History Development and Construction of a Classical Guitar
Carry out study of a Classical Guitar and write a report on its history, development and construction.
The classical guitar, sometimes called the Spanish or nylon strung guitar, consists of a hollow body made with a top, back and sides constructed from thin pieces of wood carved and shaped to give the familiar traditional figure of eight shape. A long narrow piece of wood, called the neck, is attached to the body at one end and has, at the other end, a headstock to which are attached six tuning pegs, each holds one of six nylon strings which it is able to tighten or loosen, for tuning the guitar. The six nylon strings pass over the nut, a piece of bone inserted at the end of the neck to support the strings, along the neck and are attached near the opposite end of the body from the neck, by a piece of wood, known as the bridge. Inserted into the bridge is the saddle, a small piece of bone that supports the strings. On the top-plate of the body is cut a circular sound-hole which allows the sound to emanate. The neck has nineteen metal bars, called frets, slightly raised and attached width-ways along its entire length, at right angles to the direction of the strings.
(Figure 1).
[pic]
Figure 1. A photograph of a Classical guitar with major parts labelled.
The player sits with the instrument on his left thigh, the fingers of the right hand are free to pluck the strings. The fingers of the left hand are positioned along the neck, able to press the strings down onto the frets (This assumes the player is right handed, the position would be reversed if left handed).
There appears to be no real consensus as to the origin of the classical guitar although it is mooted that the first man who noticed a sound when he fired an arrow from his bow may well have triggered the development of the instrument.
Antony Dixon, a guitar maker from the UK, in a page from his website entitled A Brief History of the Guitar (http://www.guitar-maker.com/Pages/histCG.html)
The classical guitar, sometimes called the Spanish or nylon strung guitar, consists of a hollow body made with a top, back and sides constructed from thin pieces of wood carved and shaped to give the familiar traditional figure of eight shape. A long narrow piece of wood, called the neck, is attached to the body at one end and has, at the other end, a headstock to which are attached six tuning pegs, each holds one of six nylon strings which it is able to tighten or loosen, for tuning the guitar. The six nylon strings pass over the nut, a piece of bone inserted at the end of the neck to support the strings, along the neck and are attached near the opposite end of the body from the neck, by a piece of wood, known as the bridge. Inserted into the bridge is the saddle, a small piece of bone that supports the strings. On the top-plate of the body is cut a circular sound-hole which allows the sound to emanate. The neck has nineteen metal bars, called frets, slightly raised and attached width-ways along its entire length, at right angles to the direction of the strings.
(Figure 1).
[pic]
Figure 1. A photograph of a Classical guitar with major parts labelled.
The player sits with the instrument on his left thigh, the fingers of the right hand are free to pluck the strings. The fingers of the left hand are positioned along the neck, able to press the strings down onto the frets (This assumes the player is right handed, the position would be reversed if left handed).
There appears to be no real consensus as to the origin of the classical guitar although it is mooted that the first man who noticed a sound when he fired an arrow from his bow may well have triggered the development of the instrument.
Antony Dixon, a guitar maker from the UK, in a page from his website entitled A Brief History of the Guitar (http://www.guitar-maker.com/Pages/histCG.html)
References: The Art and Craft of Making Classical Guitars, Manuel Rodriguez, 2009, Hal Leonard Books, I.S.B.N.: 978-1-4234-8035-8. TA212 The Technology of Music, Block 2:1 Investigating Sound 1, 2007, The Open University. Classic Guitar Construction, Irving Sloane, 1989, Stirling Publishing Co,. Inc. New York, I.S.B.N.: 0-933224-14-1. Guitarmaking, tradition and technology, William R. Cumpiano and Jonathan D. Natelson, 1993, Chronicle Books LLC.