How the Brahms guitar makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Brahms guitar belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
The Brahms guitar is a fan-fretted eight-string guitar that extends the standard six-string configuration by incorporating an additional lower bass string (B) and an additional higher treble string (A). The first Brahms Guitar was built in 1993 by the English maker David Rubio, from an idea of the Scottish guitarist Paul Galbraith. It was David Rubio that gave this guitar the name “Brahms Guitar” after hearing Paul playing his arrangement of Johannes Brahms Variations op.21a on this new instrument. David Rubio's protégé, luthier Martin Woodhouse, innovated the design and continues to build Brahms guitars. Galbraith originally conceived it specifically to perform Johannes Brahms' Theme and Variations, Op. 21.
Other lutes
Frequently asked questions
What does the Brahms guitar sound like?
As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the Brahms guitar?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322-5).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q4955628 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Brahms guitar – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Trinity303 at English Wikipedia – Public domain