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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Are you a music teacher? Do you have a student who struggles with obsessive perfectionism? While having a high standard is a good thing, obsessive perfectionism can be debilitating. Keep reading to learn how to shatter the perfectionism chains in music lessons. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you want to tune the ukulele with a free online tuner? If you’d like to get your ukulele into the standard ukulele tuning in equal temperament, don’t worry, I have what you need. However, did you know that the Hawaiians tune their instruments so that their ukes sound a lot better? Click to tune up the most common versions of the tuning. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Do you want to know what notes and chords are in the G major scale? Do you find the theory behind the G major chord scale confusing? To truly understand music, you must know how to construct scales and how to build chords from the scale tones. Read “The G Major Scale (Including the G Major Chord Scale)” to learn how they work. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you want to tune your guitar online? If you want to tune your guitar to normal standard tuning in equal temperament, I’ve got you covered. However, did you know that professional guitarists have other ways of tuning standard guitar tuning to make their guitars sound better? Read “Guitar Tuner Online: Standard Guitar Tuning” to learn eight versions of standard tuning. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
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“What is the point of different alternate guitar tunings?” Alternate tunings change both how the instrument sounds and how it feels as you play it. They say that cloths make the man. Likewise, how the guitar gets tuned can make the guitarist. Read more to find out some of the advantages of alternate tunings. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“How do I make any progress and have fun in music lessons again?” Both consistent forward progress and having fun will be important aspects of your musical journey. Without them, you can lose interest and quit. Keep reading to find out how to reinvent the fun while making forward progress. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“How do musicians find enough time to practice their instruments?” It can be challenging. Adults live busy lives, and kids have tons of homework, sports, and afterschool activities. However, it’s not hopeless. You just have to learn how to best structure the time you have. Keep reading to find out how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Have you ever tuned your guitar, using the frets or an electronic tuner, only to find that it still sounds off when you start strumming? Many guitarists have noticed this problem. However, you can learn how to make your guitar sound better! Read more to find out, “Why does my guitar sound off tune?” Estimated reading time 2 minutes.