Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
guitar
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Venetian guitar with mother-of-pearl inlays lyre-shaped guitar
View a demonstration to understand the physics behind the working of an electric guitar
Blue electric guitar with a white pickguard and brown fretboard, shown against a white background. Eric Clapton playing a Fender Stratocaster American bluegrass musicians playing mandolin (left) and guitar (right). Features of a modern acoustic guitar.
At a Glance
default image
guitar summary
Quizzes
Young girl wearing a demin jacket playing the trumpet (child, musical instruments, Asian ethnicity)
Sound Check: Musical Vocabulary Quiz
Gong. Closeup of a khong wong gong circle chime. Thai classical musical instrument, part of piphat ensemble. (percussion, music)
Music Quiz
A woman wearing a hanbok plays the traditional Korean musical instrument kayagum (gayageum).
Another Musical Instruments Quiz
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Venetian guitar with mother-of-pearl inlays
Venetian guitar with mother-of-pearl inlays Guitar with mother-of-pearl inlays from Venice, 17th century.

guitar

musical instrument
Also known as: guitar, acoustic
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

guitar, plucked stringed musical instrument that probably originated in Spain early in the 16th century, deriving from the guitarra latina, a late-medieval instrument with a waisted body and four strings. The early guitar was narrower and deeper than the modern guitar, with a less pronounced waist. It was closely related to the vihuela, the guitar-shaped instrument played in Spain in place of the lute. The guitar originally had four courses of strings, three double, the...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile