Classical Guitar

The classical guitar belongs to the chordophones family of musical instruments and is also referred to as the Spanish guitar. The guitar and its repertoire date back to more than four centuries. This instrument has found takers amongst many a great players, arrangers and composers over the centuries. Some of these include Fernando Sor (1778-1839), a great Spanish guitarist and composer, Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829), a major Italian guitarist and composer, Francisco T·rrega (1852-1909), a renowned Spanish guitarist, also hailed by some as the father of the modern classical guitar, among others. The classical guitar is used for playing both classical and folk music, and can also create polyphonic music when fingernails or fingertips are used for plucking instead of a plectrum.

The classical guitar is an acoustic instrument usually featuring six strings, although there are a few guitars featuring eight strings for enhanced bass range. The repertoire of the classical guitar includes music written for its predecessors and other related instruments as well. One of the key repertoires for the classical guitarists is found in Johann Sebastian Bach’s works; though originally penned for solo violin, solo cello and for baroque lute, they are highly adaptable to the guitar.