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History of the guitar
Essay on the history of the guitar
The development of guitar in the 20th century
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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...
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...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.
Howard, John Tasker, and George Kent Bellows. A Short History of Music in America. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1957. 342-3. Print.
Although its initial peak of success occurred in 1956, rock and roll had been developing since 1951. The introduction of the 45 rpm disc, transistor radio, and television; and finally, its lively, upbeat sound all contributed to the success of rock and roll(Peterson, 102- 104). The “baby boomer” generation after the Second World War, was a major influence on the success of rock and roll. Unlike their parents, this g...
Started out as an avid fan of artists such as Michael J. Fox, Freddie and Albert King and Lightnin' Hopkins, John Mayer is known to have played songs with the guidance of his talent in guitar playing. The gifted artist has continued
Smith, Douglas Alton. A History of the Lute from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Massechusetts: The Lute Society of America, Inc., 2002.
Smith, Isabel. “History of Music.” Stories of Rock and Roll Music from 1950s Ed. New York: Plume, 1989. 87-95.
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 ...
When addressing Guitar and his ways of actions, and looking towards the historical figures in the civil rights movement, Guitar's behavior can reflect towards that of Malcolm X. His need to protect the African American community and defend himself against the destruction cause...
It is believed that the Irish brought to the region the fiddle and the pipes. It is believed that the first stringed instrument, the dulcimer was brought by the Germans, Norwegians, Swedish and French. The dulcimer became known as the 1“Hog Fiddle” or “Music Box”.
Before you can understand the physics of playing the guitar, you must first know the brief history of it. The guitars’ history can be traced back to over 4,000 years ago. This ancient instrument has many theories on how it came to be. The theory with the most evidence states that the guitar was a development from a Greek 4-stringed instrument, and then altered by the Romans to be called the cithara. Soon after, this cithara was then brought to Portugal and Spain where it was changed yet again to an instrument named the Oud. After this, it was combined with the vihuela. Throughout time, insignificant alterations where made to the vihuela. It was not until the end of the 1800’s that a man named Antonio Torres Jurado created what we known as the guitar. To start, he increased the size of the body and neck. He raised the neck and improved the fingerboard with ebony or rosewood. He replaced the tuning pegs with more efficient machine tuners. As a result, he made the guitar louder, more efficient, and he overall improved the sound (History of the Acoustic Guitar) (Guy).
McGee, Timothy J. Medieval and Renaissance Music: A Performer’s Guide. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985.
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.
The book America’s Musical Landscape starts by looking back to early North American Music from the American Indians, to the religious and non religious music of the European and African settlers. According to the book “Native American music was and is song, sometimes supported by instruments.”1 The Native American used different types of instruments to accompany their songs or chants such as the drums, flute and rattles. Like music for us today the Native Americans used music in all different aspects of their lives. The early European settlers br...
Burkholder, Peter J., Donald Jay Grout, Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 2010. Print.
Burkholder, J. P., Donald J. Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. Eight
I previously thought that Les Paul was a brand of guitar, not an actual person. Les Paul had a knack for inventing when he built his first crystal radio at age nine; which was about the time he started playing guitar. By age 13 he was performing as a country music guitarist and working diligently on sound-related inventions. It is safe to say that rock and roll as we all know and love it today would not be the same if not so for the invention of the electric guitar. In 1941, Paul built his first solid body electric guitar, and he continued to make improvements to the guitar throughout the decade. Les Paul would go on to redefine the technology of sound recording. The guitar that bears his name the “Gibson Les Paul” was his crowning achievement. He experimented with different designs until he had his non-vibrating guitar body, which he called “The Log.” Gibson Guitars initially turned him down, calling his invention “a broomstick with pickups”. He was beaten to the marketplace by Leo Fender, whose Fender Broadcaster was introduced in 1948. Over the ensuing decades Les Paul has remained active on all fronts. He recorded a Grammy-winning album of instrumental duets with Chet Atkins, Chester and Lester, in 1976. Les Paul was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in