Guitar: History and evolution of this popular instrument
The most popular instrument that almost every youngster loves to start out their musical journey with is guitar. Typically, it comes with six strings. Guitar is widely played in the pop-music industry. In jazz ensembles it is part of the rhythm section. There are three types of modern guitar: Classical guitar with nylon strings, steel-stringed acoustic guitar and electric guitar. While the sound of the first two is amplified by the hollow body of guitar acting as a resonating chamber, the sound of the third one is picked up by an amplifier. Here is a low-down on the history and evolution of this popular instrument.
Pre-history to the middle ages: Early inspirations
The development of the earliest guitars is believed to be lost in the history of medieval Spain. However, musicologists believe that the origin of the modern guitar can be traced back to two instruments, the oud and the lute, both of which predate written history.
1200 to 1500: Spain
At least two instruments were in use in Spain by 1200: Guitarra latina (Latin guitar) and the guitarra morisca (Moorish guitar). While guitarra morisca had a rounded back, wide fingerboard, and several sound holes, guitarra latina had a single sound hole and a narrower neck. By the 14th century, they were simply known as guitars. The guitar originally had four courses of strings, three double, and the top course single, which ran from a violin-like pegbox to a tension bridge glued to the soundboard.
The Spanish vihuela is said to be the greatest influence in the development of the Baroque guitar. Vihuela was a guitar-like instrument of the 16th century Spain and was played in the place of the lute, which dominated in that era in the rest of Europe.
1600 to 1750: Baroque guitar
Baroque guitar effectively replaced the lute as the dominant string instrument between 1600 and 1750. This string instrument used to have five courses of gut strings and moveable gut frets.
1800: Classical guitar
Spanish musician and guitar maker Antonio de Torres Jurado created a style of guitar that made him the most important of all guitar makers. He increased the size of the guitar body, altered its proportions, and invented the breakthrough fan-braced pattern. This is what gave his classical guitars their distinctive, rich voice. Influential Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia established Torres’ classic guitar as a concert instrument. Spaniard Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909) transcribed works by Bach, Mozart, and other composers and formed the basis of the concert repertory for classical guitar.
1900 to the present day: Modern guitars
When the Europeans immigrated to America, they brought a steel-stringed version of the Spanish instrument with them. German-born American guitar maker Christian Frederick Martin created the flat top guitar by replacing the old-fashioned fan-bracing version with X-bracing one to help the guitar body handle the extra stress of modern steel strings.
The creation of the archtop guitar is usually credited to Orville Gibson introduced F-holes. The arched top and back, and adjustable bridge of these guitars increase the instrument’s tone and volume. These guitars had bodies similar to cellos, which helped the instruments produce a louder sound.
The first successful magnetic pickup for a guitar was invented by George Beauchamp, along with his partner Adolph Rickenbacker in 1931 which led to the invention of the electric guitar. Around the same time, Les Paul pioneered the solid-body guitar made by Gibson Guitars and Leo Fender invented the Fender Telecaster in 1951. Together, the Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul, and Gibson SGs helped evolve the solid-body electric guitars used today.