REWIND
I suppose it was inevitable that the guitar would dominate popular music in the second half of this century: it’s the instrument of the common people. The early popularity of the guitar is easily explainable; it was cheap and easy to learn.
REWIND
(Tech Talk is pleased to present an ongoing-series concerning the basic history of instruments in the last 50 years. In this column we ’ll discuss who gets the credit [or blame] for the first electric guitar and how it came about. This is, by necessity, an overview at best. If you’re interested in reading more, we highly recommend Tom Wheeler’s American Guitar, a must for any serious student of the instrument.)
I suppose it was inevitable that the guitar would dominate popular music in the second half of this century: it’s the instrument of the common people. The early popularity of the guitar is easily explainable; it was cheap and easy to learn. Depression-era parents and families might not have been able to afford a piano, but a guitar was within the reach of most. Even if you were unable to purchase a guitar, the knowledge necessary to make a primitive instrument was within the grasp of most woodworkers and machinists. Stories of homemade guitars abound. According to one near-legend, B.B. King is supposed to have made his first instrument from chicken wire and wood.