Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
history of the guitar
essay on the history of the guitar
the development of guitar in the 20th century
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: history of the guitar
History and Influences of the Guitar
My paper will be discussing the history, culture, and influences of guitar throughout the ages. This will be going back to the time of the lute and rebec as they were all early forms of string instruments related to the guitar family. This is going through the beginning of the instrument’s time, throughout the different time periods, elaborating on its significance in music.
The guitar is a well-known instrument and staple in the music industry in all genres of music. Through the twang of country and ripping solos in rock, the guitar is usually the glue of any major piece of music. To see how the guitar has become a key factor in music and a symbol of Americana we will have to look at the history. The guitar was not always as significant as it has come to be in the 21st century. Its sister instruments were introduced in the 12th century, but the guitar, itself cannot be traced back earlier than the 15th century. “The guitar, another old instrument dating back at least to the Middle Ages, probably originating in the Middle East.”(Machlis p. 52). One can see the similarities through the early musical accompaniments. “The beginnings of the European guitar are unknown. Scholars disagree as to whether the guitar, like the lute, was introduced to medieval Europe from the Middle East, or if it was indigenous to Europe” (Bouqet Web). The guitar is present until the 15th century, but before then its sister instruments will begin the string instruments’ roots.
Guitar-like instruments began only being used for accompanied, impromptu parts for secular music. This was seen throughout in the minstrels and troubadours that used them to travel from town to town performing. “Some of the early guitar-like st...
... middle of paper ...
...e big band era of the 1930s; the Gibson Super 400 was widely imitated. In 1952, Gibson introduced its first solid-body electric guitar, the Les Paul which became its most popular guitar to date— designed by Ted McCarty and Les Paul” (Hall).
Some modern day guitar gods are John Mayer, John Petrucci, and Paul Gilbert. These men have kept the legend ongoing with the technicality of playing guitar. John Petrucci and Paul Gilbert are electric guitar gods who focus on the mechanics of playing, creating new innovating skills to master hard songs. John Mayer is a personal favorite who has a prominent sound in the secular world of music with his slow electric and acoustic sounds.
This will be shown through some of my sources including the music recording of the Baroque Music for Guitars. Overall, the general idea is the evolution of the guitar, itself, as an instrument.
There are certain musicians that come along that shift a culture, attitude, or future musicians. Another musician that went on influence future generations and considered one of the greatest guitar players in the world is Eddie Van Halen.
Smith, Douglas Alton. A History of the Lute from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Massechusetts: The Lute Society of America, Inc., 2002.
Music has evolved too many different forms that we recognize today. We trace this development throughout time. Beginning in the middle ages, we have seen advancement from the Gregorian chant all the way to the Jazz of the 20th century. The current events, politics, religion, technology and composers can shape musical eras during time. Here I will look at the middle ages, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and twentieth century periods. I hope that a better understanding can be reached to why, when, where and who are the reasons for musical evolution.
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie, 20 vols. (London: Macmillan, 1980)16: 752-774
Art Menius said, “The African-American music of the rural south provided the source for gospel, jazz, and blues, while the often ignored black contribution to country music and hillbilly music went far beyond providing the banjo and Charley Pride.” In 1928, A.P. Carter, the patriarch of the legendary Carter Family, the first family of country music, met a blues guitarist by the name of Lesley “Esley” Riddle. Lesley Riddle had created a unique picking and sliding technique on the guitar while he was recovering from an accident on the job. The Carter Family was looking for a new sound of music, and they were so overwhelmed by the sound that Lesley produced, they wanted him to teach them how to play that way. Lesley Riddle influenced Maybelle Carter’s style of guitar playing called the “Carter Scratch,” which became legendary. According to birthplaceofcountrymusic.org, Riddle’s influe...
Smith, Isabel. “History of Music.” Stories of Rock and Roll Music from 1950s Ed. New York: Plume, 1989. 87-95.
Burkholder, Peter J., Donald Jay Grout, Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 2010. Print.
Kamien, Roger. "Part VI: The Romantic Period." Music: An Appreciation. 10th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2008. 257-350. Print.
Burkholder, J. Peter, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A history of western music. 8th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010. Print.
Musician in the Middle Ages." In Women Making Music: The Western Art Tradition, 1150-1950. Jane Bowers and Judith Tick, eds. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1986, pp. 15-38.
Aptly named the Rock & Roll Generation, the 1950's saw the birth and rise to prominence of rock-n-roll and rockabilly (an early style of rock-n-roll). However, this musical revolution would never have been possible without the invention of the electric guitar by Les Paul in 1952 (1). The solid-body electric guitar produced a distinct sound unlike any other instrument during that time; as a result, it was this unique sound that rock-n-roll music developed its entire foundation upon. Today, Les Paul’s guitar (now owned by the popular guitar company Gibson) remains one of the most famous electric guitars not just in the America, but also in the world, along with the Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster. With the advent of the electric guitar, Carl Perkins was a pioneer in the establishment of rock music, and his particular ...
Music has shaped the lives of people throughout history. Even in its earliest forms, music has included use of instruments. One of the oldest musical instruments known is a variation of the flute; the original flute is thought to date back nearly 67,000 years ago. Tonight we are going to move throughout the eras with a history of instrumental music. This concert will begin with the Renaissance Era and continue through time until we have reached modern instrumental music.
After years, instruments started looking more and more like the guitar. The first instrument that started to look like the guitar was around in the 1200s-1300s. It was found in Mediterranean Europe. Sources refer to this as this as the guitarra latina. Two of the earliest forms after the guitarra latina are the lute and the vihuela. The lute is a small instrument that is shaped somewhat like a pair. It had twelve strings and a very short neck. The vihuela is shaped more like a guitar. It is larger and also has twelve strings (Chapman).
The electric guitar has greatly impacted how music was played in the past, the present, or the future. Players can be creative and achieve a great sound from the wide variety of guitars, pickups, pedals, or amps. Whatever type of music you enjoy, everyone should appreciate the importance of the electric guitar.
The most famous Bassist in the world is Sir Paul McCartney. Paul McCartney is a former band member of The Beatles. The first electric bass guitar was introduced in the 1930s by a man named Paul Tutmarc from Seattle, Washington. The first models of electric bass guitars were Model 736 Bass Fiddle. The company only made one hundred of these guitars. The electric bass guitar consists of a neck and body, and the bridge, tuners, pickups, strings, and amplification makes this instrument the backbone of a song.