Pat Metheny's finger routes: the role of muscle memory in guitar improvisations - research seminar at Surrey University

Based on transcriptions taken from footage of Pat Metheny's live performances, this seminar examines a selection of Metheny's guitar solos in order to investigate the relationship that exists between improvisation and instrumental technique, with a particular focus on left-hand technique (the fretting hand). Primarily the analysis aims to go beyond simply presenting licks, and to begin to demonstrate the way in which Metheny navigates his instrument when improvising, and to show how the mechanical movements impact on the musical ideas and the construction of the improvisations themselves.