The guitar used be called a tavern instrument; one that could not meet the demands of classical music. In the early nineteenth century, Fernando Sor set in motion the quest that continues today, to raise the guitar to the greatest musical level possible. Sor was one of the most prolific composers for, and promoters of, the guitar as a "concert" instrument, in the last two hundred years. He, and others like him paved the way for Andres Segovia to emerge and bring the guitar to the immense popularity, and respect it enjoys today.
Guitars ranging from contrabass to treble, and with varying numbers of strings are played in Spain and Latin America. The twelve-string guitar has six double courses in standard tuning. The Hawaiian, or steel, guitar is laid across the knees of the player, who stops the metal strings by gliding a metal bar along the neck. The strings are usually tuned to the notes of a given chord.

The electric guitar, developed for popular music in the United States in the 1930s, usually has a solid, nonresonant body. The sound of its strings is both amplified and manipulated electronically by the performer. American musician and inventor Les Paul developed prototypes for the solid-bodied electric guitar and popularized the instrument beginning in the 1940s.

In the early 1940s, a California inventor, Leo Fender, made some custom guitars and amplifiers in his radio shop and already was working on an amplifier (with no controls) and a matching lap steel guitar (with tone and volume controls). This was typical of the way the electric guitar was viewed at this time, as a total package, and not as an individual instrument.

With his knowledge of existing technologies, he knew he could improve on the amplified hollow-body instruments -- and he did. In 1948 he developed the legendary Telecaster® (originally named the Broadcaster). The Tele®, as it became affectionately called, was the first solid body electric Spanish-style guitar ever to go into commercial production.

Before the advent of the electric guitar, the guitar was defined as an instrument characterised by a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides. Instances of musical instruments similar to the guitar have been found to date back as far as 4,000 years ago. The roots of the guitar can be traced back thousands of years to instruments found in central Asia and India and is distantly related to instruments such as the tanbur and setar, and the Indian sitar.

The modern Engish word, guitar, evolved from Spanish guitarra (German Gitarre, French Guitare), also loaned from the medieval Andalusian Arabic qitara, itself derived from the Latin cithara, which in turn came from the earlier Greek word kithara, a possible descendant of Old Persian sihtar.

The Romans brought their cithara to Hispania around 40 AD and it is from this instrument that the modern guitar is descended. Further adaptations and developments were made when teh Moors introduced their four-string oud in the eighth century. In other European locations the Scandinavian six-string lute became popular wherever the Vikingstravelled. In many 800 AD carvings, the Norse hero Gunther can be seen playing a lute with his toes as he lay dying in a snake pit.

By 1200 AD, the four string "guitar" had evolved into two types: the guitarra morisca (Moorish guitar) which had a rounded back, wide fingerboard and several soundholes, and the guitarra latina (Latin guitar) which resembled the modern guitar with one soundhole and a narrower neck.

Another important influence on the development of the guitar is the Spanish vihuela. The "viola da mano" is a 15th century guitar like instrument that had lute-style tuning and a guitar-like body.

The Vinaccia family of luthiers is known for developing the mandolin, and may have built the oldest surviving six string guitar.

Scores of residents mounted a picket outside Dublin's Croke Park stadium, where the rock band finished the last of their three homecoming gigs in front of 240,000 fans on Monday night.

Dozens of trucks were blocked when they arrived in the early hours to a remove the sound system and 56 tonnes of video equipment for the group's next two dates in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Homeowners were demonstrating against Dublin City Council's decision to give stadium owners, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), and promoters MCD permission to work through the night to dismantle and remove the stage after they had already suffered three nights of loud music.

U2 bosses fear the specialist equipment for the 360 stage will not be set up in the city's Ullevi Stadium in time for next two legs of the world tour on Friday and Saturday.

Tour director Craig Evans stood on the sidelines as he watched the vital audio and visual equipment - which should have already been shipped out - being packed into scores of HGVs after a deal was brokered to suspend the protest, allowing 54 trucks in.

"It will be tight," he said.

It takes a week to construct the 360-degree custom-built stage, which features a claw-shaped centrepiece.

While the band has three specially designed claws which travel ahead of the tour, it has just one sound and screen system.

Protesters will hold a meeting with officials later today.

I am not a professional in music. I just want to share my thoughts about music in life. Everything about music.