Consider the guitar, spacefans. it's arguably our most ubiquitous instrument. These days, it comes in many varieties: acoustic and electric, folk and classical, nylon and steel string, slide and electronic—to name a few. And when it comes to creating ambient music, the kind of guitar matters quite a bit.

Acoustic guitar tends toward classic tunings and slow tempos, with conservative use of effects; electric guitar is almost the opposite, with aggressive use of effects, feedback, and modifiers. And though the results vary widely, it's still recognizable as a guitar. But with the electronic guitar, you might never know the sound came from a guitar at all—the instrument has been redefined, dematerialized, and effectively disappeared. The guitar becomes a playable "user interface"—a familiar way to control synthesizers and other electronics.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, the evolving world of the ambient guitar, on a program called TRANSLUCENT GUITARS. 

Music is by TOM CAUFIELD, COLIN EDWIN & JON DURANT, CRAIG PADILLA & MARVIN ALLEN, JOHN GREGORIUS, DARSHAN AMBIENT, ROBIN GUTHRIE, HAMMOCK, CARL WEINGARTEN, JUHA-MATTI RAUTIAINEN, JEFF PEARCE, and DELAY TACTICS.

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