MUSC Class 3

Week 3 September 26, 2023
Evolution of the Electric
 Classic Guitar
o Four course and Five course guitars are the precursor of the classical
guitar
o Four course guitars have 8 strings
o Five course guitar has 9 strings
o They were quite suitable for parlors and small rooms
o Developed from middle eastern instruments like the lute and oud.
o These were mainly folk instruments
o In about 1850 a gentleman by the name of Antonio de Torres Jurado
came up with the design for the classical guitar
o Torres used Fan bracing which allowed the amplification of the guitar to
give it a louder and heavier sound.
o It also had a greater range of tonality than before.
 Steel String Guitar
o In the 1830s German born American inventor Christian Frederick Martin,
produced the first steel stringed guitar.
o It was easier to manufacture these strings and they increased volume of
the instrument.
o These guitars had X-bracing instead of the traditional fan bracing used
by Torres. This type of bracing was able to handle the extra stress
generated by modern steel strings,
 Societal changes
o With the growing popularity of dance bands there was a demand for
changes to be made to the guitar’s interface.
o The guitar original role was as a rhythmic instrument, rather than a
leading instrument as seen today. However, these early steel stringed
guitars weren’t loud enough to match up to the other instruments in the
band.
o Banjos were used as a substitute due to its loudness. However, the
instrument was limited tonally.
o It is similar to classical guitars in design
o The bridge created the sound for the guitar
o The fret is what gives the leverage for the notes to be played.
o 1921 Gibson company invented a trust rod. Adds strength and stability
to the neck
o Back in the day bands were trying to find a way to make the guitar loud
enough so that they could perform alongside louder instruments
 Resophonic Guitar
o This was produced by National Company in the mid-1920s. It was made
completely made out metal.
o The bridge of these guitars is connected to a cone/speaker inside. So
that once the strings are played the sound from the note gets amplifies
o They have a long and loud sound similar to the banjo. However, unlike
the banjo it is not limited tonally.
o Resophonic guitars are often played with a slide that removed the use of
equal temperament.
o Square head resophonic guitars are often played on laps of the player.
o It became a favored instrument in folk, blues and bluegrass music.
o However, it still was not loud enough to compete with the other
instruments within the dance bands.
 Charlie Christian and the Pickup
o 1930s is where we see the introduction of the pickup for the guitar. A
pickup is a device that collects the sound of the strings and amplifies it.
o One of the people who popularized these guitars is a guitarist called
Charlie Christian (one of the premierist guitarist)
o It was he who paved the way for guitars to become the leading
instrument on dance bands
o It can be considered the first electric guitar. However, it was limited by
the feedback that the instrument sometimes generated.
o This sound comes from a combination of the hollow body of the
instrument and the pickup (that generated the sound)
 Hawaiian Lap Guitar and the Frying Pan Guitar

o George Beauchamp a former employee of National Company got the
idea of the Frying Pan Guitar from the Hawaiian Lap Guitars
o These were similar to resophonic guitars as they were played on the lap.
o Hawaiian guitars were dominant in America and Jamaican.
o It also had a loud and long sound (Due to the use of the slide)
o They have pedals that control the volume
o It is popular in Country music
o Beauchamp teamed with another ex-National Company employee
Adolph Rickenbacher to create the Frying Pan Guitar in 1931
o This guitar had a pickup added to its interface and had a solid wood
body.
 Solid body guitar
o Feedback was an issue with guitars at the time. So, to overcome this
inventor turned to using a solid body for their guitars rather than a
hollow one.
o Les Paul was the first person to endorse these types of guitars and even
created his own electric log guitar 1941
o In the 1950s and the 1960s new musicians used the electric guitar to
create a new musical movement.
o This coincided with the Civil Rights Movement and Counter-Culture.
o Many different companies and inventors tried to find new ways to
capitalize on this invention.
o It also led to the guitar losing its rhythmic role, to become a leading
instrument.
 Fender Stratocaster
o Designed in 1954 by Leo Fender and his employees
o It had three pickups and switches that allowed with this guitar you could
play around with volume distortion
o Played by Eric Clapton and Jimmy Hendrix
 Gibson Les Paul
o This was invented in the 1952
o Les Paul was the one who popularized the instrument.
o Gibson originally passed on Les Paul’s original log guitar. But changed their minds
later.
o Has two pickups
o The neck is bolted on
o Chuck Berry used this type of guitar. Transitioning from a hollow guitar.
Popular Guitarist
Charlie Christian – F Hole Guitars
Les Paul
Chuck Berry
Jimmy Hendrix
Yankee Rose

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Week 3 September 26, 2023

Evolution of the Electric

 Hawaiian Lap Guitar and the Frying Pan Guitar

Charlie Christian – F Hole Guitars

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