The Guitar Story Briefly Told
The guitar is arguably the world's most recognizable instrument. It is no doubt assisted by its 4000 year lineage. Many times, you will hear that the guitar was an offspring of the lute which is a four-stringed instrument that originated in ancient Greece. However, as told by Dr. Michael Kasha in his article, A New Look at The History of the Classic Guitar published in 1968, this widely held view is false. The guitar is similar to the lute, but like so much of the music that has been created by this incredible instrument, the guitar was a breed of its own.
So where did the guitar originate if not from the lute? For you vintage lovers, try your hand at a 3500 year old instrument belonging to Egyptian singer Har-Mose. Her guitar was called a tanbur and had 3 strings. It can be seen today in Cairo, at the Archaeological Museum.
Alright, fast-forward a couple of thousand years. The guitar made its way to Europe via Egypt and Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). Europeans began experimenting with the number of strings, from three to five being painted in medieval transcripts and other images showing this development were carved into churches from the age of Rome through the Middle Ages.
As occurred within science and literature, the guitar saw rapid development during the Renaissance. That sixth string was finally added in the 17th century and it quickly gained favor over any previous style. By the early 1800s, the modern guitar as we see it today had begun to take shape, albeit with a smaller body.
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A brief history of the guitar
The guitar is arguably the world's most recognizable instrument. It is no doubt assisted by its 4000 year lineage. Many times, you will hear that the guitar was an offspring of the lute which is a four-stringed instrument that originated in ancient Greece. However, as told by Dr. Michael Kasha in his article, A New Look at The History of the Classic Guitar published in 1968, this widely held view is false. The guitar is similar to the lute, but like so much of the music that has been created by this incredible instrument, the guitar was a breed of its own.
So where did the guitar originate if not from the lute? For you vintage lovers, try your hand at a 3500 year old instrument belonging to Egyptian singer Har-Mose. Her guitar was called a tanbur and had 3 strings. It can be seen today in Cairo, at the Archaeological Museum.
Alright, fast-forward a couple of thousand years. The guitar made its way to Europe via Egypt and Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). Europeans began experimenting with the number of strings, from three to five being painted in medieval transcripts and other images showing this development were carved into churches from the age of Rome through the Middle Ages.
As occurred within science and literature, the guitar saw rapid development during the Renaissance. That sixth string was finally added in the 17th century and it quickly gained favor over any previous style. By the early 1800s, the modern guitar as we see it today had begun to take shape, albeit with a smaller body.
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