It is very difficult to trace a line back to the exact birth
of the instrument we know as the guitar today, as there is
a lot of myth and uncertainty surrounding its origins.
This is mainly due to the fact there have been a number of
similar instruments throughout the ages. Many historians claim
the guitar originated at various points in time. Some believe
the guitar in its earliest form dates back some 4000 years,
however no-one really knows for sure. This is due to a number
of artworks that depict guitar-like instruments being used
at various times throughout history. Many ancient Egyptian
paintings portray musical instruments that could be mistaken
for the guitar.
A popular theory is that the guitar could have been invented
by the classical-era Greeks. This is due to confusion, however,
mainly with the similarity of its name with the Kithara. The
Kithara was in fact a type of harp or lyra, which bares little
resemblance with the guitar other than in name.
The guitar as we know today appears to be an ancestor of
the lute. The lute had four strings which would be plucked,
not strummed as with a guitar. The body was oval in shape
and had a rounded back. The downside of this construction
was that the lute was not a very loud instrument, meaning
it could not be played along side other instruments. Although
missing many of the elements of today’s guitar, it is an important
step in the guitars evolution.
The first written mention of the guitar as a distinct instrument
is from the 14th century. In this very early form the instrument
had three double courses (or pairs) of strings plus a single
string (tuned the highest in pitch), similar in comparison
to the lute, as mentioned earlier.
The next step was in the vihuela, which originated in Spain
sometime in the 15th century. The vihuela had a slightly ‘pinched’
waist – less pronounced than today’s guitar and a smaller
body then the lute. It also had added treble strings, again
arranged in pairs and was made to be strummed rather than
plucked as the lute was.
It wasn’t until the 16th century that the two instruments
were ‘combined’, in a manner of speaking, when an instrument
was made with a body like that of the vihuela but closer in
size to the lute.
The guitar became popular throughout Europe during the 16th
and 17th centuries and by the late 17th century a fifth course
of strings had been added below the other four. By the mid-18th
century the guitar began to take its modern form. The double
courses were changed to single strings, and a sixth string
was added above the existing five. It is very unclear whether
this took place in France or in Italy, but the resulting instrument
was very similar to that of which we know today.
The late 18th-19th century, guitar makers changed many aspects
of the instruments design. These included broadening the width
and thinning the depth of the body, increasing the curve of
the waist, and adding internal bracing – all in effort to
amplify the sound. The end result meant the guitar could now
be played along side other instruments without struggling
to compete in terms of volume.
The guitar became very popular with people because it was
a very easy instrument to learn at least a few basic chords
and songs. However, the guitar was not accepted well with
the ‘serious’ musical community, hence the reason there is
very few concertos written for the instrument – and is still
dismissed by many classically trained musicians today. In
the early 19th century, Fernando Sor became one of the most
prolific composers for, and promoters of, the guitar as a
‘concert’ instrument. It was him, and others like him, which
paved the way for Andrés Segovia to emerge and help bring
the guitar to the immense popularity it enjoys today.
The 20th century has seen the majority of the instrument’s
improvements. Firstly the strings used, which were cat gut
until that time, were replaced by metal and nylon ones. The
classical guitar was then modified to make the steel string
acoustic guitar we know today. This required additional bracing
to strengthen the body, and the introduction of the truss
rod to give support to the neck. Again this resulted in an
even louder instrument.
Many tried to amplify the sound further by electrifying the
guitar. Many of the first attempts were made by the Martin
Company in the 1930’s. It was here the invention of the magnetic
pick-up occurred. The first amplifiers came about around the
same time and were pioneered by Leo Fender.
The first ‘electric’ guitars were nothing more then existing
acoustic guitars that had been modified to include a magnetic
pick-up. This caused many problems due to the fact that they
had hollow bodies, which would resonate the sound produced
by the amp as well as the strings of the guitar – which creates
‘feedback’.
It was Les Paul that developed the first ‘solid’ bodied guitar
which he named ‘The Log’ – due to it being little more then
a plank of wood with a neck and two double coil pick-ups attached.
To make his invention more appealing he stuck two halves of
an acoustic guitar on either side, giving it a more traditional
look. He went on to sell the idea to Gibson who still produce
the ‘Les Paul’ model that you see today.
It was Leo Fender however, that really brought the electric
guitar into mass production and made it available at far less
a cost then all previous attempts (more on the Fender story
can be seen on our ‘History of Fender’ section). The first
mass production guitar was the Broadcaster, which we now know
as the Telecaster, which was released in 1948. He later went
on to design and produce the Stratocaster, in 1954, probably
the most well known electric guitar to date. Leo Fender was
also the innovator of the electric bass guitar which he invented
for live use along side the guitar, as a normal contrabass
could not compete in terms of volume - The first model being
the Fender Precision Bass.
Since then various forms of the guitar have come and gone
but the main form of the instrument has rarely differed far
from what we have seen from the 1950’s onwards. The main differences
have been in the choice of materials used in the manufacture
of the guitar. This has mainly been in the attempt of producing
increased sustain or simply due to the scarcity of certain
woods. Nowadays a complete range of guitars are available,
from the lower priced entry level models to the premium custom
shop models for all of us to enjoy, what ever our level of
ability.
About The Author
Graham Howard has written guitar and musical instrument articles
for many sites on the internet and is currently writing for
www.Soundsmusical.com,
one of the leading guitar sites on the web.
