The Spanish vihuela de mano was a precursor to the modern guitar, but it was physically different in several ways. While the guitar evolved from a more 'folk' background, the vihuela was a high-status instrument for the nobility. It typically had six pairs of strings (courses) and was tuned like a lute (G-C-F-A-D-G). Its body was flatter and more waisted than the early guitars, and its back was often flat rather than rounded like a lute. This 'waisted' design allowed the player to hold the instrument comfortably while seated, and it became a design feature that the modern guitar eventually inherited. The vihuela's music was polyphonic and extremely complex, requiring a high level of technical skill. By the late 1500s, the vihuela was replaced in popularity by the five-course 'Baroque guitar,' which was easier to play and better suited for strumming popular dances.