| Today, the electric guitar and electric bass guitar are among the most recognized instruments in Western civilization, in part because technological innovations, allowing for the amplification of these previously acoustic instruments, caused great change in their design, performance practice, and general use. Popular music is synonymous with electric guitars. The core instrumentation of many bands in American culture is the electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums. With such a close association to popular music, the electric guitar is overlooked as a multi-genre instrument. Double Concerto for Electric Guitar, Electric Six-String Bass Guitar, and Wind Ensemble is a musical composition written to feature the electric guitar and electric six-string bass as instruments capable of playing with as much virtuosity as any orchestral instrument.;This piece, a three-movement work, contrasts the soloists with one another, and the duet with the ensemble. The fast-slow-fast scheme of the movements reflects the neoclassic structure of this piece as well as reinforcing the classic use of these solo instruments. The harmonic language includes twentieth century, Romantic, and neoclassic devices presented in such a way as to makes the work accessible to many.;The piece uses techniques in both solo instruments that include fast single-picking lines and fingerboard passages that involve two-handed fretwork. The soloists are required to read difficult melodic material, so a high degree of reading ability is needed.;The medium of presenting the soloists with wind ensemble was chosen for two reasons: wind ensemble's increasing popularity as a professional or community organization and the dynamic range of the ensemble. |
