Do you know these songs-”Sweet Child of Mine” by Slash, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Brian May of Queen, “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton, and “Maria Maria” by Carlos Augusto Santana Alves? People have enjoyed these songs which were made known by the some of the world’s finest guitar players. But have you ever tried asking how guitars evolved through time?
Guitars were never considered “in” during the older times, especially when the subject is about classical music. Due to this, a 19th century musician named Fernando Sor has worked hard to change the outlook of people regarding guitars, and he was able to do so. He has given guitars a better place in the world of music, such that it grew to be well-accepted today.
As previously stated, guitars have gained its vast popularity as a musical instrument. It normally comes with six strings, but you should not be surprised to find four-stringed, seven-stringed, eight-stringed, ten-stringed, eleven-stringed, twelve-stringed, and even thirteen-stringed variations.
The oldest graphical icon that perhaps represents the primary guitar features was an old carving of a Hittite bard. The Europeans have popularized this instrument in the medieval times, but it actually came from Indo-Europeans who existed 4000 years ago. Central Asians and Indian people have made guitars part of their cultural heritage, and this fact cannot be disregarded. Nevertheless, it was the European people who actually developed guitars into their finest.
Roman cithara, an instrument from Rome arrived in Spain in the year 40 AD. Moors soon brought oud, an instrument with four strings, and then Scandinavians introduced their lutssoon after. From these instruments, Spain had put guitars on its most modern form. There came two types of guitars, the Moorish and Latin. From the two, the modern guitar was patterned after Latin guitars.
The lower and middle classes of society used these guitars for leisure. Then, Spain had come up with vihuela or viola de mano which became popular among Aristocrats in the 16th century.
Though the three major types of guitars are electric, classical and acoustic, many guitar variations have already come up today. Electric guitars were especially made for the growth of popular music in the United States. These guitars give a unique sound to any song, since they can be amplified and be given effects. Acoustic guitars make a soulful song with its pure tones, while classical guitars continue to embody the distinct sounds that the baroque and romantic eras once had.
In addition, the industry now has a variety of guitar brands, including Yamaha, Taylor, and Jackson, to name a few.
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