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Ten-string extended-range classical guitar

String instrument
Classification	string
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	321.322-5 (Composite chordophone sounded by the bare fingers)
Developed	1963 by Narciso Yepes in collaboration with José Ramírez III from the classical guitar
Related instruments
Ten-string guitar
Musicians
Narciso Yepes Perfecto de Castro
Builders
Ramírez Guitars Paulino Bernabe Senior

Ten-string classical guitar redirects here. For the romantic ten-string harp guitar or decacorde see Ten-string guitar#Ten-string harp guitars.

The concept of the modern ten-string guitar was conceived in 1963 by Narciso Yepes, who "ordered the guitar from José Ramírez ". It is sometimes referred to as the "modern" 10-string guitar (or the "Yepes guitar") to differentiate it from ten-stringed harp guitars of the 19th century. These are "ot exactly the same, because the tuning that is also for the resonance"

In Ser Instrumento, Yepes states that the reasons that lead him to carry out the "design" (diseño), of his instrument were acoustic/physical ("físicas") and musical ("musicales"). After some "initial protest" that the 10-string guitar envisioned by Yepes was "impossible" to construct, Ramírez completed the first of these instruments in March 1964.

It has since been adopted by a number of classical guitarists, using both Yepes' tuning and others.

Invention

In the early 1960s, luthier José Ramírez III considered adding sympathetic strings to the classical guitar. He sought advice from the leading classical guitarists of the time, notably Andrés Segovia and Narciso Yepes, both of them players of Ramírez six-string guitars. Eventually they came up with a ten string guitar.

Today, ten-string instruments to Ramírez' original design remain available from the Ramírez Company, and similar instruments in a variety of designs are available both from the Ramírez Company and other luthiers, notably from Paulino Bernabe Senior.

See also

• Ten-string guitar for all guitars with ten strings.
• Extended-range classical guitar for all classical guitars with more than six strings.

References

1. The first compositions for this instrument date from 1963: Ohana, Maurice. 1963. Si le jour paraît..., nos. 1-7. Gérard Billaudot: Paris.
2. Yepes, quoted in: Snitzler, Larry. 1978. "The 10-String Guitar: Overcoming the Limitations of Six Strings". Guitar Player 12(3): p. 26.
3. There is no record of Yepes himself using this term, though it is used by the LaBella Company to differentiate string sets intended for Yepes' standard tuning and another string set that the company produces, called "Romantic", which is based on the tuning of certain 10-stringed harp guitars of the Romantic period. (See LaBella's catalogue, p. 10.)
4. Sensier, Peter. 1975. "Narciso Yepes and the ten-string guitar". Guitar iii(9): p. 27. ISSN: 03017214
5. Narciso Yepes, quoted in: Schneider, John. 1983. "Conversation with Narciso Yepes". Soundboard, Spring: p. 67.
6. Yepes, N. 1989. "Ser Instrumento" {To Be an Instrument}. Speech of Ingression into the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, delivered on 30 April.
7. Yepes, N. 1989. "Ser Instrumento" {To Be an Instrument}. Speech of Ingression into the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, delivered on 30 April: p. 15.
8. Yepes, N. 1989. "Ser Instrumento" {To Be an Instrument}. Speech of Ingression into the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, delivered on 30 April: p. 15.
9. Sensier, Peter. 1975. "Narciso Yepes and the ten-string guitar". Guitar iii(9): p. 27. ISSN: 03017214
10. Yepes, quoted in: Snitzler, Larry. 1978. "The 10-String Guitar: Overcoming the Limitations of Six Strings". Guitar Player 12(3): p. 26.
11. Kozinn, Allan. 1981. "Narciso Yepes and His 10-String Guitar". The New York Times, Nov. 22: p. D22
12. Ramírez, José. 1994. "The Ten-String Guitar". In: Things About the Guitar. Bold Strummer. pp. 137-140. ISBN 9788487969409
13. See Professional guitars in the current Ramírez Guitars catalog. The Traditional Classic ten string is as designed by José Ramírez III, while the Special Classic ten string is a later design by his son José Ramírez IV.

Further reading

• Ramírez, José. 1994. The Ten-String Guitar in Things About the Guitar. Bold Strummer. pp. 137-140. ISBN 9788487969409
• Yepes, Narciso. 1978. The 10-String Guitar: Overcoming the Limitations of Six Strings. Interview by Larry Snitzler. Guitar Player 12(3): pp. 26, 42, 46, 48, 52.
• Yepes, Narciso. 1981. Narciso Yepes and His 10-String Guitar. Interview-Article by Allan Kozinn, The New York Times, November 22, 1981, Section 2, Page 21, Column 6.

• Classical guitar
• Reentrant tunings