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What a variety of guitars and guitar type instruments exist today; steel strung, nylon strung, electric, hollow body electric, classical, and archtop. Then there are the relatives such as lutes and vihuelas. Perhaps it is the variety which creates a variety of guitar music or perhaps the music has dictated the types of guitars. Now, many people own guitars, many people play them, and very few play with great skill as it is a difficult instrument to play well. Pictured on the left are a variety of fretted instruments including a mandolin, ukelele, balilika, and guitar. The guitar I own and play (modestly) is a classical style guitar built by Stephen Kakos in Minnesota. It was created as a unique guitar or perhaps a break from boredom. Instead of rosewood back and sides this guitar uses walnut. Instead of a mahogany neck this guitar has a hickory neck. He started to build it as a guitar made just from domestic woods but he ran amuck with the fretboard and had to resort to ebony for it. Classical style guitars have hollow or acoustic bodies and are strung with nylon and wire wound nylon strings. The length of the strings is generally around 650 milimeters. Sharon Isbin, an excellent guitarist, uses a length of 660 mm. The top of the classical guitar may be either spruce or cedar. Less expensive models may have tops made of veneer. Earlier guitars generally had spruce tops. Cedar is considered to produce a warmer tone and spruce has greater clarity. Building a Classical Guitar I have recently been building a guitar through an on-line class offered by David Schramm. It has been a very exciting, challenging, interesting, a new way to learn, new learning, interesting and interested classmates. The guitar is finished but not finished. That is, I have been playing it but I haven't put on a finish or done some of the little things that still await. To see pictures of some of the construction and commentary about this project, go to Building the Guitar or click on the gargoyle.
Listed below are just a few of the many sites discussing classical guitar: Fred Noad's Web Page: Mr. Noad has put together some great anthologies of music Just Classical Guitar Archive: A collection of considerable information about classical guitars Jean Welles Guitar Studio: Some links and some information The Classical Guitar Homepage: Some midi files and information about classical guitar To return click below Family Room Home Library-Genealogy Music Room Garage-wheels Attic-Misc.
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Guitars