Original version

BBC World Service Australasia

The Forum

Documentaries

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past.

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

The Forum: Louder! How the electric guitar conquered popular music

Electric guitars

09/09/2021 GMT

Louder! How the electric guitar conquered popular music

BBC World Service - The Forum, Louder! How the electric guitar conquered popular music

The origins and early years of making the guitar electric

Why and how did the guitar become amplified

Whether it be a kerrang, a chop, a blistering solo, some finger picking or a subtle flange, the electric guitar is one of the defining sounds of the 20th century. Without it – and its constant companion, the amplifier - popular culture would be unrecognisable today: no big gigs, no stadium concerts. And almost certainly no rock music. But why was it needed and how was it created? Who were the pioneers of the technology and who were the early-adopting exponents?

Rajan Datar and his three guest experts delve into the roots of this iconic instrument. 
Monica Smith is Head of Exhibitions and Interpretation for the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Among the many projects she has curated at the museum is From Frying Pan to Flying V: The Rise of the Electric Guitar.
Paul Atkinson is professor of Design and Design History at Sheffield Hallam university and the author of Amplified: A Design History of the Electric Guitar.
HP Newquist is the founder of the National Guitar Museum in the United States. He has written numerous books on the guitar and its history, and was the editor-in-chief of Guitar Magazine.

[Image: electric guitars. Credit: ilbusca/Getty Images]

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Forum

Louder! How the electric guitar conquered popular music

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Australasia

About BBC World Service