 compositions. Through an iterative process of composing with and refining the …

Re-Composing Feminism: Australian Women Composers In The New Millennium, Talisha Goh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the age of postfeminism and fourth-wave feminism online, Australian women composers are theoretically able to “have it all,” however, the proportion of women in the occupation appears to have plateaued in recent years. In this thesis, I explore the multiple ways in which gender and feminism interact with practising Australian women composers. Feminist musicology has had a large impact on the Australian musicological scene, with theorists such as McClary and Macarthur bringing the subject of women in music to the fore in the 1990s, aiding efforts to advocate for reform on behalf of women composers. Additionally, third-wave feminist scholars …

Towards Interaction: Combining Jazz Techniques And Idiomatic Writing For Varied Ensembles. A Collection Of Musical Works -And- An Exegesis, Glyn Alan Macdonald

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This practice-led research project has produced musical works that bring together ensembles from the Western Classical tradition that only read notation, and, jazz soloists who improvise. Three works ‘Standing Ground’, ‘The Journey’ and ‘Matt versus the Zombies’ were composed for three ensembles each with an improvising soloist. These ensembles included a British style Brass Band, Brass Quintet and a double Saxophone quartet.

The project built on the work of Andy Scott and Eddie Sauter, both of whom wrote for non-jazz ensembles and an improvising artist without including a jazz rhythm section. The accompanying non-jazz ensemble was written in such a …

Analysing Intonation Of The Pied Butcherbird, Jean-Michel Maujean

Theses : Honours

Native to Australia, the Pied Butcherbird has been extensively studied and transcribed by previous composers, notably including Olivier Messiaen. This may be due to richness and diversity in each bird’s repertoire, along with parallels drawn from Western Tonality. Hollis Taylor has conducted extensive study in this field, notably with an analysis of a transcription made by Messiaen, that was incorporated in his piece Éclairs sur l'au- delà (1988-91). Coupled with the original field recording, Taylor’s analysis and Messiaen’s score, this study will reanalyse the original recording from which Messiaen made his transcription.

Zoomusicology is a practice that represents the …

The Interaction Between Postminimalist Music And Contemporary Dance, Azariah Felton

Theses : Honours

This dissertation examines the manner in which postminimalist compositional techniques such as phasing, polymeter, etc., can be used to aid the creation of music for dance. Music presented with dance generally serves at least two crucial roles: providing the dancers with a framework and impetus to aid movement; and reflecting the concept and meaning, where applicable, of the choreography. Many composers writing for dance must find ways to unite these goals in a way that best suits the total work, and find a balance between supporting the concept and assisting the dancers. This dissertation discusses the relationship between choreography and …

The Application Of Konokol To Guitar Improvisation And Composition, Glenn Andrew Rogers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This dissertation is an exploration of the rhythmic concepts used in two South Indian musical theory concepts, solkattu and konokol. Konokol application largely depends on instrument limitations and musical contexts. The principle focus here is on my personal application of konokol to the guitar both through composed and improvised music. A detailed study of konokol was undertaken through private lessons in India and personal experimentation to determine how these concepts could be adapted to Western improvisation, harmony and composition, as well as right--‐hand classical guitar and plectrum techniques. This was done intuitively by exploring guitar techniques and konokol simultaneously. …

Self-Accompaniment And Improvisation In Solo Jazz Piano: Practice-Led Investigations Of Assimilation, Ostinatos And ‘Hand Splitting’, David Dower

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This practice-led project investigates the crafting of approaches to solo jazz piano performance. Through a study and application of assimilation techniques derived from a range of different music styles, a series of self-accompaniments were devised. In addition, the process of developing improvisational facility over these accompaniment patterns was documented.

Although performing solo requires a different approach to ensemble work, jazz pianists are commonly only trained in ensemble practices, rendering the solo setting a potentially overwhelming challenge. In order to move away from ensemble-based methods, the project sought to develop pianistic techniques and exercises that provide an independent approach in solo …

Explorations In Double-Stops: Three New Pieces For Expanding The Role Of The Double Bass In The Jazz Ensemble, Ashley De Neef

Theses : Honours

This dissertation investigates the potential for using double-stops - the sounding of two or more simultaneous notes - as a means for extending the traditional role of the double bass, within compositions for a small jazz ensemble. It is the contention of this dissertation that it is possible to use double-stops to perform a more advanced function within the jazz ensemble, without compromising the double bass’ primary harmonic and rhythmic duties.

A historical overview of the history of the double bass within western classical and jazz music will be provided, as to outline and define what the double bass’ role …

Creating And Performing New Australian Works On The Hungarian Concert Cimbalom, Joshua Webster

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis explores the creation and performance of five new Western Australian works for the Hungarian concert cimbalom. These include four solo works, and one duet, which were scored, analysed, performed, and recorded. This thesis is in two parts: this exegetical component, which details the background, development, and findings of the research, including the scores created, and the manual that was developed for composers’ use; and a practical component, which is an active representation of the research, included as video recordings. To assist the composition of the new works, a manual was developed for the composers’ use. This manual began …

Bob Brookmeyer: Composer, Performer, Pedagogue, Mace Francis

Theses : Honours

Before my California stay (1968-1978) I considered myself a player first and a writer second, although I did a lot of writing, from Ray Charles to Thad [Jones] and Mel [Lewis].1 Since 1979 I have come to view myself as a composer who also plays trombone; add conducting and teaching and that gives me 4 hats to wear. I do not have a swollen head, so they all fit nicely. (Brookmeyer, 1997, n.p.)

Although acknowledged as one of the pivotal figures in twentieth-century jazz, the career and the music of Bob Brookmeyer has received scant attention in secondary literature. This …

The Integrated Sound, Space And Movement Environment : The Uses Of Analogue And Digital Technologies To Correlate Topographical And Gestural Movement With Sound, Jonathan A. Mustard

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis investigates correlations between auditory parameters and parameters associated with movement in a sensitised space. The research examines those aspects of sound that form correspondences with movement, force or position of a body or bodies in a space sensitised by devices for acquiring gestural or topographical data. A wide range of digital technologies are scrutinised to establish what the most effective technologies are in order to achieve detailed and accurate information about movement in a given space, and the methods and procedures for analysis, transposition and synthesis into sound. The thesis describes pertinent work in the field from the …