The History Of Guitar

By:Andrean

How many you have heard the term”Guitar?”.  For the purpose of this essay we will learn about history of the guitar. Guitar is the most famous musical instrument in worldwide. This musical instrument is played by different ways depending on the type or kind. A lot of people who can play a guitar but few people know it is history. We will see a glimpse about history of the guitar from age to age. Actually the guitar very long history, but given the limited space, this discourse will review the course outline.

First of all: From Babylon to the Six Strings

The history of the guitar began in the Near East. Among the debris found in Babylon, the most relevant is the guitar that was made in 1900-1800 SM            . From that time until 1650, the guitar evolved that is many and multi kind. So many types and each has a different names.

Someone have a different opinion, he regard as the guitar exactly comes from the Spanish nation because the guitar like a musical instrument at Spanish called the vihuela, and circulated at the beginning of the 16th century. And this instrument(guitar) has a way of making same with musical instrument called ukulele. Actually, the first guitar in this world which made size is very small and only has four strings is like a ukulele.

In the classical period many publications are made by the makers of the song and also musicians. Such as Fernando Sor, Mauro Guiliani, Matteo Carcassi, Fernando Caulli, and many of the creators who develop the method of playing the guitar that eventually becomes a game that common and acceptable.

Instruments are important contribution to development of guitar is  instrument cittern. This instrument is also shaped like a pear with a flat rear, with four or five pairs of strings of wire and with permanent fretting. it diatonic like the Appalachian dulcimer or chromatic as a modern guitar. Tuning heads have been installed much like the guitar or mandolin. That current tone was arranged together with mandolin (in fifths) with the same fingering and chord and played with a plectrum or pick.

Four Course Guitar has four pairs of strings, guitar-shaped body and a flat soundboard, bridge from lute and the back is made half curved but not too form a circle. Measuring of this instruments such as guitars children.

Five Course Guitar appeared around 1490 and is similar to the four-course guitar with the addition of a pair of bass strings. This instrument also called English Guitar.

There is also the Vihuela de Mano comes from Spain and is an instrument with six pairs of strings. The body is quite large as classical guitar today and has several sound holes on it. This instrument uses a fixed bridge and the possibility of a direct ancestor of the guitar 12 string USA who entered North America through Mexico, Texas and Louisiana.

There are still many other types of guitars that continues to grow. Guitar as we know it today, is exercising six, emerging around the year 1750. And for about the next 90 years (until 1840), this six-stringed guitar quite rapidly growing in Spain.

The entry of guitar in Indonesia

The colonization, beside it reminds a sadness, it reminds      art also. One of them was carrying a guitar by people Purtugis around the 17th century.

At that time the number of prisoners in the Malacca Portuguese origin settled by the Dutch in a swampy area in North Jakarta, in a village monument. So that they do not get bored, they amuse themselves by playing music. Well, the music they use when it is the guitar. That said, the results of people's introduction to the instrument, born some stringed instrument that is played to accompany songs keroncong.

There are 3 types of guitars played the prisoners at the that time, namely:

1. Guitar Monica, which consists of 3 strings

2. Guitar Rorenga, which consists of 4 strings

3. Guitar Jitera, which consists of 5 strings.

Two centuries later the guitar and keroncong became popular among the nobility and then spread to the corners of the country.

Those are short history guide the guitar’s birth in this world and the entry in Indonesia . The reason I make this essay because I love to play a guitar . Hopefully this essay we can know the history of the guitar is not just a play it.

Thank you.

والسّلام عليكم ورحمةالله وبركاته