How Flamenco Guitar Music Started
"Flamenco" is the name most often associated with Spanish Guitar Music. And although it is without a doubt part of that country's culture, it's native only to the Southern area of Andalucia. However this does'nt mean that if you're not born in Andalucia, you can't be a "genuine" Flamenco artist! There have been, and continue to be, many contributors from other regions and other countries. especially Latin America and Cuba.
At the begining, Flamenco was the music of the Andalucian gypsies. And, understandably, those who were raised around them were labelled called "Flamencos."
Just as this style of Guitar Music was the end product of centuries of influence and "cross pollination" by and from Byzantine and Moorish influences, the same is true for the evolution of the Spanish Guitar.
As with the development of any culture, time is the most important factor. The evolution of the Spanish Flamenco Guitar is exactly the same. It has a long and varied history. mirroring the influences of individal styles of music, with the addition of the mechanical adaptations and permutations that resulted from the Guitarist's experience with the instrument. It was this ongoing refining of the basic instrument, and the that followed from the Musician's experience that were to finally give birth to both the Spanish Classical Guitar, and the Flamenco Guitar, as we recognize them today.
After the Islamic invasion of Spain in 711, the area of what we today refer to Cordoba, became a hub for Islamic musicians. Who were obviously influenced by the local music. The initial phase of the guitars' evolution was the inclusion of a fifth string to the Islamic Oud. The resulting instrument was the Andalucian "Nuba." More commonly referred to as the "Moorish Guitar."
Centuries later, characteristics of this instrument paired with the European Lute and the Guitar Latina created the Vihuela. This became the basis for the Baroque guitar, which, in turn, transformed into the Classical guitar. Ultimately, the Flamenco guitar was born. A variation of it's Classical "cousin."