(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

History of the Guitar


Still many of the early guitars look more like ukuleles than guitars. But over time they began to emerge into the modern guitar. ("History of the Guitar").
             It's no wonder that for many centuries the guitar and its relatives were among the most popular instruments in the world. In fact, in the 1600's, it was customary to keep a guitar hanging in a barbershop so that customers could strum away the time until it was their turn for a haircut. ("Some Guitar History") .
             A decline in popularity of the guitar among in Europe came with the introduction of the grand piano. The musical range of both instruments is comparable and both can accompany themselves simultaneously with melody and baseline. But because of the louder sound of the piano, its relative easiness to learn, and its physical size made it the instrument of choice in the mid 1800s. ("History of the Guitar").
             The guitar did survive though because the peasants couldn't afford the piano. So the guitar was seen as a poor man's instrument for many years. ("History of the Guitar").
             Here are some of the features of older guitars that have given way to the instruments we now have. .
             The earliest "guitars" didn't have six strings. They had anywhere from 3 to 20 strings. It's not known why we decided on six or why the tuning developed the way it did over time. Today's guitars have a single set of 6 individual strings. ("History of the Guitar").
             The interiors of today's guitars are also much different than they were earlier. Early struts were designed only to keep the soundboard straight and prevent the neck from pulling forward. They did not serve to distribute the vibrations from the strings evenly. Also our guitars have one circular, open hole. Earlier instruments were much more of an art, with multiple holes in various positions on the soundboard even though it created a more muffled sound. ("Some Guitar History") Another difference is that we tune our guitars with polished steel gears on an open gearbox.


Essays Related to History of the Guitar


Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question