In this blog post, we will look at how the guitar overcame its historical marginalization and became the central instrument of modern music.
The guitar as an instrument
The guitar is basically a stringed instrument that produces sound by plucking the strings with the fingers. This instrument well reflects the basic characteristics of stringed instruments, and it can produce various sounds by using the fine sense of the fingertips and adjusting the strength. Guitars are mainly made of wood, and the sound and tone vary depending on the size and shape of the body. Although it is known as a traditional Spanish instrument, its origins can be traced back to various stringed instruments from the Middle East and Europe, such as the ancient lute and oud. The guitar has evolved into its modern form over time and has established a unique style, especially in Spain. It is often compared to the piano, and the two instruments have in common a wide range of sound. This means that a single instrument can express a wide range of musical expressions. Like the piano, the guitar can play complex melodies and chords simultaneously, making it a great solo instrument. However, there is an important difference between the two instruments. Pianos are mostly played in a fixed location, and if the focus is on the convenience of playing, guitars are differentiated in that they are easy to carry and provide a free playing environment.
Types and features of guitars
There are many types of guitars. Classical guitars use nylon strings to produce a soft and warm tone and are mainly used in classical music and flamenco. Acoustic guitars use steel strings to produce a clearer and more powerful sound. They are used in a variety of genres, including folk, country, and blues, and can express a variety of tones through playing techniques such as strumming and fingerpicking. The electric guitar is one of the important innovations in the development of the guitar, and it has enabled a wide range of sound changes that were not possible with traditional acoustic guitars through amplifiers and effects. As a result, the electric guitar has become an indispensable part of modern music, including rock, jazz, and metal.
Social perception of the guitar throughout history
The guitar was historically one of the instruments that was marginalized. In the Middle Ages, the guitar was mainly used as an accompaniment for dancing, and it was rarely used in orchestras. One of the reasons the guitar was mainly used in dancing and light entertainment was because its sound was relatively small compared to other instruments. The fact that the guitar was difficult to use effectively in large concert halls also contributed to limiting its social perception. Against this backdrop, musical development for the classical guitar was bound to be slow.
In addition, the fact that the guitar is a traditional Spanish instrument also contributed to its undervaluation. The history of the music we are dealing with has mostly been developed around the music history of Western Europe, such as Germany and Italy. This is closely related to the fact that Western Europe dominated modern history. Until the 17th century, the guitar had achieved independent musical achievements, but with the decline of the Spanish Empire, the guitar also began to lose its status. After Spain’s fleet, known as the Invincible Armada, was defeated by the British, Spain gradually lost its political and economic power, which also affected culture and the arts.
In particular, the patronage of aristocrats was important for the development of classical European art, not only for artists. As the patronage of aristocrats declined, the development of the guitar also slowed down. Patronage, such as that of the Medici family, played an important role in the flowering of art during the Renaissance, and aristocratic society also helped the development of the guitar during the Spanish Golden Age. However, as aristocratic patronage declined with the fall of Spain, the guitar gradually fell out of social favor. This led to a period of stagnation in the development of the guitar for reasons unrelated to its musical value.
The guitar in modern music
After experiencing a period of stagnation, the guitar entered a golden age again after the 19th century. Great guitarists such as Francisco Tarrega and Andrés Segovia created beautiful music that maximized the guitar’s sound and established new playing techniques. At the same time, the guitar was physically improved. The development of steel-string guitars, which could produce a much louder volume than previous guitars, and the invention of electric guitars, which could amplify the volume as much as desired, solved the fatal shortcomings of the existing guitars.
In addition, in the 20th century, guitars played an important role in various music genres. In various genres such as jazz, blues, and rock and roll, guitars became the central instrument. Rock music of the 1960s and 1970s marked the golden age of the guitar, and during this period, a large number of musicians called guitar heroes emerged. Guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page opened up new horizons in guitar music with their unique playing styles, and made the guitar a symbol of pop culture.
Today, the guitar is at the center of various musical experiments and fusions. Acoustic guitars are loved around the world along with folk music, and electric guitars are used in a wide range of genres, including rock, metal, pop, and electronic music. The guitar is now evolving beyond a simple musical instrument, transcending time and genre, and its future potential is also promising.
