The History of Guitar
The History of the Guitar
Elle Smith
April 19, 2013
Upper Elementary
Mr. Hooper
Guitars are part of the music we hear every day, but did you ever wonder about the origin of the
guitar? I did, so my report is about the history of the guitar. I will talk about both the evolution of
the guitar from the early guitar to the present and variations of the guitar such as the electric guitar.
Today’s guitar has the following elements: six strings, a wooden body, curved sides, a flat back, a
head, tuning pegs, a nut, a neck, a heel, a soundhole, a rose, and a bridge.
The measurements of a full size guitar are as follows: the whole length is 98cm, the strings are each
65cm, the width of the bottom of the guitar is 37cm, the middle of the body is 24cm, and the top of
the body is 28cm, the length of the body is 48.5cm, from the nut to the body is 30cm, the depth at
the bottom of the body is 10cm, and at the top of the body it is 9.5cm.
The usual tuning is E-A-d-g-b-e.
The electric guitar shares some traits with acoustic and classical guitars, but it also has some unique
characteristics. For instance, the electric guitar has a thin solid body. Unlike the acoustic and
classical guitars, the controls for an electric guitar are situated on the body. However, the electric,
acoustic, and classical guitars all have a fretboard and their six strings are all tuned the same way.
The electric guitar is usually strummed, the acoustic is sometimes strummed and sometimes
fingerpicked, and the classical guitar is usually fingerpicked.
BEFORE THE GUITAR
The origin of the guitar is questionable.
An important part of the history of the guitar is the lute. It is the most well-known predecessor to
One theory is that the guitar came from the Ancient Greek kithara. This theory came about because
the words kithara and guitar sound alike.
For instance, people have found guitar-like instruments with some
Elle Smith
April 19, 2013
Upper Elementary
Mr. Hooper
Guitars are part of the music we hear every day, but did you ever wonder about the origin of the
guitar? I did, so my report is about the history of the guitar. I will talk about both the evolution of
the guitar from the early guitar to the present and variations of the guitar such as the electric guitar.
Today’s guitar has the following elements: six strings, a wooden body, curved sides, a flat back, a
head, tuning pegs, a nut, a neck, a heel, a soundhole, a rose, and a bridge.
The measurements of a full size guitar are as follows: the whole length is 98cm, the strings are each
65cm, the width of the bottom of the guitar is 37cm, the middle of the body is 24cm, and the top of
the body is 28cm, the length of the body is 48.5cm, from the nut to the body is 30cm, the depth at
the bottom of the body is 10cm, and at the top of the body it is 9.5cm.
The usual tuning is E-A-d-g-b-e.
The electric guitar shares some traits with acoustic and classical guitars, but it also has some unique
characteristics. For instance, the electric guitar has a thin solid body. Unlike the acoustic and
classical guitars, the controls for an electric guitar are situated on the body. However, the electric,
acoustic, and classical guitars all have a fretboard and their six strings are all tuned the same way.
The electric guitar is usually strummed, the acoustic is sometimes strummed and sometimes
fingerpicked, and the classical guitar is usually fingerpicked.
BEFORE THE GUITAR
The origin of the guitar is questionable.
An important part of the history of the guitar is the lute. It is the most well-known predecessor to
One theory is that the guitar came from the Ancient Greek kithara. This theory came about because
the words kithara and guitar sound alike.
For instance, people have found guitar-like instruments with some
Bibliography: Ardley, Neil, Dave King, Philip Dowell, and Mike Dunning. Music. New York: Knopf:, 1989. Print. Asbury, David. Phone interview. 1 Mar. 2013. Baines, Anthony. The Oxford companion to musical instruments. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Book, Inc. "Guitar." The World Book encyclopedia. 2007 ed. Chicago: World Book, 2007. 0. Print. Brookes, Tim. "The Hawaiian Invasion."Ebsco Host. Ebsco Host Connection, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. . Book, Inc. "Music." The World Book encyclopedia. 2007 ed. Chicago: World Book, 2007. 0. Print. Burrows, Terry. Total guitar. New York, N.Y.: Friedman/Fairfax:, 2002. Print. Cole, Richard, and Ed Schwartz. "Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary."Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary. Virginia Tech, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.