27^e année, 30 mars 2026.

The Guitar in Popular Music

8th-10th July 2026, Canterbury and London.

Deadline extended to 31st march 2026.

The Guitar in Popular Music conference will be co-hosted by Canterbury Christ Church University and the Academy of Contemporary Music, in collaboration with the International Guitar Research Centre (University of Surrey). Proposals are invited for presentations as follows:

Individual papers – 25 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions

individual papers which include live performance elements – 25 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions

Lecture recital – 35 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions

Papers and presentations can focus on any aspect relevant to the conference’s overarching theme: the guitar’s role and use in popular music (including jazz). Any type of guitar (e.g. acoustic, electric, bass, hybrid etc.) may be considered, as can any (or any combination of) the following perspectives: historical, contextual, analytical, pedagogical, technological, compositional or performance-based. In recognition of the fact that 2026 marks 60 years since Jimi Hendrix’s first performance in the UK we especially welcome papers that discuss Hendrix’s legacy and contribution as a guitarist, or lecture recitals that focus on reinterpretations and arrangements of Hendrix’s work.

We are particularly interested in papers which relate to the following themes:

Guitar Creativity and Technique

Guitar Soloing and Tonal Improvisation

Guitar as Rhythm and Texture

Guitar Design and Technology

Guitar Culture

Case Studies of the Guitar Technique of Established Players in Popular Music

Please send proposals to guitarconference@canterbury.ac.uk in the following format:

Individual Papers: abstract up to 300 words and biography up to 100 words. Please also provide a website link about you and your work if you have one.

Individual papers which include live performance elements and Lecture Recitals: abstract up to 300 words, biography up to 100 words, and sample recording or video (e.g. via YouTube/SoundCloud link etc.). Please also provide a website link about you and your work if you have one.

The deadline for submissions is 31st March 2026. A draft conference programme will be published in April 2026.

Registration details and conference bookings will open mid-April following the selection of papers.

We are delighted that Professor Milton Mermikides (Professor of Music at the University of Surrey and Gresham Professor or Music) will be presenting the keynote lecture at Canterbury Christ Church University, entitled I Just Want to Talk to You: The Musical Language of Jimi Hendrix.

This keynote paper illuminates the psychological, neurological, linguistic and zygonic mechanisms that help shape Jimi Hendrix’s extraordinary musical language. These ‘axes of expression' include vocal imitation, fretboard navigation, time-feel and groove, harmony and modality, and technological transformation. It argues that Hendrix’s music persistently challenges the conventional separation and discrete categorisation of pitch, rhythm, and timbre. And that musical expression – as well as effective musical analysis – emerges from the dynamic, liminal interplay between these domains.

Conference Panel: Dr James Dean (Chair, Canterbury Christ Church University), Professor Rich Perks (Deputy Chair, Academy of Contemporary Music), Professor Milton Mermikides (University of Surrey/Gresham College), Professor Murray Smith (University of Kent), Dr Kate Lewis (Brunel University London)

Acceptance of proposals will be at the discretion of the conference panel.

Please provide your abstracts as a WORD doc, preceded by information under the following headings:

Name

Institution (as appropriate)

Postal address

Phone

Email Address

Presentation type (paper or paper including live performance demonstrations)

Title

The conference will be held at Canterbury Christ Church University on 8th and 9th July and at the Academy of Contemporary Music (London campus) on 10th July. All papers will be presented in person.

Enquiries:

Webpage

Musicologie.org, 56 rue de la Fédération, 93100 Montreuil. ☎ 06 06 61 73 41.

ISSN 2269-9910.

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Lundi 30 Mars, 2026