Guitar History
The history of the guitar is intriguing, because the exact origin of the guitar is still indefinite. Today, archaeologists believe the guitar evolved from either the Greek cithara, the Persian sitar, or the Chaldean quitarra. Just remember that these instruments are far different than the instrument we recognize and play today. They are all stringed instruments and may provide the foundation from which the idea for the guitar came from.
The modern day guitar is also a stringed instrument that most likely developed in Spain during the early sixteenth century. This initial guitar derived from the guitarra latina, which was a late-medieval instrument having four strings and a waisted body. The earliest guitars were more narrow and deeper than guitars that are played today. Another difference was a less pronounced waist than what you see now. The original guitar was quite similar to the vihuela, which was the guitar-shaped instrument in Spain that replaced the lute.
The guitar began with four courses of strings with the three lower strings being doubled, and the top was single. These strings ran from the a pegbox to a tension bridge that was glued to the belly or soundboard. Thus, the bridge was responsible for maintaining the pull of the strings. Around 1600, a flat, partially reflexed head with rear tuning pegs would take the place of this pegbox. A circular sound hole adorned with an ornately carved wooden flower had its placement on the belly of the guitar. The guitar was originally shared the same center four courses' tuning as the lute and the vihuela. It would not be until around 1800 that this tuning and other aspects would change. In the sixteenth century, the popularity of the guitar would grow as interest in the lute and vihuela declined. Unfortunately, it would remain an amateur's instrument the 1600's to the early 1800's with only a few virtuoso guitarist being noted throughout those years.
Over the next 300 years from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, many altercations were made to the guitar. One change included a fifth course being added to the original four. It would be late in the eighteenth century, nearly two hundred years after the fifth course had been added, that a sixth course would be added and double courses were replaced by single strings. Single strings tuned to today's standards. Originally, the fingerboard of the guitar ended at the belly and was even with the belly. Several ivory or metal frets were put directly on the belly. These built-on metal or ivory frets replaced the tied-on gut frets.
In the nineteenth century, the guitar evolved along with the world. These innovations were mainly the works of master luthier Antonio Torres. The fingerboard was lifted a tad above the level of the guitar's belly and stretched across the belly to the edge of the sound hole. Metal screws took the place of the tuning pegs, and the guitar's body began to change in order to increase resonance and sonority. This resulted in a much slimmer soundboard, and a wider, but shallower body. The neck of the guitar was now formed into a brace, that projected a small distance within the guitar body was glued to the back,w hich provided for increased stability against the string pull. Before, the neck was set in a wooden block. Inside the guitar changed as did the outside. Radial bars fanned out beneath the sound hole thus replacing the transverse bars that reinforced the soundboard. Strung with three metal-sprung silk strings and three gut strings, the instrument that arose from these changes was the classical guitar. Plastic and nylon would later replace the gut strings.
To be continued...