A stylistic analysis of Pat Metheny's improvisations in selected jazz guitar trio performances

This project documents Pat Metheny's unique ideas in improvisations from his jazz guitar trio performances. Even though Metheny went on to create other projects, he continues to return to the trio format for a total of six studio albums to date. This study demonstrates the creativity of these ideas by focusing on five specific performances taken from four different albums that explored. This will lead to an assessment of his overall approach to the melodic line and his harmonic vocabulary which, along with certain electronic effects give his improvisations their characteristic sound. By identifying and discussing these parameters, I establish why Pat Metheny's melodic and harmonic exploration has influenced countless guitarists to this day.U of I OnlySchool of Music polic