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Pink Floyd鈥檚 Nick Mason tells the story of the the electric guitar, an instrument which defined 20th Century pop culture.

Pink Floyd鈥檚 Nick Mason tells the story of the electric guitar, revealing how a frying pan, a railroad track and the paradise island of Hawaii all played a role in its evolution.

He charts how the desire to get louder fundamentally altered the instrument鈥檚 sound - and while it has a reputation for turning men into semi-mythical figures, the programme reveals how women are now playing the lead when it comes to the electric guitar today.

The series is produced in association with the Open University.

Contributors:

Brad Tolinski - Coauthor of Play it Loud: A History of the Electric Guitar

Richard Hawley - Musician

Paul Reed Smith - Founder of PRS Guitars

David Hepworth, music historian

Jim Peterik - Guitarist and founder of the band Survivor

Robert Christgau - Essayist and music journalist

Anna Calvi - Singer-songwriter and guitarist

Steve Vai - Guitarist

Phil Wells - Marshall Amps

Lee Harris - Guitarist for Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets

Joey Santiago - Lead guitarist for the Pixies

Producer: Craig Smith

(Photo: A man plays an electric guitar Credit: Getty Images)

53 minutes

Last on

Sun 12 May 2019 21:06GMT
成人快手 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only

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Broadcasts

  • Sat 11 May 2019 11:06GMT
    成人快手 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
  • Sun 12 May 2019 19:06GMT
    成人快手 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
  • Sun 12 May 2019 21:06GMT
    成人快手 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only

Find out more...

Nick Mason speaks to The Open University about Pink Floyd鈥檚 unique musical innovations.