The guitar literature from the second half of the XX century up to our days is interesting not only for the interpreters but also for the composers and the researchers: the gesture and the effect has been deeply considered in the music philosophy as well, which increased the attention on the timbre potential of the guitar.
In the universe of symbols, gesture and sound effect, on one hand it has been possible to notice a fusion among them, through which the composer could translate his thought in sign. On the other hand, it was also possible to notice new effects and symbols created ex novo by the composer, creating time by time new timbres.
In this manual we will take into account those symbols which are contextualised into a project of sound research: when it has been possible, we have attached a short interview with the composer, who gave us a detailed idea of the motivation through which he started a research into a new sound dimension.
Though the title of this book is Dictionary of contemporary music for guitar we will not find here an exhaustive guide of all symbols of the late XX-century guitar literature. We have selected those signs contained in high ranked scores which led to the innovation of the guitar language, and which are a clear example of semiographic research.