The Art of Playing the Guitar: Retrospect and Modernity

The classical guitar model has become the standard for the appearance of the instrument, and the most outstanding guitarists have set the requirements for the performance technique. Techniques and playing methods from earlier models of the instrument have become less common on the classical guitar; they have disappeared along with the performers and craftsmen. Texts of old guitar music in modern notation for performance on the classical guitar rarely contain deciphered designations of specific playing techniques and descriptions of cardinal differences in sound. The increased weight and appearance of the instrument, changes in scale, and the way it is mounted have influenced the main reference points and the formation of performing schools of guitar playing. Fretless and enharmonic guitars, instruments with imposed gut frets, were used to enable the guitar to be tuned precisely in all keys and to play microchromatic music in untempered tuning. With the advent of new materials and technologies in guitar making, fingerboards with adjustable microtonal frets began to be used, expanding the sound possibilities and complementing the teaching methods for the guitar. Modern guitarists face challenges that were met by previous generations of players and luthiers. Performance history is an important discipline in educational institutions with a guitar class.