The Evolution of the Guitar

     The origin of the guitar is a mystery. The word is thought to have been derived from the Greek word "κιθάρα" (kithara). The original guitars had a similar feel and shape to more modern guitars. They typically had three strings while later versions had up to twelve. The similarities don't stop there, they even used an early version of a guitar pick called a "plectrum". In pop culture today, the two primary types of guitars we see are the acoustic guitar and the electric guitar. In this post, we'll be focusing on the electric guitar. 

   The electric guitar first came about in the 1930's due to a demand from artists for the creation of sounds that other instruments simply couldn't make. This also marked the introduction of solid bodied guitars. Perhaps the biggest change that this brought to music was the amplification of old sounds, leading to a shift in music style that the guitar would come to be associated with. This is a stark contrast from acoustic guitars whose full body helps to reverberate the sounds. 

The electric guitar opened up a whole new world in music that almost every genre now utilizes with the addition of the electric guitar in their musical production. Though, the sounds created today with the world of advanced electronics are far different than the original ones.

Musical Elements:

The concept of distortion is what is now used through amps to distort the sound waves to make them precisely what artists are looking for. The distortion through vacuum tube amplifiers in the 1940s added a grit to the guitar in something called and 'overdrive'.

The timbre of an electric guitar is so distinct that it only takes hearing one or two strings played to identify the instrument. The character of sound is entirely unique in its pitch and intensity. 

Here, in Hozier's "Wasteland, Baby!" which was produced in part in Los Angeles, America, and Dublin, Ireland in 2019, we hear the gentle tones produced by an acoustic guitar. This is a familiar sound, heard for centuries. It also happens to be my preference. I enjoy the calm that an acoustic guitar instills in me. I recognize that in today's music we often hear an electric guitar in almost every song, and I appreciate the importance it's had in music (some of my favorite songs rely on the power of the electric guitar), but a pure acoustic song just really does it for me.

As time has changed, so have electric guitars. Above, we hear a brief clip of the legend Junior Barnard playing a riff on an early guitar (circa 1946 in California, USA). When we contrast that with the wildly popular "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, we hear just how far we've come with development. The sounds that amps are now able to create along with distortion that's been carefully harnessed in order to make an entirely new sound is showcased in the clip below.

The advancements made to the guitar are arguably some of the most noteworthy transformations to be made to an instrument. The depth of sound isn't lost on those who care to listen, and I'm excited to see what the world of music will come up with next.

“Guitar History: How the Guitar Has Evolved.” Musicians Institute Hollywood, 20 Feb. 2021, www.mi.edu/education/guitar-history-how-the-guitar-has-evolved/. 

“How the Electric Guitar Changed Music - Showbizmusic - Music Instruments & Music News.” Showbizmusic, 26 Nov. 2016, showbizmusic.com/how-the-electric-guitar-changed-music/.

i.pinimg.com/originals/38/4e/96/384e96095a74cb4e35075faf58fb16d2.jpg.

“Junior Barnard.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Barnard.

Magazine, All That Shreds. “The Evolution Of The Electric Guitar.” Welcome To All That Shreds Magazine!, 31 Jan. 2018, allthatshreds.com/evolution-electric-guitar/.