The guitar has been with us for centuries, yet its origins are hard to trace. As a result, the history of the guitar is more popularly known in fragments than as one single story. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile exploring the evolution of this iconic instrument to better understand why it is the way it is today. The first guitars were simple chordophones that had been used in the Middle East and Asia since Roman times. By the 16th century, they had made their way over to Europe and quickly became a staple of country music and bluegrass bands. However, they did not become what we know them as until sometime in the 19th century when Spanish merchants got their hands on them through exploration and trade. Whilst there are some who believe that Leonardo da Vinci invented the electric guitar in Milan in the early 19th century (as part of his studies at the French School of Engineering), most experts concur that it was not until later in 1854 when Spanish inventor José Lángara García Lalaguna created an electric instrument based on luthier Antonio Torres’s designs for a 6-stringed criollo or national acoustic guitar.
How to Learn Guitar?
There are many ways to learn guitar. Learning by ear is one of the easiest. You can learn a lot from music that you hear, even if you can’t read the notes or chords. It’s best to just try to focus on the rhythm, and let the notes and chords come to you naturally. When you start learning to read music, you’ll find it a lot easier to make progress, and you’ll also be able to read sheet music. You’ll be able to play your favourite songs, and start learning how to write your own pieces. You can also learn guitar online. There are many free online guitar lessons, and you can find one that you like and fits into your schedule. Online guitar lessons are a great way to learn guitar when you only have one or two hours in your day that you can dedicate to learning how to play the guitar.
Classical Music and its Influence on the Development of the Guitar
Classical music was the primary inspiration for the development of the modern guitar. From the very beginning, there was a strong association between the guitar and the Baroque period, which spanned from the late 1600s to the early 1700s. It was during this time that composers like Johann Sebastian Bach (1635-1750) and Antonio Vivaldi (1612-1643) first experimented with the use of polyphonic (multiple-note) harmonies, complex rhythms, and new instrumentation. The guitar began to take on a more prominent role in the Baroque period, with composers like Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) and Arcangelo Corelli (c. 1653-1713) developing new guitar techniques and techniques that were meant to emulate the sounds of other instruments.
The Spanish Guitar
The next major step in the development of the modern guitar was the arrival of the vihuela (Spanish for “little guitar”), a smaller version of the classical guitar that was able to produce the same range of notes. One of the earliest known vihuela compositions is “Suite in E Minor” by Spanish composer Luis Milan (c. 1670). The vihuela was hugely popular in Spain and was used in practically every genre of music from folk to classical. Eventually, the vihuela was replaced by the guitarra morisca (Almohad guitar), which was invented in the late 1700s and had a wider neck and a range of four octaves (G to B). Spanish culture played a huge role in the development of the guitar, as it was brought to the New World and disseminated throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The British Guitar
The British guitar is distinctly different from the Spanish guitar in terms of tuning, construction and repertoire. First, consider the tuning. The British guitar typically uses a tuning system in which the highest pitched string (the G string) is tuned higher than the other strings, so that it becomes an octave higher than the E string. Secondly, consider the construction. In contrast to the Spanish guitar, the British guitar is typically constructed with a single carved wooden body and a neck of frets (stops) instead of a fretless wooden neck. Last, consider the repertoire. The British guitar is primarily associated with classical and jazz music. In fact, the guitar became so associated with classical music that the British guitar is sometimes referred to as the “violin guitar.”
German Guitar
Developed primarily in Germany, the German guitar is similar to the British guitar in terms of tuning and repertoire, but it is often constructed with an ebony fretboard. It is also typically tuned in a system of “German tuning,” in which the strings are tuned by adjusting the G string at the highest pitch. In contrast to the Spanish guitar, the German guitar has no tradition of being associated with folk music. The German guitar is most commonly associated with the Romantic era, although it was popular well into the 20th century. Many guitarists believe that the German guitar is the best guitar to learn on, because it is relatively easy to play while retaining a lot of tonal variety.
American Guitar Development – The Transition from Blues to Rock & Roll
When the Spanish guitar made its way to the New World, it was initially associated with American folk music. However, it was not until the early 1900s when African American blues was popularised that the Spanish guitar became associated with blues music. The blues guitar can be traced back to the mid-to-late 19th century when African American musicians like Blind Joe Miller (c. 1820-1909) and the Mississippi Delta musician Robert Johnson began developing new techniques for playing the guitar. In particular, Johnson is known for developing a style in which the melody was played on the top three strings and the bass part played on the bottom three strings. Over time, this evolved into a style in which the melody was played on the higher strings and the bass part played on the lower strings.
Modern Day Guitars: A Brief History of Popular Types and their Developmental Roots
Today’s most popular guitar types are the electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and the acoustic/electric hybrid. While the electric guitar was developed in the late 19th century, it really became popular in the early 20th century with pioneers like Les Paul (1916-2009) and the development of solid body electric guitars. These guitars were developed to have a great amount of sustain, which meant that they could be used to play long notes without them being broken up by feedback. Electric guitars are typically constructed with solid wood bodies, solid wood necks, and solid wood fretboards, although some models have a plywood body and fretboard, which reduces feedback. In terms of acoustic/electric hybrid guitars, this type was first developed in the late 1930s, although they were not as popular until the mid-1990s. These types of guitars are typically constructed with an acoustic guitar body and an electric guitar fretboard, which gives them a lot of tonal variety.