Evolution of the Guitar

By: Dan Gauvreau and Constantine Bovalis

The Guitar

Guittern-Middle Ages InstrumentKithara-Hellenistic LyraKissar-North African InstrumentTar-Sanscrit word meaning string

The Word “Guitar”

http://www.guitarsite.com/1998images/History/Kissar.jpg

Kissar

First string instrument-Phoenicians around 3000 B.C.

Egyptian harp-3000 B.C.Made of anything that could project sound.

The Beginning

http://www.guitarsite.com/1998images/History/keros2.jpg

Phoenician Harp

Made in Egypt around 2000 B.C.Long neckedEgg-shaped bodyMade of wood or animal hide

Tanbur

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.acoustics.hut.fi/research/asp/lutes/figures/tanbur.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.acoustics.hut.fi/research/asp/lutes/&usg=__Ty8RTMwM82KF9IhOOUPAXiG015Y=&h=211&w=509&sz=9&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=AqaS73QlrTBIXM:&tbnh=78&tbnw=188&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtanbur%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26biw%3D1419%26bih%3D690%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=306&vpy=103&dur=1795&hovh=144&hovw=349&tx=54&ty=171&ei=WHiKTM-rGIXdngfshZzeCQ&oei=WHiKTM-rGIXdngfshZzeCQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=38&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&safe=active

Europeans- Modified the tanburFretsModified the shape

The Lute

http://www.guyguitars.com/eng/handbook/BriefHistory.html

Italy-First five-stringed guitar around the beginning of the Renaissance

A, D, G, B, E was the tuning (top five strings of a modern guitar)

Started with 8 frets but went to 10 then 12.In Italy a sixth string was added.

Classical Guitars

Invented by the Spanish-Antonio TorresIncreased body sizeAltered proportionsDrastically improved tone, volume, and

projection

Modern Classical Guitar

http://www.guyguitars.com/eng/handbook/BriefHistory.html

Steel Strings-1900’sLloyd Loar-made pickups but was not

popular. (1923)George Beauchamp-Improved on the pickups

and made electric guitars more popular. (1931)

Recent Innovations

http://www.axewar.com/wicked_guitar_pics.php5

At first there were some improvements made with the wires and the magnets but the rest are changes to the way the pickups work for the sound.

All of the changes were made to improve tone and volume.

Changes in the Electric Guitar

http://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/photofiles/list/745/2773electric_guitar.jpg

Recently new frets have been developed to overcome the Equal Temperament problem

Frets

Evolution of the Guitar DesignAncientDesigns3000 BC

Later 2000 BCAroun

d 1500’s

Early 1900’s

TODAY

Late 1700’s

A History of the guitar. (1999). Retrieved from http://www.guitarsite.com/history6.htm#Oldest%20String

Guy, P. (2001). A Brief history of the guitar. Retrieved from

http://www.guyguitars.com/eng/handbook/BriefHistory.html

van Zyl, Rodney J. (1996). Invention of the electric guitar. Retrieved from http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/electricguitar/invention.htm

Bibliography