A guitar is probably one of the first things you think of when the word “musical instrument” is uttered, but where exactly does the guitar have it’s roots? The guitar seems to have ancestral roots to the sitar, which is a similar instrument popular in Indian culture. The actual word “guitar” comes from the Spanish version of the word, “guitarra”. Wikipedia has some fantastic and in depth information about the history of the guitar, including the origins of what we recognize today as a guitar came from:

The modern guitar is descended from the Roman cithara brought by the Romans to Hispania around 40 AD, and further adapted and developed with the arrival of the four-string oud, brought by the Moors after their conquest of the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century. Elsewhere in Europe, the indigenous six-string Scandinavian lut (lute), had gained in popularity in areas of Viking incursions across the continent. Often depicted in carvings c. 800 AD, the Norse hero Gunther (also known as Gunnar), played a lute with his toes as he lay dying in a snake-pit, in the legend of Siegfried. 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.

We now know that there are so many different variations of a guitar, from acoustic to electric, six string to twelve string, even those that are intended to play across your lap. Whatever the make or model, the guitar has a deep history within music as one of the most recognizable musical instruments. Time to pick one up and start learning!