What You Need To Know About The Guitar

The Guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that features a fretted fingerboard and typically six strings. It is classified as a chordophone because it produces sound by vibrating strings.
Undoubtedly, the guitar is a versatile instrument with an elegant body and soulful sound.
The sound it produces is projected acoustically, utilizing the resonant chamber built within the instrument.
Additionally, the guitar’s sound can be amplified with the help of an electronic sound pickup and an amplifier, as seen in electric guitars today.
History Of A Guitar

In actual fact, there is no written document that specifies with unrestricted certainty the true origin of the guitar.
However, the guitar’s evolution and roots can be traced back in history as a plucked stringed instrument.
Similar instruments to the guitar have been in existence for about 5000 years.
Moreover, many ancient folk instruments all over the world are constructed with strings stretched over a fretboard, which is fundamental to a guitar.
Consequently, the origin of the guitar has many stories from different cultures, depending on individual points of reference.
Oud (or ūd) Link In History

Several ancient string instruments are linked to the evolution of the guitar, specifically the oud (or ūd), an ancient Arabic stringed instrument, as well as the lute.
It has been widely accepted that the guitar has a connection to an Arabic string instrument known as the oud (or ūd).
The oud is a plectrum-played instrument with a pair of strings, a relatively short neck, and a bowl or pear-shaped back. It also features a fret-less fingerboard and tuning pegs set into the sides of the pegbox.
However, while this connection seems plausible, the direct involvement of the oud in the development of the guitar cannot be definitively established.
There is a belief that after the oud found its way to Europe, Europeans added frets to it and called it the lute.
Guitarra Latina and The Guitarra Morisca in Guitar History
On the other hand, many believe that certain string instruments existed in Europe before those from the Arabic tradition arrived due to invasions.
This belief is supported by the presence of the Guitarra Latina and the Guitarra Morisca as two distinct types of instruments.
These instruments share some features with the modern guitar, albeit with a slightly curved body and a bowl-like back.
The Guitarra Latina is a short-necked plucked instrument, likely coming in different sizes and shapes. While the term ‘Guitarra Latina’ is commonly used to refer to a non-Arabic plucked stringed instrument.
‘Guitarra Morisca,’ on the other hand, describes Middle Eastern long lutes that are related to the tanbur-tar-saz family.
Interestingly, the Guitarra Latina gained popularity in Spain because the Spanish did not adopt the lute, which was widely embraced across the continent.
Vihuela and The Four-Course Guitar Connection

While there are various references, the exact origin of the guitar remains unclear.
It is evident, however, that Arabs in Europe, particularly in Spain, had a significant influence on Spanish musical culture.
This influence led to the introduction of various types of plucked instruments into European social activities.
All string instruments underwent extensive development to enhance their quality.
They were refined in different ways to create improved versions that gained widespread acceptance.
Some were favored, while others that didn’t gain favor fell into obscurity.
This process continued until the emergence of the vihuela and the four-course guitar during the Renaissance period. These two instruments later became significant predecessors of the modern guitar.
The Guitar in the Renaissance Period
During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, many transformations occurred, leading to the development of guitar-like instruments.
However, it was during this period that the definitive transition from one instrument structure to another was established, specifically, the transformation from the vihuela and the four-course guitar to the modern guitar.
The vihuela, known as the “viola da mano” in Italy, was an instrument in the 15th and 16th centuries that resembled a guitar.
It had six double-strings made of gut. The four-course guitar, though similar to the vihuela, was different.
It had ten frets and was much smaller. Some historians argue that these two instruments are branches of the guitar’s evolutionary tree and had a significant influence on the development of the baroque guitar.
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In the case of the vihuela, the three types in existence were named according to their playing systems.
The first one is the vihuela de mano, which came with 6 or 5 courses and was normally played with the fingers. The second is the vihuela de Penola, which is typically played with a plectrum.
Lastly, the vihuela de arco is played with a bow. However, the de mano version gradually became the most widely accepted over the others.
During this period, a smaller version of the vihuela de mano was commonly used for folk music. The larger version, which had 5 to 7 courses of strings and was usually tuned similarly to the lute in G – C – F – A – D’ – G’, was used for art music.
By the sixteenth century, the structural construction of the vihuela was very similar to the baroque guitar that eventually supplanted it.
Luis de Milán was among the great composers for the vihuela, and so was the virtuoso Miguel de Fuenllano.
In particular, Miguel de Fuenllano arranged vocal works for the guitar and wrote several original compositions for the vihuela.
The Guitar in the Baroque Period

Early versions of the guitar emerged during the early stages of the Baroque period, around 1600–1750.
Little is known about the construction details of the vihuela or the earlier (baroque) guitar, primarily due to the limited number of surviving instruments from that era.
Nevertheless, both instruments featured a thin wooden bar for the bridge, much like a lute, and movable gut frets along their neck.
According to various historical accounts, the earlier instrument was believed to be crafted from wood and a natural fiber known as catgut.
This catgut served as the strings and was derived from the fibers found in animal intestines. The instrument also incorporated movable gut frets that were tied onto its fingerboard.
The typical baroque guitar possesses a shape very similar to that of the modern guitar. However, it is notably slimmer with a subtler ‘waist’ compared to the modern guitar.
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Throughout the entire Baroque period, virtually all guitars were equipped with five pairs (5 courses) of gut strings.
Typically, these pairs of gut strings were tuned to A – D – G – B – E’ on the instrument.
The body shape of the instrument has remained unchanged since the sixteenth century. However, the position of its pegs was gradually altered in the seventeenth century.
The construction of the instrument transitioned from lateral tuning pegs to a board in which the tuning pegs were arranged perpendicular to the table.
The baroque guitar with its five double courses persisted beyond the Baroque period, up until about 1800. Its design and playing style also remained consistent until that time.
Notable Italian luthier and craftsman of string instruments, Antonio Stradivari, is known to have crafted these guitars.
Additionally, the French luthier Nicholas Alexandre Voboam II is recorded as one of the guitar makers of the Baroque period, with 26 signed baroque guitars.
The Evolution in the Classical Period

During this period, the popularity of plucked stringed instruments, as well as bowed ones, saw a significant decline.
In fact, the lute, along with its larger variations, which had been the predominant instrument during the Renaissance and Baroque eras, nearly disappeared.
Despite this, the guitar maintained its status as the fashionable instrument of the time. It spread from Spain to the rest of Europe and played a substantial role in England, France, and Germany.
Next, the double strings that characterized the baroque guitar were replaced with single strings. This change was widely accepted because it resolved the challenge of keeping both strings of a course in the old instrument in tune.
Additionally, the number of strings increased from five to six, tuned to E – A – D – G – B – E’. The movable gut frets on the fingerboard, typical of the baroque guitar, were replaced with fixed metallic frets.
As a result, the new classical guitar became both easy to tune and easy to play, establishing itself as a widely favored string instrument.
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As of 1800, the guitar was primarily popular in Spain and Italy. During this period, both regions held a deep appreciation for the guitar as a musical instrument.
Despite the considerable amount of music composed for the guitar at the time, its popularity remained somewhat confined to certain circles.
However, thanks to the contributions of individuals like Federico Moretti, Fernando Ferandiere, Fernando Sor, and Dionisio Aguado, the guitar’s popularity began to spread across Europe.
For example, Fernando Sor, renowned for his compositions for solo classical guitar, introduced his music from Barcelona to Paris in 1813. In Paris, he gained a reputation as a master composer and performer.
With the increase in guitar music and performances, the instrument quickly gained widespread favor and became a popular choice across Europe.
It held an advantage over other string instruments due to its simplicity and affordability. As a result, it became an instrument not only for aristocratic enthusiasts but also for anyone who loved singing and sought pleasant and easy accompaniment.
To some extent, people even started converting valuable old lutes they had on hand into guitars, often in a rather rudimentary manner.
The Guitar in the Romantic Period
During the nineteenth century, the instrument underwent a progressive transformation from the classical guitar into a stronger, heavier, and more powerful instrument.
For example, metal screws were used to replace the wooden tuning pegs.
Additionally, the lower part of the instrument’s body was broadened, and the entire instrument was reconstructed into a more solid piece to allow it to withstand the pull of the new heavier strings.
The instrument was made capable of withstanding the higher tension strings due to a new fan-strutting technique.
Furthermore, the fingerboard was furnished with brass frets, and its length extended all the way to the sound-hole. Several other significant changes occurred in the construction of the instrument by the 1830s.
For instance, the neck of the instrument became narrower and usually featured fifteen to seventeen frets.
The rose, a decorative element from earlier guitars, disappeared from the sound-hole, which was now typically left open. Specifically, an open hole replaced the rosette found on older guitar types.
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Furthermore, the modern body shape of the instrument emerged around 1850, thanks to the innovations of the great Spanish instrument maker of the 19th century, Antonio de Torres Jurado.
Following that, many other changes and new inventions took place. Antonio de Torres Jurado constructed a guitar with a wider body, symbolizing the modern shape compared to the narrow bodies of the baroque guitar.
When Antonio de Torres Jurado introduced his refined guitars to the public, significant composers of that time turned to the instrument in abundance.
At the same time, virtuoso guitarists began public performances, bringing both the guitar and the music to a wide audience.
Romantic composers like Carl Maria von Weber wrote songs with guitar accompaniment, as did Louis-Hector Berlioz and his friend Niccolò Paganini.
In particular, Niccolò Paganini composed some masterful chamber music for the guitar. To this day, the instrument is used by virtuosos to display breathtaking technical skill and a high level of playing typically achieved in Spain.
For instance, Spanish classical guitarist Andrés Segovia reached great heights with his expressive performances. He had a wide palette of tone, a distinctive musical personality, phrasing, and style.
Appearance In United States

As the classical guitar developed and gained acceptance among serious musicians in Europe, it also found its way into the United States through the slave trade, particularly in the southern part of the country during the early and middle of the nineteenth century.
As the slaves from Africa gradually became integrated into American culture, they also adopted the acoustic guitar.
In addition, Christian Frederick Martin immigrated from Germany to the United States in 1833.
The German-born American luthier established the guitar-making company C. F. Martin & Company by 1838, with its headquarters in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
He crafted his guitars using the knowledge he gained from Johann Georg Stauffer, an instrument maker in Vienna.
He also incorporated Stauffer’s designs in his guitar making. His instruments laid the foundation for the modern steel-stringed acoustic guitar.
Following the American Civil War, the southern United States adopted the Martin pattern of the instrument to create Gospel and blues music.
This led to many becoming masters of the acoustic guitar by the early 20th century.
Meanwhile, the Torres classical guitar also gained some popularity in the American west due to Spanish influence coming through Mexico by the late 19th century.
The guitar was embraced in American musical life during the 19th century, primarily by the middle class who couldn’t afford a piano.
The Guitar in the Modern Period

The major innovation in the evolution of the instrument was its transformation into an electro-mechanical device. This transition took place in 1936 with the invention of the electric guitar in America.
This invention replaced the soundboard of the acoustic guitar with electronic components. However, the fundamental system of the instrument’s string vibration remained the same.
Through the use of these electronic components, the natural tone produced by the string vibration is captured and amplified, resulting in a stronger tone.
This invention significantly impacted the instrument’s volume and also made it possible to alter the quality of the resulting tones.
With the addition of electronic components, the manipulation of the guitar’s tone became far more versatile compared to the original instrument with its soundbox.
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