Abstract
[…] Although all of these styles existed to a limited extent in Dunedin and the other musical centres, outsiders tend to notice what existed in large numbers, and label that unique. The guitar sound and its 'jangle' and 'drone' were what was seen as unique to Dunedin's alternative bands. As this essay will show the community of musicans also shared an attitude which valued the 'song' over its presentation and execution. It can be argued that the 'Dunedin Sound' is in one sense an inappropriate label for this set of attitudes. The aim of this essay will therefore be to establish exactly what shared attitudes and experiences the people involved in making this music possessed, as opposed to arguing for or against the existence of a ' Dunedin Sound'. The first chapter, with the accent on narrative, places the bands in a social context. Chapter two outlines the key attitudes shared by the bands. The following chapter will look at how theses attitudes influenced the infrastructure which presented the music to a wider audience. The essay concludes with a discussion of the responses of this wider audience and hence the creation of the ' Dunedin Sound'. […] [Extract from Introduction]