At the dawn of the seventeenth century in Spain, a new style of five course guitar playing evolved incorporating punteado (plucked notes) and rasgueado (strumming).

Some pieces employed either plucking or strumming but as baroque music developed - particularly at the height of the French court of Louis XIV - the techniques combined, creating a new complexity in baroque guitar music.

Among the composers who wrote extensively for the instrument were Robert De Visee and Gaspar Sanz.