The guitar has been an integral part of popular music and mainstream culture for many decades and in many places of the world. This Element examines the development and current state of virtuosic rock guitar in terms of playing, technology, and culture. Supported by technological advances such as extended-range guitars, virtuosos in the twenty-first century are exploring ways to expand standard playing techniques in a climate where ever-higher levels of perfection are expected. As musician...

Heaviness in Metal Music Production, Volume II: Learn from the Masters details how the fundamental musical quality of metal, ‘heaviness’, is created during record production, offering unprecedented learning opportunities provided by eight world-leading producers mixing the same multi-track of the song ‘In Solitude’ and sharing insights into their creative visions and technical realizations.The book contains unabridged interviews with the producers about their conceptual un...

Rammstein provozieren. In ihren Songs und Musikvideos spielt die Band mit Doppeldeutigkeiten rund um die deutsche Geschichte und testet die Grenzen des Sag- und Singbaren. Besonders deutlich wird das in ihrer Single „Deutschland“, einer (Anti?)Hymne auf die Nation. Im cineastisch-bombastischen Musikvideo präsentieren sich die Bandmitglieder unter anderem als KZ-Insassen und SS-Offiziere. Alles nur Spektakel? Oder doch politisch? Das Verhältnis von Politik und Pop zeigt sich bei Rammstein i...

The electric guitar is one of the most important musical instruments and cultural artifacts of the 20th and 21st centuries and enjoys popularity worldwide. Designed for students, this Companion explores electric guitar technology and performance, and the instrument's history and cultural impact. Chapters focused on the social significance of the electric guitar draw attention to the ways in which gender and race have shaped and been shaped by it, the ecology of electric guitar manufacturin...

Heaviness in Metal Music Production, Volume I: How and Why It Works provides an in-depth analysis of the art and craft of producing heaviness, the fundamental musical quality in metal music. Using primarily ethnographic research which draws on interviews and engineering documentation from various producers across different generations, the distinguishing feature of the study is the song ‘In Solitude’, which was written, recorded, and produced by the researchers themselves....

Since its beginnings more than fifty years ago, metal music has grown in popularity worldwide, not only as a musical culture but increasingly as a recognised field of study. This Cambridge Companion reflects the maturing field of 'metal music studies' by introducing the music and its cultures, as well as recent research perspectives from disciplines ranging from musicology and music technology to religious studies, Classics, and Scandinavian and African studies. Topics covered include tech...

Ding-dong, die Post ist da! Was für ein Monster wohl diesmal in dem mysteriösen Päckchen steckt? Die Freunde Nemo, Oda und Fred können ihr Glück kaum fassen, als ihnen ein Einhorn entgegenblickt – denn das Tier namens Magic kann Wünsche erfüllen! Jetzt können sie all ihre Träume wahr werden lassen und die der Boringer Bürger gleich mit. Aber vielleicht ist mit dem rülpsenden und pupsenden Einhorn doch nicht alles so super wie gedacht …