The Spanish Guitar

The  history of the Spanish Guitar can be traced back 400 years and the modern version was inspired by the Spanish instrument the vihuela which had six double strings tuned as  in exactly the same way as the modern acoustic guitar.  The instrument then evolved into the six string Italian baroque, a popular  instrument of the Renaissance in the sixteenth century.

Spanish Guitar and black Golpeador

Music written specifically for the Spanish guitar started around the eighteenth century but it was in the nineteenth century that Francisco Tarrega  started to introduce flamenco into the music  which soon established Spain as a dominant force in music  and  the world’s authority on guitar.

The standard flamenco guitar is made out of the Spanish woods cypress and spruce and although it looks the same as a traditional acoustic guitar it is in fact lighter and smaller, attributing to the unique sharp flamenco sound.
Today rosewood back and sides are popular and these produce a deeper tone. Traditionally  friction pegs were the norm (wound round types) but many instruments are now using the geared tuner types.

Unlike the classical guitar, the Flamenco guitar is subject to  a much more aggressive style of playing and often has a pickguard called a golpeador to prevent damaging the  guitar body.  The golpeador or pickguard is used with electric guitars as well and in fact they have become design features adding to the guitar’s attractiveness.
In flamenco, the musicians often use their hands and fingers  on the body of the Spanish guitar using the instrument as a cajon ( hand drum) to create sounds complementing the very percussive  flamenco music.

The Power of Flamenco

The Cajon

Flamenco appeared in the mid 1700s and soon moved on from a popular folk dancing activity to the pinnacle of Spain’s culture. In the1900s, flamenco singing started to get attention and full, spectacular, flamenco shows started to appear in public including the traditional colourful clothing , guitarists and cajon players.

The role of the Spanish guitar and  it’s connection with flamenco became much more symbolic as the years went by and was used , as it still is today, to express peoples point of view both personally and politically.

Flamenco is without doubt one of the most exciting and spectacular forms of music ever.  The syncopation and understanding between artists is phenomenal, giving the impression that they are part of a human drum kit at times.

The Spanish guitar certainly takes a pounding in flamenco but the lighter, stronger construction is designed to withstand all this. Comparing tones between the normal acoustic guitar and the Spanish guitar used in flamenco is very noticeable as the normal  guitar will produce a much rounder, warmer tone with far less attack .