English guitar

      Mrs. Robert Gwillym playing an English guitar, painting by Joseph Wright of Derby (1766)

      English guitar is a stringed instrument, a type of sister (or cittern), which was popular in many places in Europe from around 1750-1850. The instrument was also known in Norway as a guitarre. There are many examples in Norwegian museums, including at the Norsk Folkemuseum. The English guitar has a pear-shaped body, a flat base, and a short neck.

      Tuning

      It has ten strings in a repetitive open C tuning,[1] of which the highest eight are paired in four courses (duplicated strings),

      C E GG cc ee gg.

      The English guitar influenced the Russian guitar, which has seven strings tuned in open G tuning in thirds (D'-G', G'-B, D-g, and g-b) with two fourths (B-D, and b-d'):

      D', G', B, D, g, b, d'.
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      Notes

      1. ^ Hannu Annala, Heiki Mätlik (2007). "Composers for other plucked instruments: Rudolf Straube (1717-1785)". Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers (Translated by Katarina Backman ed.). Mel Bay. p. 30. ISBN 0786658444, ISBN 9780786658442 Check |isbn= value (help). 
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      Last modified on 25 May 2013, at 07:48