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Guitar |
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 In North America
and western Europe, the guitar is arguably the single most recognized instrument in
popular culture. From the innovations of Les Paul to the electric riffs of Jimi Hendrix,
from bluesmaster B.B. King's "Lucille" to acoustic models, these portable,
durable instruments have become an icon of folk, blues, jazz, country, mariachi, tejano,
rock and a myriad of other contemporary genres. Not surprisingly, their history is
complex.
Relatives of the contemporary six-stringed guitar are legion, as are their shapes, sizes performance contexts and playing techniques. The guitar was the companion of the Spanish as they colonized the Caribbean, and many unique, regional variants were created. From Cuba comes the tres, a small 3-double course instrument, and from Puerto Rico, the cuatro, a mainstay of Puerto Rican traditional music and a cultural emblem which resembles a cross between a small guitar and a violin. |
music is LIFE!
music soothes even the savage beast
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Guitars are classified as members of the generic lute
family, distinguished from European lutes because they have a flat (rather than vaulted)
back and "incurved" sides. They existed in Europe since the 13th century;
similar instruments with guitar-like names such as 'cittern' or 'gittern' are illuminated
in medieval manuscripts. By the 15th century, the Spanish vihuela was described in
contemporary texts, and during the mid 16th century, the 'guitarre' had been introduced to
France from Spain. These instruments travelled with Spanish and Portuguese sailors to
Africa and central America during that era. 
