In the Baroque era, flute were made of three sections. The modern flute began to take shape in the 1760s when an extra length was added and ivory rings were added to reinforce the mounts. From 1770 to 1830, the flute evolved further with more metal keys being added to finally reach reach a total of eight. These "eight-keyed" flutes were usually made of boxwood or ebony with ivory or brass mounts between each joint.

During the 1830s and 1840, the Munich flautist, Theobald Boehm, revolutionised the design of the flute. He made the bore more cylindrical, made the holes larger to produce greater volume, repositioned the holes and devised the method of fingering still used today.

The lute has a pear-shaped body with a broad neck and fingerboard. The head of the lute, which carries the tuning pegs is mounted at 90 degrees to the neck. The lute is strung to give six courses which may be either single or double stringed.

The theorbo has a longer neck than the lute with an extra pegboard giving six or seven extra bass courses. The chitarrone is a larger version of the theorbo with the courses divided between a pegboard lower down the neck and one at the head.

The guitar probably originated in Spain in the 14th century. The earliest guitars had three pairs of strings plus a single string. The guitar became popular in other European countries in the 16th and 17th centuries. Late in the 17th century, a fifth pair of stings was added and in the middle of the 18th century, a sixth sting was added and the double stings were made single, giving the guitar its modern form. Early in the 19th century, the lyre and the guitar enjoyed a period of popularity. During that century, the body of the guitar was broadened and the curve at the waist was made more pronounced.