The value of Textual Chordophonics lies mainly in how characteristics of modern guitar music can be traced to a wide variety of time periods and cultures. To describe Lars Rosager’s approach to the guitar, one must begin with the voice. Vocal sensibility with regard to melodic phrasing is paramount, and informs the use of harmony. Ornamentation upon melody drives the creative process in central ways also. Decorative techniques typical of the guitar and related instruments give rise to fertile interaction between instrument and voice. The ontology of early Spanish guitar treatises and their penchant for categorical organization have also been influential on Rosager’s guitar work. Crafting music in terms of how melody weaves through chord shapes and rhythmic, percussive strumming styles is aimed at presenting the guitar to be a complete instrument, capable of a vast range of expression and timbre. In spite of his familiarity with a variety of musical styles, Rosager is patently interested in creativity, not adherence to a particular school. Nonetheless, the following traditions continue to be crucial portals through which he explores an endless variety of music: Jazz, Spanish Guitar, North Indian Classical.
