History of the Guitar

A guitar is a musical instrument, savored by any music lover. It looks stylish, and produces great sound quality, which makes a song sound simply magical. This wondrous musical instrument is the combination of various woods fitted together, and was once strung with animal guts; however, the guitar strings of today are either made of nylon or steel.

The history of guitar is shrouded in much controversy. The instrument was not directly invented as we understand today. The first origins of the stringed instrument are not well-defined in the history pages. Some theories show a similarity of the instrument with a Greek instrument called the 'kithara', while many argue that the long neck with the curved body at the rear resembles drawings depicted on the walls of the tombs of Egypt.

The instrument was first discovered in the lands of Spain, and was invented by the people of the Malaga region. History holds an interesting tale to narrate. The story of the guitar's origin can be traced back to the latter half of the 13th century, when the Arabs brought with them the long-necked instrument while passing through Egypt on their way to Spain and North Africa. At that time, it was known as the "Guitarra Morsica," and has been the display of many artworks.

Initially, the Spaniards were not so interested in the instrument, but later, they started to perfect the "guitarra" with four strings. The guitar structure was made in such a manner that it could not easily play any complex or polyphonic music. Gradually, the guitar became a more modern instrument associated with six strings, which came to be known as the "vihuela". Still today, many of the popular compositions played on the strings are resultant of what evolved in the 16th century, and also of the vihuela players.

The five-stringed guitar also emerged during the 16th century, but its popularity spread during the 17th century. This special form of the guitar was used mainly for bright and high-pitched music. Many professional guitarists felt the urge to create the loveliest music, which led to the desire to compose a variety of melodious music on the stringed instrument.

In the 18th century, the "chitarra battente" was developed. This was another form of the modern guitar as it is known today. This special form of the guitar was used mostly for developing folk music. Musicians at the time started to experiment with the various forms of music that could be transformed on the strings. However, a great revolution of guitar music started in the middle of the 18th century. Guitarists found that they required bass notes on the strings to bring out the extra effect of music. It is at this time that the influence of the Baroque guitar is seen, and the form of guitar seen today is the exact evolution of this Baroque guitar.

The 19th century witnessed the birth of many renowned guitarists. During the first period of the 19th century, the instrument did contribute much to the realm of music. Antonio de Torres, the popular guitarist, improved the musical instrument by altering the design, thus improving on the music. Next came Segovia, who gave guitar music a new edge. As a result, guitar music changed over the years and became more enchanting to the ears.