A Potted History of the Guitar

The guitar is one of the most popular musicalEvolution
instruments today. Most of the music that youThe guitar, as we know it, is said to originate in
hear on the radio uses guitars in many differentSpain. It is believed that the people of Malaga
ways: pop, rock, reggae, blues, ballads andinvented the instrument. The guitar evolved from
everything else is influenced by the guitar.having three pairs of strings to four pairs of
The guitar, together with the drums and the pianostrings and eventually six single strings.
compose the modern music scene equipment set.The guitar began to become popular in the 16th
The playability of the guitar has made it onecentury. It was played by the lower and middle
popular instrument. A guitar can be played by aclasses as a counterpart for the vihuela which
learning child or an experienced guitar player. It'swas played by the aristocrats. The vihuela was
not "picky" about its players.tuned like a lute but had a body similar to that of
Today, the electric type of guitar is most oftenthe guitar.
used in musical production. The guitar has beenThe guitar made a serious evolution during the
enhanced with a very good accompaniment in the18th century: the double strings where replaced
form of the effects box. Today, guitars canby single strings and a sixth string was added. In
emulate the sounds of a piano, a violin, even thethe 1800s, Antonio Torres de Jurado gave birth
sounds of the human voice and is continuouslyto the classical guitar. Basically, he increased the
widening its horizons.size of the body of the guitar. The guitar still
With the functions and features of the modernstruggled because it was considered as an
electric guitar, one can't help thinking about theinstrument for the taverns - an instrument which
beginnings of the instrument. Where did the guitarcould not be used for classical music. In Spain,
come from? This article tries to give a briefwhere people hated the piano, the guitar found
history of the wonderful musical instrument, whichrefuge. However, it was also tainted by the views
is the guitar.that guitars were for gypsies and for no-good
The creation of the guitar cannot be traced to abums who asked for loose change in bars.
single person. The guitar came about through theElectric guitar
evolution of its predecessors. Its image has alsoThe modern electric guitar was invented in 1931.
undergone change throughout the centuries.The electric guitar uses electronic "pick-ups" to
Today, playing the guitar is a symbol of talent andenable it to produce sound. The pick-ups convert
musical prowess, but during the early times, thethe vibrations from the strings into electric signals.
guitar was actually a symbol of being poor and itThe body of the electric guitar is semi-solid or
was refuted by most classical musicians.solid, depending on the design. The structure of
Predecessorsthe guitar took a great leap when the electric
There have been many guitar-like musicalguitar was born, no longer did its sound depend on
instruments in the ancient times, up to as manythe structure and construction of the body, but
as 5,000 years ago. Instruments which look likeon the quality of the pick-ups and soundboard.
the guitar were seen in statues which wereThe sounds of the electric guitar can also be
recovered in archeological expeditions in thealtered to be able to achieve a desired tone. The
Iranian region of Susa. However, the very firstuse of the guitar effects box has given the guitar
documented mention of the instrument datesa wide array of sounds. I is continuing to garner
back to the fourteenth century. At that time thepopularity in all fields of music, even in classical
guitar-ancestor had three pairs of strings (usuallymusic.
referred to as double courses) and a single stringThe guitar is a very dynamic musical instrument.
with the highest tone.Through evolution, the guitar has made its mark
Some say that the word "guitar" came from theon the modern music scene. From crude
word "qitara". Qitara is an Arabic name for theinstruments with many variations, the guitar has
different kinds of lutes during the early times.become a real and much-sought after instrument.