There are different types of of instrument families. Some examples are woodwinds (Saxophones, clarinets), Brass (trumpets, french horn), and strings (violin, chello). The guitar falls under the stringed family. Guitars were made centuries ago with experimentation. At first there was the tanbur and kithara were the modern stringed instruments back in Greece and Rome that inspired the modern design of the guitar. Michael L. Issitt says that “It is believed that the word “guitar” is derived from the Greek word “kithara.” Although these ancient instruments were superficially similar to the modern guitar, they are more closely related to the harp”(Issitt.)
In Europe, the Arabic oud and European lute are said the be direct ancestors of the guitar and were both very common back in Europe around 700 CE. “Luthiers” were the name given to people who made lutes, but is now known for a person who crafts any stringed instrument. There was also the vihuela. Developed in Spain, it was another stringed instrument that was common in Europe by the fifteenth century. The vihuela was different then the lute though since lutes were played by plucking the strings one by one, but the vihuela strings were able to be strummed.
After luthiers experimented with lutes, vihuelas, and many more, they had a basic design down. It was two types of designs. The guitarra morisca, and the guitarra latina. Luthiers kept changing a thing or two over the years and by the 1800s, luthiers from Spain and Italy created a design to modern classical guitars. Issitt says that “In the 1920s, engineers George Beauchamp and John Dopyera created a new method for amplifying guitars by using aluminum disks to resonate sound from the strings.”(Issitt). This new invention became popular with country and blues artists. These artists then started playing slide guitar, which became quite popular.
Beauchamp kept experimenting and started using electric currents to amplify the sound of the guitar. He then teamed up with Paul Barth, an engineer, and Harry Watson, a craftsman. Together they made the first electric guitar and was called the “Frying Pan.” It became very popular and led to a new type of style for the guitar. Continuing to the present, advancements in guitar amplification are still being made. Guitars are a key part in music today’s modern music and hits. Genres like classical, rock, blues, and country all use guitar and don’t plan on stopping now.
Source Citation: Issitt, Micah L. “Playing Guitar.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2015. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-sfor.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=100259149&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Guitar Blog 