Author

Aidan Scrivens, Belmont UniversityFollow

Title

Same As It Ever Was: An Exploration and Demonstration of Techniques for Repurposing and Modernizing Advanced Musical Vocabulary in Mainstream Commercial Music

Publication Date

Fall 12-9-2022

Abstract

In the market for tertiary level commercial music education, educators find themselves pulled between students' commercial stylistic interests and the seemingly incommensurable genres better suited to exploring advanced theoretical concepts and vocabulary. This divide can lead to a motivational deficiency in a student that, in turn, can hinder their development and render their collegiate experience less worth the expense. In the interest of combating this potential motivational deficiency, this recording project and accompanying paper explores and demonstrates the process of modernizing and recontextualizing material found in these less commercially mainstream genres. By adapting vocabulary and approaches learned from the transcription and faithful recreation of bluegrass, traditional jazz, and jazz-rock fusion guitar solos in more modern and commercially viable contexts, this project acts as a guide to students struggling to see the benefit in studying genres outside of their primary sphere of influence by encouraging the creative application of new material.

Major Mentor

Paulo Oliveira, D.M.A.

Second Mentor

Virginia Lamothe, Ph.D.

Department

Music, School of

College

Music and Performing Arts, College of

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree

Master of Music (MM)

Degree Level

Master's

Degree Grantor

Belmont University

Recommended Citation

Scrivens, Aidan, "Same As It Ever Was: An Exploration and Demonstration of Techniques for Repurposing and Modernizing Advanced Musical Vocabulary in Mainstream Commercial Music" (2022). Composition/Recording Projects. 9.
https://repository.belmont.edu/music_comp/9