Extended technique

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Extended technique is a term used in music to describe unconventional, unorthodox or "improper" techniques of singing, or of playing musical instruments. Although the use of extended technique is uncommon in the common practice period, extended techniques appear more and more in recent compositions. Most contemporary composers strive to explore the possiblity of different instruments. They cooperate with professional performers and try to discover more and more extended techniques. This undoubtedly increases the diversity of instrumental colors for contemporary pieces. However, extended techniques are sometimes too difficult and required extremely high level of instrumental playing and superb conditions of the instruments. Therefore, extended techniques can be possible for some top performers with great instruments but not accessible for sub-class players.

Contents 1 Examples include 2 Well known performers and composers who use a notable amount of extended techniques 3 See also 4 Reading 5 External links

[edit] Examples include

• added electronics or MIDI control
• unusual bowing technique: double stops and multiple stops, sul ponticello, sul tasto, Col legno
• breath technique or articulation: multiphonics, tonguing or flutter tonguing, continuous breathing or circular breathing, trumpet half-valve playing, humming while blowing, double buzz, blowing a disengaged mouthpiece or reed, unusual mutes
• Sprechstimme (speech-singing)
• ululation
• prepared piano and prepared guitar
• string piano
• keyboard technique involving the flat of hand, arm, or external device to create tone clusters
• unusual harmonics, including multiphonics
• glissandi, tuner glissando
• string microtones (vertical and linear)
• exaggerated tremolo
• exaggerated brass head-shakes
• activating keys or valves without blowing
• tapping or rubbing the soundboard of stringed instruments
• alternate fingerings
• altered tunings (scordatura)
• tapping
• combination of a mouthpiece of one instrument with the main body of another, for example, using an alto saxophone mouthpiece on a standard trombone.
• turning the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument upside-down and playing as normal.

[edit] Well known performers and composers who use a notable amount of extended techniques

• composer Henry Cowell
• composer George Crumb
• composer John Cage
• composer Sofia Gubaidulina
• composer Helmut Lachenmann
• composer Salvatore Sciarrino
• vocalist Joan La Barbara
• vocalist Shelley Hirsch
• vocalist and composer Meredith Monk
• vocalist and composer Maja Ratkje
• composer Krzysztof Penderecki
• composer and multireedist Joseph Celli
• pianist and composer David Tudor in his own work and in the prepared piano techniques of Cage and the New York School
• cellist and improviser Frances-Marie Uitti, two bows and curved bows
• violinist, violist and improviser Ernesto Rodrigues, curved bow
• flautist Ian Anderson
• composer Robert Erickson
• trombonist Stuart Dempster
• bassist Bertram Turetzky
• composer Ben Gaunt
• vocalist Tanya Tagaq Gillis
• rock guitarist Tom Morello
• rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen
• rock guitarist Thurston Moore
• guitarist Steve Vai
• guitarist Derek Bailey
• guitarist Fred Frith
• classical guitarist Štěpán Rak
• guitarist Enver İzmaylov
• jazz saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk
• bassist Michael Manring

It should be noted that nearly all jazz performers make significant use of extended techniques of one sort or another, particularly those involved in more recent styles such as hard bop and avant-garde jazz.

[edit] See also

• List of pieces which use extended techniques

[edit] Reading

• Stuart Dempster's The Modern Trombone: A Definition of Its Idioms, ISBN 0-520-03252-7.
• Patricia and Allen Strange's The Contemporary Violin, ISBN 0-520-22409-4, and other books in The New Instrumentation series.
• Bertram Turetzky's The Contemporary Contrabass ISBN 0-520-06381-3.
• Michael Edward Edgerton's The 21st Century Voice, ISBN 0-8108-5354-X, and other books in The New Instrumentation series. Scarecrow Press, 2005.

[edit] External links

• Woodwind Fingering charts
• New Sounds for Flute by Mats Möller
• The Orchestra: A User's Manual by Andrew Hugill with The Philharmonia Orchestra. Includes definitions, descriptions and video interviews of extended techniques for most all common orchestral instruments.