Guitar
The guitar is a versatile stringed musical instrument primarily made of wood, characterized by its main body, sound hole, and a series of strings that are plucked or strummed to produce music. Modern guitars come in various forms, including acoustic, electric, classical, and Spanish guitars, each suited to different musical styles and techniques. The choice of string material—nylon or steel—affects the sound quality, with nylon often associated with classical music and steel linked to genres like rock and country. The guitar has a rich history, believed to have originated in the Near East and later developed in Europe, particularly in Spain during the Renaissance.
Over the centuries, the guitar has evolved in shape and design, gaining popularity in concert halls and music schools throughout the 20th century, thanks in part to influential artists like Andres Segovia and Jimi Hendrix. Today's guitarists display a wide range of skills, from classical to contemporary styles, contributing to the instrument's ongoing relevance in modern music. Additionally, the cultural significance of the guitar is highlighted by the high value of instruments owned by famous musicians, with notable sales reaching millions at auctions. Aspiring players should consider their musical preferences and the specific type of guitar they wish to learn, as each style requires different techniques and approaches.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Guitar
A guitar is a musical instrument formed out of wood with strings pulled taut and plucked. A modern guitar is shaped with a main body and a sound hole to provide acoustics. Strings, differing in numbers, extend from the bridge to the head, over the fretboard. The manipulation of fingers, pressed or lifted, and placed in specific coordinations for the musical courses (four unison-tuned pairs of strings) creates the alternative melodic tones. The way the strings are plucked or strummed provides the musical sounds and rhythms. Strings may be nylon or steel. Nylon is associated with classical guitars and classical music predominantly, although it is a popular choice for other music styles as well. Steel is usually connected to rock and country music, but may be a personal preference of the guitarist either way. Electric, acoustic, Spanish, and classical guitars are some of the modern-day varieties. The technical method of playing different types of guitars changes according to the category. Although the instrument and courses may appear similar, the application and methodology are not.
Background
The origin of the guitar appears to be located in the Near East during ancient times. Used as a musical accompaniment to poetry or song, the guitar may have been preceded by similar plucking instruments. The classical guitar is believed to derive from the lute.
Spain became the center where guitars found expression as musical instruments during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The Moors introduced a guitara morisca, while a guitara latina, a European guitar, emerged from Spain. During the Renaissance, the vihuela, a larger instrument than the four-chord double-string guitar, was the six-chord instrument of choice of the nobility. The vihuela did not last long; instead, the guitar became popular, particularly in France. The latter part of the 1500s saw the transformation of the guitar to a decorative design with an added string. Plucking, strumming, and melodic harmonious playing contributed to the musical styles of guitar compositions at the time. By the eighteenth century, a sixth string was added and the shape changed, in some ways resembling a smaller version of the modern guitar. The turn of the nineteenth century, often described as the golden age of the guitar, is synonymous with the instrument's heightened popularity in Paris, Vienna, and later London. Thereafter, a waning in interest occurred as the piano overtook musicians' choice, with the guitar relegated to a poetic or song-accompanying instrument. The guitar was reestablished as a concert hall-worthy performance piece in the twentieth century, with numerous virtuoso artists and composers responsible for the rise in popularity. Moreover, the guitar took its place, together with the piano or violin, as a valuable instrument to study in universities and specialized schools of music.
Key figures in the realm of guitar playing who affected twentieth-century artists and composers include Spain's Francisco Tarrega and Antonio de Torres, from the way of sitting while playing as well as the construction of the instrument. Tarrega's student, Andres Segovia, was hailed as the twentieth century's most famous guitarist, promoting the guitar to its current status. Guitarists flourished through the late 1900s and into the twenty-first century, which continues to see exceptional performances and skills in playing and composition.
Guitar Today
While the locational origin of the guitar is disputed to have arrived in Europe via the Middle East or whether it was there from earlier times, from the Renaissance onward, types of guitar-like instruments were widely found. Appearing in literary and art contexts, the plucking-stringed instruments included variations such as the citole, vihuela, mandore, and lute. A guitar bearing resemblance to the modern guitar was first seen in the fifteenth century. At first smaller than current models, the instrument went through numerous variations pertaining to shape, strings, and courses.
Choice of guitar depends on age (and relative size), musical preference, and personal choice. Budding artists are advised to carefully consider their intended purpose for playing and to pay attention to choosing the guitar style they wish to play. Buying an acoustic guitar when one's intention is to play electric will not be advantageous. In addition, it is important to be cognizant of the fact that different skills are required to play an electric, acoustic, or classical guitar, each requiring a different skill set and modus operandi. Moreover, it is important not to rush into buying the cheapest guitar, nor for that matter the most expensive, and to avoid catchy offers that may not serve the purchaser's purpose.
The choice of guitar correlates to the preference for playing a particular type of music. Although there is a certain interchangeability and experimentation possible, in general, classical, acoustic, and electric guitars cater to different needs. The nylon strings of most classical guitars produce a more mellow sound. Steel strings of electric and acoustic guitars lend themselves to (electric) rock music and (acoustic) styles such as pop, jazz, or blues and some rock. Finger dexterity and ways of adjusting courses are some of the changes pertaining to playing different guitar types.
In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine's David Fricke published a list of the one hundred greatest guitarists. His top ten included: Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, Ry Cooder, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the rock and roll legend Chuck Berry, blues singer and player Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Duane Allman, and at number one, Jimi Hendrix. From his virtuoso playing skills to setting his guitar on fire, Hendrix went from loud to lyrical to sensational within a single performance. The untimely death of Prince in 2016 yielded further tributes to his guitar expertise, with some comparing his skills to Hendrix. CNN attributed his 2004 two-minute solo performed at the posthumous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Beatles' guitarist George Harrison as being his greatest guitar solo ever.
The sale of guitars once played by famous guitarists made headlines during the twenty-first century, as prices for such instruments soared at auctions. One of the most expensive guitars recorded occurred in 2013 when Bob Dylan's Fender Stratocaster (which he had played at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival) was auctioned by Christie's for $965,000. The buyer remained anonymous. In 2004, Eric Clapton's Fender guitar (called "Blackie"), which he played during the 1970s, sold for $959,500. Purchased by the US chain The Guitar Center, proceeds of the sale benefited Clapton's Crossroads addiction clinic in Antigua. Those sales were soon superseded in the 2020s by several high-profile guitar purchases, including the D-18E played by Kurt Cobain during his infamous MTV Unplugged performance in 1992, purchased for over $6 million in 2020, and John Lennon's Framus Hootenanny, purchased at auction in 2024 for $2.8 million, among other high-priced sales.
Bibliography
Doyle, Patrick. “Eric Clapton Talks Hendrix, Cream and Guitars at Home: Premiere.” Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2013, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eric-clapton-talks-hendrix-cream-and-guitars-at-home-premiere-234567/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
Fricke, David. “100 Greatest Guitarists: David Fricke’s Picks.” Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2010, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-guitarists-153675/david-fricke-153678/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
Gardner, Josh. "The 15 Most Expensive Guitars Sold at Auction." Guitar.com, 6 June 2024, guitar.com/features/the-15-most-expensive-auction-guitars/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
“The Guitar.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/guit/hd‗guit.htm. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
“A History of the Guitar.” GuitarSite, www.guitarsite.com/history-of-the-guitar/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
“How to Choose a Guitar.” FirstGuitar, www.firstguitar.com/how-to-choose-a-guitar/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
“Instruments in Depth: Classical Guitar.” Bloomingdale School of Music, www.bsmny.org/exploring-music/classical-guitar/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
MacDonald, Steven. History of Guitars. www.historyofguitars.com/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
Reed, Ryan. “Bob Dylan’s Newport Guitar Sells for Nearly a Million Bucks.” Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2013, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bob-dylans-newport-guitar-sells-for-nearly-a-million-bucks-234567/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.