Other Things That Look Like Guitars


  • The lute was a popular instrument in Renaissance in Europe, but was abandoned by the end of the baroque period (about 1750). This is the instrument the modern guitar and some other string instruments evolved from.

  • The balalaika is a Russian instrument with oly 3 strings, related to the guitar. Usually constructed with a triangular body, the balalaika can be played as a solo instrument or in groups with other sizes.


  • The mandolin has been used for singing to as well as for solo classical performance since the 18th century. It was developed in Italy from the mandola, the modern mandolin has four pairs of strings tuned the same as a violin, and produces a clear, bright tone. It is still used today in some blues bands.

  • The ukulele is a small, guitar-shaped instrument with four strings, a fretted fingerboard and poor resonance. It is considered to be better for harmony rather than melody. Its music is notated in simple tablature which shows where the fingers are put on the strings. The instrument originated in Hawaii and became popular in America in the 1920s and '30s.


  • The banjo is a stringed musical instrument from West Africa, where it was called a bania. The standard five-string banjo is used as both a rhythm and a solo instrument in Dixieland jazz and country music.

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