inamargo-blog1

[inamargo-blog1]

History of the Guitar

The guitar is one of the musical instruments that can be traced back to more than three thousand years ago. It is a popular string instrument with strings that range anywhere from 4 to 18 strings. However most guitars have 6 strings and is usually played with plucking and strumming the strings with the right hand while fretting the strings with the other hand (Bellow, 1970). It is categorized as a chord ophone and has been traditionally made from wood that is strung with either gut or nylon. It is one of the most common instruments in the world with the number of people using the guitar and it is distinguished from other chord ophones by is modelling construction and tuning (Wade, 2010). There have been different theories that have been cited about the instrument’s ancestry but the origin of the instrument is cited to have originated from the lute.  This paper assesses the historical background of the guitar to the present model that people are synonymous with.

The guitar isan instrument that has been traced back 3300 years ago and has been changing forms since then (Bellow, 1970). One of the models of the earliest guitar was referred to as the Hittite bard plating the iconographic representation of a string instrumentis one of the earliest instruments thatcan be drawn (Wade, 2010). This was a figure of a string instrument that was formed through clay although these systems have since changed.  There have been reports that the guitar was formed through the ancient Greek instrument commonly referred to as the Kithara (Bacon, 2012). The Kithara was a string instrument that was used by the Greek people and has been cited to have had some other purpose apart from music. The Kithara is a model that is not construed on the same principles as other forms of guitar instruments and it would be hard to imagine an instrument such as the kithara developing to what is presently the guitar. The name guitar originated from the Spanish word quitarra and has since been the accepted word for guitars in different languages. It gave rise to the different models of the guitar and was critical in ensuring that the people managed to connect these models to the different types that are present today. Some of the earliest instruments that were found by archaeologist that are believed to have been the first forms of the guitars are the bowl harps and the tanburs. Bowl harps were originally made of turtle shells and had a curved or bent stick for the neck. The model also had one more gut and was found in the earliest civilizations that is the Egyptian, Babylonian and Sumerian Civilizations. They were made from different models that were later developed to form the 11 stringed gold decorated instrument the harp that was a more advanced harp (Bacon, 2012). The tanbur on the other hand was a long-necked stringed instrument with an egg shaped body that has a soundboard that is madeof wood or hide and astraight neck thatwas straightened out to allow thestringsto be pressed down. These were the first models that started taking the shape of the guitar or started being formed into a guitar as it is commonly known and were found in Egyptian models and carvings that were used to decorate their tombs. The oldest guitar-like instrument was found in Egypt when an Egyptian singer Har-Mose was buried with his tanbur (Bellow, 1970). The guitar was made fromthree strings and afinely polished cedarwood and a rawhide that acted as the soundboard. The guitar is present to date and is seen in the Cairo museum. The guitar is defined as an instrument that hasa long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboardand flat back that in most cases is formed through the incurved sides (Tyler, 1980). The definition was used to define the different forms of guitars and it was found that a Hittite that had similar features to have been the first model of a guitar in the past. The oudwas one of the earliest instruments thatresembled a guitarin Europe and thefirst destination where it was found was in Spain but it was later given frets thatmade it alute (Wade, 2010). The lute is one of the earliest forms of present day guitars andwas made ofmany strings but hada large pear-shaped bodythat made it highly vaulted back and an elaborate sharply angled peghead.

By the 12th century the guitar had started forming and it was described as an instrument that had a wooden flat back, ribs and a long neck. In the 14th century however they were being referred through their Moorish names as the Guitarra Moresca (Wade, 2010). The guitar had a wide fingerboard, roundend back and several sound holes. On the other hand, the Latin guitar that was of the same century differed from the Moorish ones due to the number of holes that it had only one and a narrower neck (Bellow, 1970). In the 15th and 16th century guitars had started to take the present shape and the Spanish Vihuela was believed to be one of the biggest influence to the style of modern guitars, since it had a hole at the base, the strings as well as the curves structure that is characteristic of the guitars (Bacon, 2012). The American guitar was a guitar that was brought to the Americas in the 1500s by Spanish explorers and missionaries (Bacon, 2012). By this time the guitar had taken shape and the fundamental aspects such as the number of holes, the neck and the strings with frets were basic attributes of the guitars.

The arch-lute guitar was also another form of guitar that had a long-neck and was designed to accommodate different types of strings with its long neck acting as the main model for this model. This was designed in the renaissance period and was used in Italy and Britain. The archtop guitar on the other hand was a guitar that was made in 1896 and was frequently used in blues and jazz music (Tyler, 1980). It is a guitar that was strung with steel strings and falls under the acoustic guitar category. It was not for contemporary use of the guitars and only for acoustic guitar purposes. The bandora was also a unique guitar that is believed to have been made by John Rose in the 1560s and had six or seven pairs of strings. It was being compared to the bandura that traces its origins to Ukraine due to its distinctive features and models that were present in the guitar (Arthur et al, 2012). The baroque guitar was also a unique set and derived its name from the era when it was first made that was the baroque era. It was one of the most coveted models and was smaller the modern classical guitar only that it was smaller in size. It was made between 1600 and 1750 and was famous for the baroque dances in this period.

The classical guitar is the mainstream guitar and has been used in music since it was first modelled in the 19th century. It is a classical instrument and was very popular to the Spanish people since it was played and used together with their unique dances that were later adopted by the South Americans (Arthur et al, 2012). All the different dances that were synonymous with the Spanish people were made from this set of guitar and it was uniquely positioned to take advantage of different aspects and models of dance that varied across the culture or beliefs of a specific people. The culture has since been adopted among the Americans that have taken it from the South and has been common among the Spanish routines that are synonymous in the American culture to date. The English guitar on the other hand was pear shaped and had a short neck (Millard, 2004). It also had ten strings and a flat base meaning that the number of notes would be more but the clarity and tones that would be reached would be flat. It was common among the British army and had evolved in the 18th century. This was the first guitar that was brought to North America who were colonized by the British. The parlor guitar was the most common forms of guitars and it had evolved in the 19th and 20th century. It was a synonymously unique model and was played by the people in their homes as it was compact in nature.

In conclusion, there are many forms of guitars that can be drawn from different eras that may have not been discussed above. However, they all contributed to the formation of the common guitar that is presently used in different areas all over the world. The history of the guitar will continue to be a mystery since no one can pinpoint the exact date of the first guitar in the world. Therefore people can only predict and assume that the dates that are recorded are accurate. However, the most important aspect of the history of guitars is that there are records of some of the guitars and the people who made them from the past centuries.

 References

Arthur, P. A. T. É., Navarret, B., Dumoulin, R., Le Carrou, J. L., Fabre, B., & Doutaut, V. (2012). About the electric guitar: a cross-disciplinary context for an acoustical study. Acoustics 2012 Nantes.

Bacon, T. (2012). History of the American Guitar: 1833 to the Present Day. Backbeat Books.

Bellow, A. (1970). The illustrated history of the guitar. [New York]: Colombo Publications.

Millard, A. (2004). The electric guitar: a history of an American icon. JHU Press.

Tyler, J. (1980). The early guitar: a history and handbook (Vol. 4). Oxford University Press, USA.

Wade, G. (2010). A concise history of the classic guitar. Mel Bay Publications.

[inamargo-blog1]

Moral Arguments for and Against Assisted Suicide

TOPIC ONE: (40 POINTS)Assisted suicide is illegal in Florida, although it is legal in other states. Please summarize the moral arguments for and against assisted suicide.Be sure to include, briefly but in detail, how the moral philosophies of Aristotle, Kant and the Utilitarians would determine whether the action in question is right or wrong.

 Assisted suicide also known as mercy killing is acceptable based on the patient’s condition. In almost all cases, for a person or patient to be permissible for mercy killing he/she must be under extreme pain or have an incurable disease. The medical aspects must be exhausted such that there is nothing medically possible that can be done to[PS1]  the patient to restore their health or alleviate their pain or suffering. In terms of the family, the resources are in certain times exhausted and the individuals are stretched to their limit. This is to the extent that the support for the patient is eating into the provisions of those who are alive. In such a case, the chance of those who do not suffer ill health to suffer as well is high.

Presented with such a scenario, the family may allow the death of the patient through a medical procedure. The rationale for such a thought or for legislation to look at this as an option has to be fully informed by a moral position not least the legal argument. Based on the moral position by Aristotle, he stresses that the human choice must be guided by happiness. Happiness is the ultimate goal of every human being, and the highest good or full gratification is achieved when an individual is happiest. In the case of assisted death, or euthanasia in the medical field, we have to first understand whose happiness we consider. In this case, we look at the recipient, we assume that the patient is very seek, immobile and in pain.  At this point, is there anything that can be done to alleviate the pain and improve the patient’s situation[PS2] , since there is no option to these ends then it is essential then that we look at what delivers happiness. In this case, we also assume that there is no happiness in suffering, therefore, to ensure “happiness” for the patient then we may admit Aristotle’s theory as a moral approach which informs euthanasia.

 In regard to utilitarian theory, this is based on the premise that which ought to be done is that which delivers most good to most people. Therefore, the rationale involved is based on what the action is which in our case the action is mercy killing, and the end to this action. Does this end deliver good to most people?  In our case the answer is yes, the patient is for one given a break from pain and suffering and the family is given respite to the emotional, physical and financial exhaustion. All these aspects are good, and the option of giving the patient a painless rest is validated.

To get read more essay samples like this, visit gudwriter.com

 [PS1]Possible source: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/olddrive/olderdriversbook/pages/Ch9-Section4.html

 [PS2]Possible source: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/olddrive/olderdriversbook/pages/Ch9-Section4.html

[inamargo-blog1]

Natural Law arguments and Utilitarian arguments

TOPIC TWO:(40 POINTS) Interracial marriage was illegal in many states in this country until the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court decision, and it was allowed in Florida only as recently as 1967.  Articulate the Natural Law arguments used to oppose interracial marriage; then critically discuss in detail the Utilitarian arguments on both sides of the issue, making to analyze how the case for allowing interracial marriage won the day.

 Natural law is the basic postulation that particular rights and values are second nature to the conduct of human beings, and that these are conceivable through human reason. Overtime, natural laws have been taken to mean the use of human reason as a means of understanding social and personal nature.

 The first and most obvious, at the time, opposition to interracial marriages was that there had not been precedence in the past that would have shown that interracial marriages were indeed second nature to human beings. Since there had not been any then the court or those against interracial marriages deduced that allowing these marriages would be opposing nature which had historically or over the past shown that these marriages should not take place.  The other natural law argument was based on appearance; this held that according to the understanding of human beings angels were white. Therefore, the whites were the closest, in terms of complexion and mental capacity, to the angels. On the other hand, blacks were more like animals, therefore, there was no way this natural setting would be upset by allowing the marriage of an “an angel” and an “animal”.

In a utilitarian sense, the belief that different races were created and positioned in different places, and these ought to remain as so, may have been used to oppose interracial marriages. This is because it was argued that the resultant interactions upset the natural balance and thence left the dominant whites unhappy.

However, the case was won on basis of perception of all human beings as equal in the eyes of the Supreme Being. At the same time, the understanding of marriage as a pursuit of happiness for the individuals involved also eased the issue. Whether interracial or not, the idea of marrying is born out of satisfaction and personal gratification. This ultimately validates the union irrespective of those opposed to it as marriage is aimed at attaining the general good and happiness of the parties involved.