Portable, plucked stringed instruments go back many centuries, but it was only during the advent of rock and roll that the humble guitar altered music on a global level, taking popular songs away from the piano and allowing people to sing or write songs in a forest clearing or a subway station. The new exhibit Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World comes to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History this weekend and uses the guitar as an avenue into music and science.
The show will display more than 70 guitars, some of them showing the instrument’s history or being unusual (like the world’s largest playable guitar, a Gibson Flying V that’s 43 feet long and weighs as much as a small car). In addition, the exhibit will feature live music, listening booths demonstrating the different uses of guitars in different types of music, and a lecture by National Guitar Museum founder H.P. Newquist. (Full disclosure: He’s the brother of Fort Worth Weekly owner Lee Newquist.) Whether you’re keen to learn about acoustics or the design of guitars, or whether you just want to play “Smoke on the Water” on one of the instruments, this show is for you.
Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World runs Feb 10-May 6 at Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, 1600 Gendy St, FW. Admission is $12-15. Call 817-255-9300
