History of the Guitars

The classical guitar has a long history that goes back thousands of years. Some historians believe the guitar came from the Arabic oud, which was brought to Spain by the Moors in the 700s. However, writer Maurice J. Summerfield argues that the guitar may actually come from an even older Roman instrument called the cithara, which itself developed from earlier instruments used by the Hittites around 1400 BC.

Over time, different cultures influenced the guitar’s design. In medieval Spain, there were two main types of guitars: the guitarra morisca, which had Moorish influence, and the guitarra latina, which looked more like today’s guitar.

In the late 1400s, a larger instrument called the vihuela became popular in Spain and Portugal. It had more strings and was used in royal courts. Later, simpler guitars with four and five string pairs became more common because they were easier to play and tune.

By the late 1700s and early 1800s, guitars began to look much more like modern classical guitars. Builders added six single strings, stronger necks, machine tuners, and wooden supports inside the guitar to improve sound quality.

The biggest improvements came in the 1800s from Spanish guitar maker Antonio Torres Jurado. He made the guitar body larger and improved the inside design, giving the guitar a louder, richer sound. His work helped create the modern classical guitar that musicians still use today.

Ancient Links to the Guitar

The guitar is one of the oldest musical instruments and existed long before instruments like the piano, violin, or organ. Early versions of guitar-like instruments were used in many ancient cultures across Asia and the Middle East.

The Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all played stringed instruments by plucking the strings with their fingers. Archaeologists also found clay plaques from ancient Babylonia dating back to about 1900 – 1800 BC that show people playing instruments similar to guitars. These instruments had a body and neck like modern guitars and were probably flat-backed instead of bowl-shaped. The pictures also show musicians plucking the strings with their hands.

Similar guitar-like instruments have also been discovered in ancient places such as Assyria, Susa, and Luristan, showing that stringed instruments were important in many early civilizations.

The Middle Ages – Europe

During the time of the Carolingian Dynasty in Europe, people played an early string instrument that may have come from France or Germany. It had a rectangular shape with a rounded top where the strings were attached. Most versions had four or five strings, which musicians played using either their fingers or a small tool called a plectrum. This instrument stayed popular until the 1300s.

Around the same time, a newer type of instrument appeared with curved sides instead of straight ones. Pictures and carvings of these guitar-shaped instruments have been found in old cathedrals in England, France, and Spain.

In medieval Spain, there were two main types of guitars: the Guitarra Morisca and the Guitarra Latina. The Guitarra Morisca was brought by the Moors and had an oval body with many sound holes. The Guitarra Latina had curved sides and looked more like today’s guitar. Historians believe it eventually developed into the modern guitar.

The influence of Arab culture in Spain helped the guitar grow and spread. Traveling musicians called troubadours also helped make the guitar popular by carrying it across Europe as they traveled and performed.

The 16th Century

Before the 1500s, most information about guitars came from paintings and sculptures. By the 16th century, real instruments and written music began to survive, giving historians better evidence about early guitars.

In Spain, an instrument called the vihuela became very popular. It looked similar to a guitar but had six pairs of strings. At the time, the lute was the favorite instrument in most of Europe, but many Spaniards disliked it because they connected it with the Moors, who had ruled parts of Spain. Instead, Spanish musicians improved the guitar by making it larger and adding more strings. This new instrument became the vihuela.

The vihuela had six pairs of gut strings, twelve frets, and was larger than a modern guitar. One famous vihuela player was Luis de Milán, who published important music books in the 1500s. Music for the vihuela was written using tablature, a system that showed players where to place their fingers on the strings.

The 1500s became known as the golden age of vihuela music in Spain.

The Four-String Guitar

During the 1500s, the four-string guitar also became more popular. Musicians in Spain, Italy, France, and England wrote music for it. Composers such as Alonso Mudarra helped make the instrument more respected by writing serious music for it.

At the same time, more books of guitar music were published across Europe, showing that guitar playing was growing in popularity.

The Five-String Guitar

By the late 1500s, the five-string guitar began replacing the four-string guitar. It first became popular in Italy and later spread across Europe.

The tuning of the five-string guitar was almost the same as the top five strings of today’s modern guitar. This made the instrument more flexible and better for playing complex music.

The 17th Century

In the 1600s, the guitar became very popular among kings, nobles, and musicians throughout Europe.

King Louis XIV loved the guitar and learned from famous guitarist Robert de Visée. Many beautiful and highly decorated guitars were built during this time.

Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal all became important centers for guitar music and guitar making.

One famous Spanish guitarist was Gaspar Sanz. He wrote books teaching both strumming and finger-plucking techniques. His work helped improve guitar playing and music education.

In Italy, the guitar became extremely popular. Italian musicians developed fingerstyle playing, which replaced simple chord strumming. Famous guitarist Francesco Corbetta traveled across Europe performing concerts and spreading guitar music.

The 18th Century

In the 1700s, the guitar continued to improve and spread across Europe. Germany and France became important centers for guitar music.

The lute became very difficult to play because it had too many strings, so more musicians switched to the simpler guitar.

One of the biggest changes was the addition of the sixth string. By the late 1700s, the six-string guitar became standard and started to look much more like the modern classical guitar.

Builders also improved the guitar by:

• enlarging the body,
• adding metal frets,
• strengthening the neck,
• and improving the soundboard.

Famous composers and performers such as Luigi Boccherini wrote music for the guitar and helped make it more respected.

The 19th Century

The 1800s were a major turning point for the guitar. The six-string guitar became popular worldwide, and great performers helped make it a serious concert instrument.

One important guitarist was Mauro Giuliani, who performed across Europe and wrote many guitar pieces.

Another major figure was Fernando Sor, one of the greatest guitarists of the Romantic era. He wrote hundreds of works and an important book about guitar technique.

Spanish guitarist Francisco Tárrega greatly improved modern guitar technique. He also wrote many famous pieces and helped make the guitar more expressive and artistic.

At the same time, guitar maker Antonio Torres Jurado redesigned the guitar by making the body larger and improving the inside bracing. His designs became the model for the modern classical guitar.

The 20th Century

In the 1900s, the guitar became one of the world’s most popular instruments. Radio, television, recordings, and air travel helped musicians share guitar music around the world.

One of the most important guitarists of the century was Andrés Segovia. He helped make classical guitar respected in concert halls and inspired many composers to write new music for the instrument.

Other famous guitarists included:

• Narciso Yepes
• Julian Bream
• John Williams

These musicians helped spread classical guitar music worldwide.

The Electric Guitar

In the 1900s, musicians wanted guitars that could play louder. This led to the invention of the electric guitar.

Inventors such as Leo Fender and Les Paul helped create solid-body electric guitars that reduced feedback and produced stronger sound.

Companies like Fender and Gibson introduced famous models such as the Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Les Paul guitars, which became some of the most influential guitars in music history.