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Things That You Should Know About a Guitar   by Ewen Chia

The guitar have influenced in most of the music that you hear on the radio in many different ways: pop, rock, reggae, blues, ballads and everything else. The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments today.

The guitar is not 'picky' about its player. A guitar can be played by a learning child or an experienced guitar player. The guitar, together with the drums and the piano compose the modern music scene equipment set.

With the popularity of a guitar, one can't help thinking about the beginnings of the instrument. Where did the guitar come from? This article tries to give a brief history of the wonderful musical instrument, which is the guitar.

Guitar image has undergone change throughout the centuries. You will be surprised that in the early times, the guitar was actually a symbol of being poor and it was refuted by most classical musicians. Today, playing the guitar is a symbol of talent and musical prowess.

Predecessors

The very first documented mention of the instrument dates back to the fourteenth century. At that time the guitar-ancestor had three pairs of strings (usually referred to as double courses) and a single string with the highest tone. Actually, there have been many guitar-like musical instruments in the ancient times, up to as many as 5,000 years ago. Instruments which look like the guitar were seen in statues which were recovered in archeological expeditions in the Iranian region of Susa.

However, some say that the word "guitar" came from the word "qitara". Qitara is an Arabic name for the different kinds of lutes during the early times.

Evolution

It is believed that the people of Malaga invented the guitar. That is why, a lot of people said that the guitar to originate in Spain. The guitar evolved from having three pairs of strings to four pairs of strings and eventually six single strings.

It was in the 16th century, the guitar began become popular. It was played by the lower and middle classes as a counterpart for the vihuela which was played by the aristocrats. The vihuela was tuned like a lute but had a body similar to that of the guitar.

The guitar made a serious evolution during the 18th century: the double strings where replaced by single strings and a sixth string was added. In the 1800s, Antonio Torres de Jurado gave birth to the classical guitar. Basically, he increased the size of the body of the guitar. The guitar still struggled because it was considered as an instrument for the taverns - an instrument which could not be used for classical music. In Spain, where people hated the piano, the guitar found refuge. However, it was also tainted by the views that guitars were for gypsies and for no-good bums who asked for loose change in bars.

The guitar is a very dynamic musical instrument. Through evolution, the guitar has made its mark on the modern music scene. From crude instruments with many variations, the guitar has become a real and much-sought after instrument.

About the Author

To learn more about guitar playing, grab your copy of "Play Your Guitar In 48 Hours Or Less!" immediately before it's gone for good... http://www.GuitarGuide.com