Unconventional methods of playing traditional instruments to produce new sounds, textures, and timbres beyond their standard capabilities. These techniques expand the expressive possibilities of familiar instruments.
The phrase combines 'extended' (stretched beyond normal limits) with 'techniques' (methods of performance). The concept emerged prominently in 20th-century avant-garde music as composers sought new sonic possibilities.
Extended techniques turned every instrument into a sound laboratory - violinists learned to bow behind the bridge, flutists discovered multiphonics, and singers developed ways to create multiple pitches simultaneously, proving that even centuries-old instruments still had secrets to reveal!
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