Imagine - The Story of the Guitar

[Ted]

This BBC documentary is a long one -- about three hours. But it's worth it. Good history and information.

Imagine - The Story of the Guitar Part 1 - In the Beginning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjg5EbTW ... re=related

Imagine - The Story of the Guitar Part 2 - Out of the Frying Pan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwBSa-Pm ... ure=relmfu

Imagine - The Story of the Guitar Part 3 - This Time it's Personal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBSDWMf4 ... re=related

[Ruby6092]

Thanks for this post, Ted. I've watched the first hour and enjoyed it immensely. Marilyn

[Ted]

I really liked it, too, Ruby.

Lots of good factoids and a solid overview of the history of the guitar. However it does leave a lot to be desired. This documentary was made by the BBC and has a predominantly British slant. They did not give Les Paul anywhere near the recognition he deserves and, believe it or not, they failed to mention Edward Van Halen's name even once in the entire documentary. Yikes. Edweird Van Halen single-handedly turned the world of the solid body electric guitar literally up-side-down when he came onto the scene in the 70s. Things were never the same after he showed up. And they didn't even mention his name. Hmph. That's pretty bad. Huge mistake.

They did a really nice job of crediting the blues scene in the American South for the rise of the popularity of the guitar in the 20th century.

I loved the story of the first Chinese woman to study the guitar at university. That was remarkable.

[Ted]

I loved the story of the first Chinese woman to study the guitar at university. That was remarkable.

Xue Fei Yang
http://www.xuefeiyang.com