The History of Guitar




  •            The Word "Guitar"


    • The English word “guitar” comes from the Spanish words “guitarra”. Before this, the word most likely formed from the Latin word “cithara” and an ancient Sanskrit “tar”, which meant string.

       

      Ancient Guitars


    • The oldest surviving ancestor of the guitar today can be found in Egypt. A performer named Har-Mose used this instrument to entertain the Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut around 3,500 years ago.

       


    • The most formidable and popular predecessor to the guitar is known as the Lute. This instrument came to Europe between the 6th and 9th century during the time of the Crusades. This instrument had a pear-shaped body, a rounded back made from separate strips of wood, and a bent-back peg box. During the Renaissance era, the lute was the most popular instrument in the Western world. This became the symbol of the magic and power of music.

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    • Lute Photo
      http://www.yourdictionary.com/lute

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      Antonio de Torres Jurado

    • In the 1800’s a luthier from Spain name Antonia de Torres Jurado had a new vision for the instrument. Torres started constructing guitars in a similar fashion to the modern classical and acoustic guitars. Nearly all of today’s guitars are derivatives or alterations of the guitars that Torres designed and built. 

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      Antonio de Torres
                                              Jurado
      https://kokyjabn.wordpress.com/category/aprendiendo/page/11/



Electric Guitars

The electric guitar was invented in the United States in the 1930’s. the First patent for this instrument was awarded to George Beauchamp for a guitar he fashioned with his partner Adolph Rickenbacker in 1931. Nearly twenty years later, Leo Fender invented the Fender Telecaster. This guitar, along with the Gibson Les Paul, and the Gibson SG would make the solid body electric guitar hugely popular.    


 
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