The archive contains posts about teaching and alternate tuning the guitar.
Where did it come from?
Guitar is a fretted, six stringed lute-like instrument of Spanish origin. It can be made louder either acoustically or electrically, and its roots go back thousands of years.
Lute-like instruments go back to about 2000 BC in Mesopotamia. While Europe’s lute appeared around the 10th century AD.
The lute had gut strings tied across the neck as frets. This means that lute players had to tune the frets and the strings.
An ancestor of the guitar, the lute came from the Middle Eastern oud. At first called the al oud, the lute’s name gradually morphed into its current form.
The term Luthier survives as the name for modern guitar makers, even though luthiers rarely make lutes anymore.
Many antique instruments existed, such as the cittern, that had names similar to the guitar, but did not directly influence it.
However, the vihuela is widely thought to be an important predecessor. The vihuela had six strings, a similar body build, and very similar tuning.
From Spain, the instrument has traveled all over the world. Often, when instruments cross into a different cultural region, the tuning and musical style do not travel with it.
Thus, the styles most linked with the instrument (rock, blues, and folk) do not sound like the original Spanish style. Rather, Spanish styles sound somewhat similar to classical guitar music.
I once met a guitarist from Spain. And it surprised me when she commented that people in the US often said her playing did not sound like real guitar music. This shows that, while it remains a Spanish instrument, the Spanish style does not strongly influence the instrument’s current styles.
As it traveled, it has picked up many alternate ways of tuning. Blues, Rock, folk, and African world music styles all use alternate tunings. Particularly known for its alternate tunings, Hawaiian slack-key guitar has hundreds of open and alternate tunings.
Many of the posts in The Successful Music Student blog focus on better ways to tune alternate tunings.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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Power chords are an integral part of rock music’s electric guitar sound. However, you only get that exact sound when you use power chords with distortion. Why? Because a distorted electric guitar doesn’t sound quite as good with full major and minor harmonies. Why? Keep reading “Can Somebody Explain Why Power Chords Sound Powerful?” to learn why these powerful little two and three note harmonies work. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
“What’s the basic difference between Drop D vs Open D tuning?” Both are popular alternate guitar tunings. However, which string notes you alter, and how you play them once you’re done, will give them very different sounds. As a bonus, I’ve also added sections on Double Drop D and DADFAD tuning. Keep reading to learn what they are, and how you play them. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“Which notes are authentic blue notes?” The following post clears up the confusion around blue notes and has an example of a popular song that uses them. Keep reading to learn how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Have you ever wondered what the word intonation means? In music, it’s an important part of performance for many instruments, and it impacts all instruments to one degree of another. Keep reading “What Does Intonation Mean and Why Is It Essential in Music?” to learn more. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Do you want a clear understanding of what the word resonate means in music? Music has an amazing capacity to affect our emotions. However, the word resonate can have both objective and subjective meanings when it comes to music. Keep reading “What’s the Meaning of Resonate in the Context of Music?” to learn both definitions. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you want a better understanding of musical pitch? In the field of music, there exists a relationship between acoustics, music pitch, and sound vibration frequencies. From the moving passages of a string quartet to the driving pulse of a rhythm section, life is filled with an enormous array of musical sounds that you can enjoy. Keep reading to learn how music pitch works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Have you ever wondered why a chord works with one instrument’s tone color (or a particular timbre of voice) but not another? Do you want to know what to listen for when tuning up your chords? Timbre and harmony are intimately related and understanding that relationship will deepen a composer’s knowledge of music. Also, it’ll help vocals, woodwinds, brass, and violins to know what to listen for when tuning up chords. Keep reading to learn the secret relationship of timbre and harmony. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“How do I make any sense of the treble and bass clefs? Why are they so different?” To answer this question, you need to understand the grand staff, the pattern of the clefs, and middle C. Keep reading “Making Sense of Why Treble and Bass Clef Are So Different” to learn how the clefs work. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you want to know the purpose of a metronome and how to read it? A metronome helps you find the tempo of a song in beats per minute (bpm). Also, it helps you practice by clicking at a (user adjustable) speed. So, that way you can play along with (for example) the tempo moderato on the metronome. Keep reading “BPM (Using the Metronome to Get the Music Beat)” to learn the various ways it can help. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you want to understand how music works? Studying music theory is a worthwhile experience that’ll deepen your understanding of music and enhance your creativity. Where should you begin? In this post, you’ll learn what the basics of music theory are and be given the resources to learn them. Keep reading “How Can I Learn the Basics of Music Theory” to start your musical journey today. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.