© 2024 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
WBFO Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Your NPR Station
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Arts & Culture

Celebrating the "instrument that rocked the world"

Buffalo Museum of Science

A national holiday that pays tribute guitars of all genres spurred the Buffalo Museum of Science to stage a day-long celebration Saturday.

National “Get Out Your Guitar Day” came at an ideal time for one of the region’s most prominent cultural institutions. The Museum of Science is hosting a traveling exhibit called “GUITAR: The Instrument thatRocked the World” through May 7.

The Museum worked with the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame to stage Saturday’s event, which continued until 4 p.m. Activities included a presentation called “The Fender Tail...a History of Fender guitars.

Other activities included special guests from the Music Hall of Fame and question-and-answer sessions. Visitors explore the science of pitch and tone. They also learn how technology has helped to create an instrument that has revolutionized music. The exhibit, presented by M&T Bank and Chakra Communications, includes 60 guitars and nearly 100 historial artificacts. One popular attraction: a 43.5-foot-long playable guitar that has shattered a Guiness world record.

Credit Buffalo Museum of Science

Jackie Jonmaire, the museum’s director of marketing and public relations, told WBFO the exhibit is attracting a diverse group of visitors.

“It’s an opportunity for dads and sons to come in to talk about guitars and maybe history of guitar concerts that they’ve experienced previously,” she said.

Jonmaire added the science is a key theme in this unique exhibit.

Credit Buffalo Museum of Science

“Guests will learn about how the selection of material strings fused with electro magnetism and amplification create this devise that really has revolutionized music,”  she explained.  “Guitar-makers have experimented with hundreds of different shapes, looking for that perfect blend of beauty, physics and sound.”

Related Content