The guitar is one of the most famous instruments in the world. It has been used for almost all types of music. The guitar has had many cultural impacts on society. Radical changes have also occurred throughout history. They have changed in appearance, sounds and overall style. How have guitars evolved over time? Before we even thought of the guitar, certain instruments had certain similarities. The first stringed instruments existed around 4000 years ago. The first instruments were called tanburs and bowl harps. These instruments are made by taking a turtle shell and attaching a stick, usually curved, to it. After that, some gut or silk strings were passed from the stick to the middle of the shell. One of the oldest instruments, similar to the guitar, is approximately 3,500 years old. This instrument belonged to an Egyptian singer named Har-Mose. He had a tanbur, but his had three strings instead of one or two. It was also made of rawhide and cedar (Guy). Over the years, the instruments began to resemble the guitar more and more. The first instrument that began to resemble the guitar existed in the 1200-1300s. It was found in Mediterranean Europe. Sources call this guitarra latina. Two of the earliest forms after the guitarra latina are the lute and the vihuela. The lute is a small instrument that is shaped like a pair. It had twelve strings and a very short neck. The vihuela is more shaped like a guitar. It is larger and also has twelve strings (Chapman). Evolution eventually progressed until the modern guitar we know appeared. The first was created between 1800 and 1850. It is called the Spanish court guitar. This was the first six-string guitar. The body was rosewood, the neck...the middle was paper......the same as the guitars and are also amplified (Wade-Matthews). Guitars are very different instruments than they once were. They have undergone many changes in their form, sound, style and manufacture. Starting as turtle shells with a stick and strings, they have now developed into acoustics, spread from Europe to the rest of the world, and turned out to be the crazy shaped and coolly designed electric guitars of 'Today. Works Cited Chabot, Paul. “A History of the Guitar”. Guitar site. 1999-2014. Internet. May 5, 2014. Chapman, Richard. The new complete guitarist. London: DK Publishing, Inc., 1993. Print. Guy, Paul. “A Brief History of the Guitar”. Guyguitars. 2001-2007. Internet. April 4, 2014. Wade-Matthews, Max; Thompson, Wendy. The Encyclopedia of Music. London: Hermes House, 2002. Print.Wendkos, Zach. “The evolution of the electric guitar”. May 21, 2010. the web. April 30. 2014.