Plucking or striking the strings is usually the playing technique for string instruments. Such instruments have been in use since more than 5000 years. Ancient Egypt paintings already feature women from the Pharaohs age playing instruments similar to a guitar. The classical epoch for the guitar can be assigned to the German (Vienna) and French (Paris) speaking regions. In the days of romanticism certain developments have their origin in Spain. There the guitar maker Antonio Torres (1817–1892) perfected the guitar in shape and dimension, by the distinct arrangement of the resonance board and by refining some mechanical details. Even nowadays the Torres Guitar remains the basis for the design of any classical concert guitar.
To make stringed instruments like guitars or hammered dulcimers, typically special wood species are selected for their individual tonal qualities. Depending on the type of instrument and the required sound characteristics, different species of wood are combined. Already in this early stage the expertise of the musical instrument maker as the choice of wood has a defining influence on the sound qualities of the final product.
Many innovative ideas have influenced the making of string instruments in the last decades and the combination of traditional design with new technologies allows new tonal concepts to develop.
