As per usual, great job! First and foremost, I appreciated the fact that you explicitly laid out what you would be talking about in your presentation. As the listener, it is reassuring to know exactly what the presenter will be talking about. Good job on that front. It’s subtle, but another facet of the presentation that you excel in is the seamless transitions from one slide to the next. I said this in the last project, but it is worth reiterating. It felt much more like a conversation than a 6:40 presentation. I felt as if I was part of the story, and that’s exactly what you want to do as the presenter. Really interesting story about the gendered component and history of the guitar. I’m sure not many people are aware that the guitar was seen as a feminine instrument in the 18th century. And the transition from the acoustic to the electric? Well all I can say is thank the lord for the Spanish! Without them, who knows what the guitar would be today? Additionally, enjoyed your discussion on how the electric guitar was designed using a combination of pre-existing technologies and your personal experience at the Gibson factory in which you assert that in this Age of Consumption, guitar companies today pride themselves on combining elements of both craft and industry in the manufacturing process. All in all, job well done!
Just as Ricky noted above, I thought it was great that you laid out what you would be talking about in the presentation and right off the start, I know that you would be linking the history of the electric guitar with class concepts. I really liked how you provided your own commentary about the guitar created by Antonio de Torres and how it was a little tall compared to its width – it is clear that you really know your stuff. You also discuss a variety of aspects about the guitar in its history whether it was how it became popular, how it changed in terms of gender roles, and technological aspects like the issues with the volume. To me at first, I originally perceived the guitar as a symbol of America and American values, but it is interesting to know that the guitar developed in Spain how you linked the transition between the two made it all more eye opening. One thing that I guess could have been done differently was although you touched on the link between the guitars development from craft to industry at the end, I wish I got a better understanding of the production of guitars over the course of history and who was developing them and who the patrons were. Overall though, great job and very cool presentation!
In his final project, Tim does a great job of detailing the history of the Electric Guitar, beginning in the 18th century and continuing on to today. I very much enjoyed Tim’s ability to take a single invention, the electric guitar, and place it into a larger socio-technical system that explains its origins. He was able to do this by focusing his presentation around two main themes: the values that the electric guitar held at different time periods and continuing into the shift from craft to industry in guitar manufacturing. Through these two ideas, he was able to incorporate several key aspects of our class, specifically Kranzberg’s laws of how technology is neither good nor bad nor is it neutral, as well as how even though technology might be a prime element in many public issues, non-technical factors take precedence in technical-policy decisions. Through incorporating some of the key topics that we covered in the History of Technology, Tim was able to create a comprehensive and effective final project.
Very interesting topic! You demonstrate unknown information about the guitar and the gender roles played in early society. It is interesting to see that guitars are still a taboo in ensembles (well the one’s I have attended). Fun fact: Martin Guitars are built in Nazareth, There is a neat exhibit about instruments in the Sigal Museum in Easton! You demonstrate specific narration that goes beyond the technology behind the guitar, but as well as the social context. The division you create between the history of the electric guitar and the manufacturing, gives listeners a different space and context to think about these two separate ideas in a very distinct matter. However, you bring them together in the end to show a bigger picture. Like Ricky mention above, you end the video in a unique manner that makes it sound like you’re having a personal conversation with listeners. As always, great job with your project!
In this presentation, the history and social values of the guitar are discussed. Tim is able to deliver a clear yet detailed take on guitars. The presentation was accessible to the average viewer, and was able to build off of common knowledge and actually teach people something. The incorporation of gender roles allowed the viewer to observe the social and mechanical changes that have been made to the guitar over the last few centuries. The guitar has gone from a quiet instrument played by prim and proper women who were confined to the home to a loud example of masculinity. It is especially interesting to me how we see it as unorthodox when a musician releases an acoustic version of a song, when in the past it was the norm. All technologies have a human element, but musical instruments are some of the most human. The discussion on the manufacture of guitars showed that although they have changed socially and mechanically, people still think they should be handcrafted and they value a more intimate design process. I guess with a machine that is so sonically sensitive it is always important to maintain the quality that comes from craftwork. All in all I found this presentation to be very effective at conveying its message in an informative yet approachable way. The more detailed facts were not intimidating and it utilized common tropes from the class to help us better understand what it was trying to say.
Tim,
As per usual, great job! First and foremost, I appreciated the fact that you explicitly laid out what you would be talking about in your presentation. As the listener, it is reassuring to know exactly what the presenter will be talking about. Good job on that front. It’s subtle, but another facet of the presentation that you excel in is the seamless transitions from one slide to the next. I said this in the last project, but it is worth reiterating. It felt much more like a conversation than a 6:40 presentation. I felt as if I was part of the story, and that’s exactly what you want to do as the presenter. Really interesting story about the gendered component and history of the guitar. I’m sure not many people are aware that the guitar was seen as a feminine instrument in the 18th century. And the transition from the acoustic to the electric? Well all I can say is thank the lord for the Spanish! Without them, who knows what the guitar would be today? Additionally, enjoyed your discussion on how the electric guitar was designed using a combination of pre-existing technologies and your personal experience at the Gibson factory in which you assert that in this Age of Consumption, guitar companies today pride themselves on combining elements of both craft and industry in the manufacturing process. All in all, job well done!
Just as Ricky noted above, I thought it was great that you laid out what you would be talking about in the presentation and right off the start, I know that you would be linking the history of the electric guitar with class concepts. I really liked how you provided your own commentary about the guitar created by Antonio de Torres and how it was a little tall compared to its width – it is clear that you really know your stuff. You also discuss a variety of aspects about the guitar in its history whether it was how it became popular, how it changed in terms of gender roles, and technological aspects like the issues with the volume. To me at first, I originally perceived the guitar as a symbol of America and American values, but it is interesting to know that the guitar developed in Spain how you linked the transition between the two made it all more eye opening. One thing that I guess could have been done differently was although you touched on the link between the guitars development from craft to industry at the end, I wish I got a better understanding of the production of guitars over the course of history and who was developing them and who the patrons were. Overall though, great job and very cool presentation!
In his final project, Tim does a great job of detailing the history of the Electric Guitar, beginning in the 18th century and continuing on to today. I very much enjoyed Tim’s ability to take a single invention, the electric guitar, and place it into a larger socio-technical system that explains its origins. He was able to do this by focusing his presentation around two main themes: the values that the electric guitar held at different time periods and continuing into the shift from craft to industry in guitar manufacturing. Through these two ideas, he was able to incorporate several key aspects of our class, specifically Kranzberg’s laws of how technology is neither good nor bad nor is it neutral, as well as how even though technology might be a prime element in many public issues, non-technical factors take precedence in technical-policy decisions. Through incorporating some of the key topics that we covered in the History of Technology, Tim was able to create a comprehensive and effective final project.
Very interesting topic! You demonstrate unknown information about the guitar and the gender roles played in early society. It is interesting to see that guitars are still a taboo in ensembles (well the one’s I have attended). Fun fact: Martin Guitars are built in Nazareth, There is a neat exhibit about instruments in the Sigal Museum in Easton! You demonstrate specific narration that goes beyond the technology behind the guitar, but as well as the social context. The division you create between the history of the electric guitar and the manufacturing, gives listeners a different space and context to think about these two separate ideas in a very distinct matter. However, you bring them together in the end to show a bigger picture. Like Ricky mention above, you end the video in a unique manner that makes it sound like you’re having a personal conversation with listeners. As always, great job with your project!
In this presentation, the history and social values of the guitar are discussed. Tim is able to deliver a clear yet detailed take on guitars. The presentation was accessible to the average viewer, and was able to build off of common knowledge and actually teach people something. The incorporation of gender roles allowed the viewer to observe the social and mechanical changes that have been made to the guitar over the last few centuries. The guitar has gone from a quiet instrument played by prim and proper women who were confined to the home to a loud example of masculinity. It is especially interesting to me how we see it as unorthodox when a musician releases an acoustic version of a song, when in the past it was the norm. All technologies have a human element, but musical instruments are some of the most human. The discussion on the manufacture of guitars showed that although they have changed socially and mechanically, people still think they should be handcrafted and they value a more intimate design process. I guess with a machine that is so sonically sensitive it is always important to maintain the quality that comes from craftwork. All in all I found this presentation to be very effective at conveying its message in an informative yet approachable way. The more detailed facts were not intimidating and it utilized common tropes from the class to help us better understand what it was trying to say.