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Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
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Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
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In Reply to: The Guitars that Took Over the World, Part 1 posted by John Marks on April 28, 2021 at 07:36:48:
Hiya John:
Nice column, as always. Touched upon the major early innovators of jazz guitar. I look forward to the sequel: you CAN'T leave out Merle Travis, Les Paul, and Chet Atkins!
Anyway, a couple of books you should check out are (1) "Instruments of Desire: The Electric Guitar and the Shaping of Musical Experience" by Steve Wakeman, and (2) "The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll" by Ian S. Port.
The first of these, quoting the Amazon blurb, "is the first full account of the historical and cultural significance of the electric guitar, a wide-ranging exploration of how and why the instrument has had such broad musical and cultural impact . . . focusing on key performers who have shaped the use and meaning of the instrument."
The second focuses on the development of the solid-body electric guitar, which solved the problem of shrieking acoustic feedback when you cranked up the volume on a hollow-body. Solid-body lap steels had been around since the early 1930s, but Paul Bigsby built possibly the first solid-body standard guitar -- a one-off artisanal creation -- for Merle Travis in 1947. Les Paul and Leo Fender were not far behind -- all these guys knew each other and often collaborated on ideas -- and their friendly rivalry led rapidly to numerous improvements and technical advances.
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Follow Ups
- Couple of related, recommended books - Brian H P 13:37:38 04/28/21 (1)
- THANK YOU! - John Marks 15:16:45 04/28/21 (0)
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