A Comparative Analysis of Emotional Expression in Classical and Contemporary Guitar Music

Thesis Abstract

The study explores the nuanced expressions of emotion in classical and contemporary guitar music, addressing the growing interest in understanding how different musical eras and stylistic approaches influence emotional conveyance in performance and composition. Despite the proliferation of research on musical expression, there remains a notable gap in comparative analyses focusing specifically on guitar music, where the stark stylistic divergences between classical and contemporary genres warrant systematic investigation. The primary aim of this research is to analyze and compare the methods and characteristics of emotional expression employed in these two stylistic domains, with specific objectives of identifying the musical features that evoke emotion, examining performer interpretative strategies, and assessing audience perceptions of emotional authenticity across styles. The study adopts a mixed-methods research design combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to achieve a comprehensive understanding. The population comprises 60 professional guitarists, equally divided between classical and contemporary performers, and a sample of 100 audience members with diverse musical backgrounds to gauge perception. Stratified random sampling is employed to select participants, ensuring representative diversity. Data collection instruments include a structured observation checklist for performance analysis, a Likert-scale questionnaire to assess audience emotional responses, and semi-structured interview guides for performer insights. The instruments undergo rigorous validation through pilot testing, expert review, and reliability assessment via Cronbach’s alpha coefficients exceeding 0.8, ensuring consistency and accuracy. For quantitative analysis, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) will be used to examine differences in emotional markers—such as dynamics, tempo, articulation, and phrasing—between classical and contemporary performers. Thematic content analysis will be applied to interview transcripts and audience feedback to identify recurrent themes related to emotional expression, interpretative strategies, and perceived authenticity. Additionally, regression analysis may explore the predictive relationships between specific musical features and audience emotional responses. Expected findings include significant stylistic distinctions in the deployment of musical features associated with emotional expression, with classical guitar performances emphasizing nuanced dynamics and precise phrasing, while contemporary performances favor expressive timing and unconventional harmonic textures. Audience perceptions are hypothesized to show higher ratings of emotional authenticity in classical performances, whereas contemporary guitarists may evoke more visceral or novel emotional responses. The findings are anticipated to reveal how stylistic frameworks influence both performer behavior and audience reception, contributing to a richer understanding of expressive mechanisms across genres. This research significantly advances knowledge by providing a detailed comparative framework grounded in musical analysis, performer insight, and audience perception, bridging a lacuna in guitar-centric expressive studies. It extends theoretical insights derived from Schenkerian analysis and Gestalt principles of perception, offering an integrated model of emotional expression in guitar performance. The study’s contributions include establishing standardized metrics for assessing emotional markers, elucidating performer interpretative strategies, and informing pedagogical practices aimed at enhancing expressive performance. The main conclusion underscores the importance of stylistic context in shaping expressive choices and audience engagement, advocating for cross-disciplinary approaches in music performance and education. Recommendations emphasize integrating emotional expression training into guitar pedagogy across genres, fostering genre-awareness, and encouraging empirical evaluations of expressive techniques. It further advocates for expanded research encompassing diverse cultural contexts and historical periods to deepen the understanding of emotional communication in guitar music. Future studies could explore the impact of technological advancements such as digital effects and alternative tuning on emotional expression, thereby broadening the scope of guitar performance research.