Strings | Music | More info

The modern classical guitar dates from the nineteenth century. It was developed from earlier styles which were smaller in body size and had five pairs of strings. Contemporary instruments are based on design principles developed by Antonio Torres (1817-1892).
An important innovation by Torres was internal strutting in a fan pattern. This strengthens the body, allowing it to be larger than on earlier instruments.
Classical guitars have tops of resonant softwood, such as cedar or spruce. Backs and sides are hardwood, often mahogany. The fingerboard is generally rosewood or ebony.

Strings

The six strings on a classical guitar are of nylon. Three treble strings are unwound. Three bass strings have a nylon core wound with a nickel-silver alloy. Some new string designs substitute kevlar for nylon. Before nylon was invented, guitar strings were made from natural gut material. The six strings are tuned: E-A-D-G-B-E, from low to high. The French company, Savarez, makes a range of strings.

Tuning Your Guitar
String Number:	6	5	4	3	2	1
Note:	E	A	D	G	B	E

Music

Some popular classical guitar pieces:

• Bouree in E minor (Johann Sebastian Bach)
• Adelita (Francisco Tarrega)
• Leyenda (Isaac Albéniz)

More Information

Other Sites

The Classical Guitar Home Page
The Portland Guitar Society
The Pepe Romero Home Page

The Guitar Society of Mount Benson
Box 66 Station A, Nanaimo BC E7B 5A2
Telephone: 250.756.1234
E-mail: neil@nmacmillan.com

NOTE: The Guitar Society of Mount Benson is a fictitious organization but neil@nmacmillan.com is a real person.