Guitar
![]() Aclassical guitarwith nylonstrings | |
String instrument | |
---|---|
Classification | String instrument(pluckedorstrummed) |
Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 321.322 (Compositechordophone) |
Developed | 13th century |
Playing range | |
![]() (a standard tuned guitar) | |
Related instruments | |
Theguitaris astringed musical instrumentthat is usually fretted (withsome exceptions) and typically has six ortwelve strings.It is usually held flat against the player's body and played bystrummingorpluckingthe strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strings againstfretswith the fingers of the opposite hand. Aguitar pickmay also be used to strike the strings. The sound of the guitar is projected either acoustically, by means of a resonant hollow chamber on the guitar, or amplified by an electronicpickupand anamplifier.
The guitar is classified as achordophone,meaning the sound is produced by a vibrating string stretched between two fixed points. Historically, a guitar was constructed from wood, with its strings made ofcatgut.Steel guitar strings were introduced near the end of the nineteenth century in the United States,[1]but nylon and steel strings became mainstream only followingWorld War II.[1]The guitar's ancestors include thegittern,thevihuela,the four-courseRenaissance guitar,and the five-coursebaroque guitar,all of which contributed to the development of the modern six-string instrument.
There are three main types of modern guitar: theclassical guitar(Spanish guitar); thesteel-string acoustic guitarorelectric guitar;and theHawaiian guitar(played across the player's lap). Traditional acoustic guitars include theflat top guitar(typically with a large sound hole) or thearchtop guitar,which is sometimes called a "jazz guitar".The tone of an acoustic guitar is produced by the strings' vibration, amplified by the hollow body of the guitar, which acts as aresonating chamber.The classicalSpanish guitaris often played as asoloinstrument using a comprehensivefingerstyletechnique where each string is plucked individually by the player's fingers, as opposed to being strummed. The term "finger-picking" can also refer to a specific tradition of folk, blues, bluegrass, and country guitar playing in the United States.
Electric guitars,first patented in 1937,[2]use apickupandamplifierthat made the instrument loud enough to be heard, but also enabled manufacturing guitars with a solid block of wood needing a resonant chamber.[3]A wide array of electroniceffects unitsbecame possible includingreverbanddistortion (or "overdrive" ).Solid-body guitarsbegan to dominate the guitar market during the 1960s and 1970s; they are less prone to unwantedacoustic feedback.As with acoustic guitars, there are a number of types of electric guitars, includinghollowbody guitars,archtop guitars(used injazz guitar,bluesandrockabilly) andsolid-body guitars,which are widely used inrock music.
The loud, amplified sound and sonic power of the electric guitar played through a guitar amp have played a key role in the development ofbluesandrock music,both as anaccompanimentinstrument (playingriffsandchords) and performingguitar solos,and in many rock subgenres, notablyheavy metal musicandpunk rock.The electric guitar has had a major influence onpopular culture.The guitar is used in a wide variety of musical genres worldwide. It is recognized as a primary instrument in genres such asblues,bluegrass,country,flamenco,folk,jazz,jota,ska,mariachi,metal,punk,funk,reggae,rock,grunge,soul,acoustic music,disco,new wave,new age,adult contemporary music,andpop,occasionally used as a sample inhip-hop,dubstep,ortrap music.
History
Similarly, musicologists have argued over whether instruments indigenous to Europe could have led to the guitar. This idea has not gotten beyond speculation and needs "a thorough study ofmorphologyand performing practice "by ethnomusicologists.[4]
The modern wordguitarand its antecedents have been applied to a wide variety of chordophones since classical times, sometimes causing confusion. The English wordguitar,the GermanGitarre,and the Frenchguitarewere all adopted from the Spanishguitarra,which comes from theAndalusian Arabicقيثارة(qīthārah)[6]and the Latincithara,which in turn came from theAncient Greekκιθάρα.This Greek word may also come from thePersianword sihtar.[7]Kitharaappears in the Bible four times (1 Cor. 14:7, Rev. 5:8, 14:2, and 15:2), and is usually translated into English asharp.
The origins of the modern guitar are not known.[8]Before the development of theelectric guitarand the use of synthetic materials, a guitar was defined as being an instrument having "a long, fretted neck, flat woodensoundboard,ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides. "[9]The term is used to refer to a number ofchordophonesthat were developed and used across Europe, beginning in the 12th century and, later, in the Americas.[10]A 3,300-year-old stone carving of aHittitebard playing a stringed instrument is the oldest iconographic representation of a chordophone, and clay plaques fromBabyloniashow people playing a lute-like instrument which is similar to the guitar.
Several scholars cite varying influences as antecedents to the modern guitar. Although the development of the earliest "guitar" is lost to the history of medieval Spain, two instruments are commonly claimed as influential predecessors: the four-stringoudand its precursor, the Europeanlute;the former was brought to Iberia by theMoorsin the 8th century. It has often been assumed that the guitar is a development of the lute, or of the ancient Greek kithara. However, many scholars consider the lute an offshoot or separate line of development which did not influence the evolution of the guitar in any significant way.[9][11][12]
At least two instruments called "guitars" were in use in Spain by 1200: theguitarra latina(Latin guitar) and the so-calledguitarra morisca(Moorish guitar). The guitarra morisca had a rounded back, a wide fingerboard, and several sound holes. The guitarra Latina had a single sound hole and a narrower neck. By the 14th century the qualifiers "moresca" or "morisca" and "latina" had been dropped, and these two chordophones were simply referred to as guitars.[13]
The Spanishvihuela,called in Italian theviola da mano,a guitar-like instrument of the 15th and 16th centuries, is widely considered to have been the single most important influence in the development of the baroque guitar. It had sixcourses(usually), lute-liketuningin fourths and a guitar-like body, although early representations reveal an instrument with a sharply cut waist. It was also larger than the contemporary four-course guitars. By the 16th century, the vihuela's construction had more in common with the modern guitar, with its curved one-piece ribs, than with the viols, and more like a larger version of the contemporary four-course guitars. The vihuela enjoyed only a relatively short period of popularity in Spain and Italy during an era dominated elsewhere in Europe by thelute;the last surviving published music for the instrument appeared in 1576.[14]
Meanwhile, the five-coursebaroque guitar,which was documented in Spain from the middle of the 16th century, enjoyed popularity, especially in Spain, Italy and France from the late 16th century to the mid-18th century.[A][B]In Portugal, the wordviolareferred to the guitar, asguitarrameant the "Portuguese guitar",a variety ofcittern.
There were many different plucked instruments[15]that were being invented and used in Europe during the Middle Ages. By the 16th century, most of the forms of guitar had fallen off, to never be seen again. However, midway through the 16th century, the five-course guitar[16]was established. It was not a straightforward process. There were two types of five-course guitars, differing in the location of the major third and in the interval pattern. The fifth course can be inferred because the instrument was known to play more than the sixteen notes possible with four. The guitar's strings were tuned in unison, so, in other words, it was tuned by placing a finger on the second fret of the thinnest string and tuning the guitar[17]bottom to top. The strings were a whole octave apart from one another, which is the reason for the different method of tuning. Because it was so different, there was major controversy as to who created the five course guitar. A literary source, Lope de Vega's Dorotea, gives the credit to the poet and musicianVicente Espinel.This claim was also repeated by Nicolas Doizi de Velasco in 1640, however this claim has been refuted by others who state that Espinel's birth year (1550) make it impossible for him to be responsible for the tradition.[18]He believed that the tuning was the reason the instrument became known as the Spanish guitar in Italy. Even later, in the same century,Gaspar Sanzwrote that other nations such as Italy or France added to the Spanish guitar. All of these nations even imitated the five-course guitar by "recreating" their own.[19]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Septiembre_08_275.jpg/220px-Septiembre_08_275.jpg)
Finally,c. 1850,the form and structure of the modern guitar were developed by different Spanish makers such asManuel de Soto y Solaresand, perhaps the most important of all guitar makers,Antonio Torres Jurado,who increased the size of the guitar body, altered its proportions, and invented the breakthrough fan-braced pattern. Bracing, the internal pattern of wood reinforcements used to secure the guitar's top and back and prevent the instrument from collapsing under tension, is an important factor in how the guitar sounds. Torres' design greatly improved the volume, tone, and projection of the instrument, and it has remained essentially unchanged since.
Types
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/La_col%C2%B7lecci%C3%B3_de_guitarres%2C_Museu_de_la_M%C3%BAsica_de_Barcelona.jpg/220px-La_col%C2%B7lecci%C3%B3_de_guitarres%2C_Museu_de_la_M%C3%BAsica_de_Barcelona.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Jan_Vermeer_van_Delft_013.jpg/220px-Jan_Vermeer_van_Delft_013.jpg)
Guitars are often divided into two broad categories:acousticandelectric guitars.Within each category, there are further sub-categories that are nearly endless in quantity and are always evolving. For example, an electric guitar can be purchased in a six-string model (the most common model) or inseven-ortwelve-stringformats. An instruments overall design, internal construction and components, wood type or species, hardware and electronic appointments all add to the abundant nature of sub-categories and its unique tonal & functional property.
Acoustic
Acoustic guitars form several notable subcategories within the acoustic guitar group: classical andflamenco guitars;steel-string guitars, which include the flat-topped, or "folk", guitar;twelve-string guitars;and the arched-top guitar. The acoustic guitar group also includes unamplified guitars designed to play in different registers, such as the acoustic bass guitar, which has a similar tuning to that of the electric bass guitar.
Renaissance and Baroque
Renaissance and Baroque guitars are the ancestors of the modernclassicalandflamenco guitar.They are substantially smaller, more delicate in construction, and generate less volume. The strings are paired in courses as in a modern12-string guitar,but they only have four or five courses of strings rather than six single strings normally used now. They were more often used as rhythm instruments in ensembles than as solo instruments, and can often be seen in that role inearly musicperformances. (Gaspar Sanz'sInstrucción de Música sobre la Guitarra Españolaof 1674 contains his whole output for the solo guitar.)[20]RenaissanceandBaroqueguitars are easily distinguished, because the Renaissance guitar is very plain and the Baroque guitar is very ornate, with ivory or wood inlays all over the neck and body, and a paper-cutout inverted "wedding cake" inside the hole.
Classical
Classical guitars, also known as "Spanish" guitars,[21]are typically strung with nylon strings, plucked with the fingers, played in a seated position and are used to play a diversity of musical styles includingclassical music.The classical guitar's wide, flat neck allows the musician to play scales, arpeggios, and certain chord forms more easily and with less adjacent string interference than on other styles of guitar.Flamenco guitarsare very similar in construction, but they are associated with a more percussive tone. In Portugal, the same instrument is often used with steel strings particularly in its role withinfadomusic. The guitar is calledviola,orviolãoin Brazil, where it is often used with an extra seventh string bychoromusicians to provide extra bass support.
In Mexico, the popularmariachiband includes a range of guitars, from the smallrequintoto theguitarrón,a guitar larger than a cello, which is tuned in the bass register. In Colombia, the traditional quartet includes a range of instruments too, from the smallbandola(sometimes known as the Deleuze-Guattari, for use when traveling or in confined rooms or spaces), to the slightly largertiple,to the full-sized classical guitar. The requinto also appears in other Latin-American countries as a complementary member of the guitar family, with its smaller size and scale, permitting more projection for the playing of single-lined melodies. Modern dimensions of the classical instrument were established by the SpaniardAntonio de Torres Jurado(1817–1892).[22]
Flat-top
Flat-top guitars with steel strings are similar to theclassical guitar,however, the flat-top body size is usually significantly larger than a classical guitar, and has a narrower, reinforced neck and stronger structural design. The robust X-bracing typical of flat-top guitars was developed in the 1840s by German-American luthiers, of whomChristian Friedrich "C. F." Martinis the best known. Originally used on gut-strung instruments, the strength of the system allowed the later guitars to withstand the additional tension of steel strings. Steel strings produce a brighter tone and a louder sound. The acoustic guitar is used in many kinds of music including folk, country, bluegrass, pop, jazz, and blues. Many variations are possible from the roughly classical-sizedOOandParlourto the largeDreadnought(the most commonly available type) andJumbo.Ovationmakes a modern variation, with a rounded back/side assembly molded from artificial materials.
Archtop
Archtop guitars are steel-string instruments in which the top (and often the back) of the instrument are carved from a solid billet, into a curved, rather than flat, shape. This violin-like construction is usually credited to the AmericanOrville Gibson.Lloyd Loarof theGibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Cointroduced the violin-inspired F-shaped hole design now usually associated with archtop guitars, after designing a style ofmandolinof the same type. The typical archtop guitar has a large, deep, hollow body whose form is much like that of a mandolin or a violin-family instrument. Nowadays, most archtops are equipped with magnetic pickups, and they are therefore both acoustic and electric. F-hole archtop guitars were immediately adopted, upon their release, by bothjazzandcountrymusicians, and have remained particularly popular in jazz music, usually withflatwound strings.
Resonator, resophonic or Dobros
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/JMT8stringguitar.jpg/220px-JMT8stringguitar.jpg)
All three principal types of resonator guitars were invented by the Slovak-AmericanJohn Dopyera(1893–1988) for the National and Dobro (DopyeraBrothers) companies. Similar to the flat top guitar in appearance, but with a body that may be made of brass, nickel-silver, or steel as well as wood, the sound of the resonator guitar is produced by one or more aluminum resonator cones mounted in the middle of the top. The physical principle of the guitar is therefore similar to theloudspeaker.
The original purpose of the resonator was to produce a very loud sound; this purpose has been largely superseded byelectrical amplification,but the resonator guitar is still played because of its distinctive tone. Resonator guitars may have either one or three resonator cones. The method of transmitting sound resonance to the cone is either a "biscuit" bridge, made of a small piece of hardwood at the vertex of the cone (Nationals), or a "spider" bridge, made of metal and mounted around the rim of the (inverted) cone (Dobros). Three-cone resonators always use a specialized metal bridge. The type of resonator guitar with a neck with a square cross-section—called "square neck" or "Hawaiian" —is usually played face up, on the lap of the seated player, and often with a metal or glassslide.The round neck resonator guitars are normally played in the same fashion as other guitars, although slides are also often used, especially in blues.
Steel guitar
Asteel guitaris any guitar played while moving a polishedsteel baror similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar in that it does not use frets; conceptually, it is somewhat akin to playing a guitar with one finger (the bar). Known for itsportamentocapabilities, gliding smoothly over every pitch between notes, the instrument can produce a sinuous crying sound and deepvibratoemulating the human singing voice. Typically, the strings are plucked (not strummed) by the fingers of the dominant hand, while the steel tone bar is pressed lightly against the strings and moved by the opposite hand. The instrument is played while sitting, placed horizontally across the player's knees or otherwise supported. The horizontal playing style is called "Hawaiian style".[23]
Twelve-string
Thetwelve-string guitarusually has steel strings, and it is widely used infolk music,blues,androck and roll.Rather than having only six strings, the 12-string guitar has sixcoursesmade up of two strings each, like amandolinorlute.The highest two courses are tuned in unison, while the others are tuned in octaves. The 12-string guitar is also made in electric forms. The chime-like sound of the 12-string electric guitar was the basis ofjangle pop.
Acoustic bass
The acoustic bass guitar is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually somewhat larger than, that of a six-string acoustic guitar. Like the traditionalelectric bass guitarand thedouble bass,the acoustic bass guitar commonly has four strings, which are normally tuned E-A-D-G, anoctavebelow the lowest four strings of the six-string guitar, which is the same tuning pitch as an electric bass guitar. It can, more rarely, be found with five or six strings, which provides a wider range of notes to be played with less movement up and down the neck.
Electric
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Eric-Clapton_1975.jpg/170px-Eric-Clapton_1975.jpg)
Electric guitars can have solid, semi-hollow, or hollow bodies; solid bodies produce little sound without amplification. In contrast to a standard acoustic guitar, electric guitars instead rely onelectromagneticpickups,and sometimespiezoelectricpickups, that convert the vibration of the steel strings intosignals,which are fed to anamplifierthrough apatch cableorradiotransmitter.The sound is frequently modified by other electronic devices (effects units) or the naturaldistortionof valves (vacuum tubes) or the pre-amp in the amplifier. There are two main types of magnetic pickups,single- and double-coil (orhumbucker), each of which can bepassiveoractive.The electric guitar is used extensively injazz,blues,R & B,androck and roll.The first successful magnetic pickup for a guitar was invented byGeorge Beauchamp,and incorporated into the 1931 Ro-Pat-In (laterRickenbacker)"Frying Pan"lap steel; other manufacturers, notablyGibson,soon began to install pickups in archtop models. After World War II the completely solid-body electric was popularized by Gibson in collaboration withLes Paul,and independently byLeo FenderofFender Music.The lower fretboardaction(the height of the strings from the fingerboard), lighter (thinner) strings, and its electrical amplification lend the electric guitar to techniques less frequently used on acoustic guitars. These includetapping,extensive use oflegatothroughpull-offsandhammer-ons(also known as slurs),pinch harmonics,volume swells,and use of atremolo armoreffects pedals.
Some electric guitar models featurepiezoelectricpickups, which function astransducersto provide a sound closer to that of an acoustic guitar with the flip of a switch or knob, rather than switching guitars. Those that combine piezoelectric pickups and magnetic pickups are sometimes known as hybrid guitars.[24]
Hybrids of acoustic and electric guitars are also common. There are also more exotic varieties, such as guitars withtwo,three,[25]or rarely four necks, all manner of alternate string arrangements,fretless fingerboards(used almost exclusively on bass guitars, meant to emulate the sound of astand-up bass),5.1 surround guitar,and such.
Seven-string and eight-string
Solid-body seven-string guitars were popularized in the 1980s and 1990s. Other artists go a step further, by using an eight-string guitar with two extra low strings. Although the most common seven-string has a low B string,Roger McGuinn(ofThe ByrdsandRickenbacker) uses an octave G string paired with the regular G string as on a 12-string guitar, allowing him to incorporate chiming 12-string elements in standard six-string playing. In 1982Uli Jon Rothdeveloped the "Sky Guitar", with a vastly extended number of frets, which was the first guitar to venture into the upper registers of the violin. Roth's seven-string and "Mighty Wing" guitar features a wider octave range.[citation needed]
Electric bass
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Hofner_500-1_Anniversary%28%2761CavernBass%29RH.jpg/156px-Hofner_500-1_Anniversary%28%2761CavernBass%29RH.jpg)
The bass guitar (also called an "electric bass", or simply a "bass" ) is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a longer neck andscale length,and four to six strings. The four-string bass, by far the most common, is usually tuned the same as thedouble bass,which corresponds to pitches one octave lower than the four lowest pitched strings of a guitar (E, A, D, and G). The bass guitar is atransposing instrument,as it is notated inbass clefan octave higher than it sounds (as is the double bass) to avoid excessiveledger linesbeing required below thestaff.Like the electric guitar, the bass guitar haspickupsand it is plugged into anamplifier and speakerfor live performances.
Construction
- Headstock
- Nut
- Machine heads(or pegheads, tuning keys, tuning machines, tuners)
- Frets
- Truss rodcover
- Inlays
- Neck
- Heel (acoustic)Neckjoint (electric);Cutaway (electric)
- Body
- Pickups
- Electronics
- Bridge
- Pickguard
- Back
- Soundboard(top)
- Body sides (ribs)
- Sound hole,withRosetteinlay
- Strings
- Saddle
- Fretboard(or Fingerboard)
Handedness
Modern guitars can be constructed to suit both left- and right-handed players. Typically the dominant hand is used to pluck or strum the strings. This is similar to theviolinfamily of instruments where the dominant hand controls the bow. Left-handed players usually play a mirror image instrument manufactured especially for left-handed players.[26]There are other options, some unorthodox, including learn to play a right-handed guitar as if the player is right-handed or playing an unmodified right-handed guitar reversed. GuitaristJimi Hendrixplayed a right-handed guitar strung in reverse (the treble strings and bass strings reversed).[27]The problem with doing this is that it reverses the guitar's saddle angle.[26]The saddle is the strip of material on top of the bridge where the strings rest. It is normally slanted slightly, making the bass strings longer than the treble strings.[26]In part, the reason for this is the difference in the thickness of the strings.[28]Physical properties of the thicker bass strings require them to be slightly longer than the treble strings to correctintonation.[28]Reversing the strings, therefore, reverses the orientation of the saddle, adversely affecting intonation.
Components
Head
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Steinberger_bass.jpg/85px-Steinberger_bass.jpg)
The headstock is located at the end of the guitar neck farthest from the body. It is fitted with machine heads that adjust the tension of the strings, which in turn affects the pitch. The traditional tuner layout is "3+3", in which each side of the headstock has three tuners (such as onGibson Les Pauls). In this layout, the headstocks are commonly symmetrical. Many guitars feature other layouts, including six-in-line tuners (featured onFender Stratocasters) or even "4+2" (e.g. Ernie Ball Music Man). Some guitars (such asSteinbergers) do not have headstocks at all, in which case the tuning machines are located elsewhere, either on the body or the bridge.
The nut is a small strip ofbone,plastic,brass,corian,graphite,stainless steel,or other medium-hard material, at the joint where the headstock meets the fretboard. Its grooves guide the strings onto the fretboard, giving consistent lateral string placement. It is one of the endpoints of the strings' vibrating length. It must be accurately cut, or it can contribute to tuning problems due to string slippage or string buzz. To reduce string friction in the nut, which can adversely affect tuning stability, some guitarists fit a roller nut. Some instruments use a zero fret just in front of the nut. In this case the nut is used only for lateral alignment of the strings, the string height and length being dictated by the zero fret.
Neck
A guitar'sfrets,fretboard,tuners,headstock,andtruss rod,all attached to a long wooden extension, collectively constitute itsneck.The wood used to make the fretboard usually differs from the wood in the rest of the neck. The bending stress on the neck is considerable, particularly when heavier gauge strings are used (seeTuning), and the ability of the neck to resist bending (seeTruss rod) is important to the guitar's ability to hold a constant pitch during tuning or when strings are fretted. The rigidity of the neck with respect to the body of the guitar is one determinant of a good instrument versus a poor-quality one.
The cross-section of the neck can also vary, from a gentle "C" curve to a more pronounced "V" curve. There are many different types of neck profiles available, giving the guitarist many options. Some aspects to consider in a guitar neck may be the overall width of the fretboard, scale (distance between the frets), the neck wood, the type of neck construction (for example, the neck may be glued in or bolted on), and the shape (profile) of the back of the neck. Other types of material used to make guitar necks are graphite (Steinbergerguitars), aluminum (Kramer Guitars,Travis BeanandVeleno guitars), or carbon fiber (Modulus GuitarsandThreeGuitars).Double neckelectric guitars have two necks, allowing the musician to quickly switch between guitar sounds.
The neck joint or heel is the point at which the neck is either bolted or glued to the body of the guitar. Almost all acoustic steel-string guitars, with the primary exception of Taylors, have glued (otherwise known as set) necks, while electric guitars are constructed using both types. Most classical guitars have a neck and headblock carved from one piece of wood, known as a "Spanish heel". Commonly used set neck joints includemortise and tenonjoints (such as those used by C. F. Martin & Co.), dovetail joints (also used by C. F. Martin on the D-28 and similar models) and Spanish heel neck joints, which are named after the shoe they resemble and commonly found in classical guitars. All three types offer stability.
Bolt-on necks, though they are historically associated with cheaper instruments, do offer greater flexibility in the guitar's set-up, and allow easier access for neck joint maintenance and repairs. Another type of neck, only available for solid-body electric guitars, is theneck-through-bodyconstruction. These are designed so that everything from the machine heads down to the bridge is located on the same piece of wood. The sides (also known as wings) of the guitar are then glued to this central piece. Some luthiers prefer this method of construction as they claim it allows better sustain of each note. Some instruments may not have a neck joint at all, having the neck and sides built as one piece and the body built around it.
Thefingerboard,also called the fretboard, is a piece of wood embedded with metal frets that comprises the top of the neck. It is flat on classical guitars and slightly curved crosswise on acoustic and electric guitars. The curvature of the fretboard is measured by the fretboard radius, which is the radius of a hypothetical circle of which the fretboard's surface constitutes a segment. The smaller the fretboard radius, the more noticeably curved the fretboard is. Most modern guitars feature a 12 "neck radius, while older guitars from the 1960s and 1970s usually feature a 6-8" neck radius. Pinching a string against a fret on the fretboard effectively shortens the vibrating length of the string, producing a higher pitch.
Fretboards are most commonly made ofrosewood,ebony,maple,and sometimes manufactured using composite materials such as HPL or resin. See the section "Neck" below for the importance of the length of the fretboard in connection to other dimensions of the guitar. The fingerboard plays an essential role in the treble tone for acoustic guitars. The quality of vibration of the fingerboard is the principal characteristic for generating the best treble tone. For that reason, ebony wood is better, but because of high use, ebony has become rare and extremely expensive. Most guitar manufacturers have adopted rosewood instead of ebony.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Sin%C3%A9ad_O%E2%80%99Connor_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Sin%C3%A9ad_O%E2%80%99Connor_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Frets
Almost all guitars have frets, which are metal strips (usually nickel alloy or stainless steel) embedded along the fretboard and located at exact points that divide the scale length in accordance with a specific mathematical formula. The exceptions includefretless bassguitars and very rare fretless guitars. Pressing a string against a fret determines the strings' vibrating length and therefore its resultant pitch. The pitch of each consecutive fret is defined at a half-step interval on thechromatic scale.Standard classical guitars have 19 frets and electric guitars between 21 and 24 frets, although guitars have been made with as many as 27 frets. Frets are laid out to accomplish anequal tempereddivision of the octave. Each set of twelve frets represents an octave. The twelfth fret divides thescale lengthexactly into two halves, and the 24th fret position divides one of those halves in half again.
Theratioof the spacing of two consecutive frets is(twelfth root of two). In practice,luthiersdetermine fret positions using the constant 17.817—an approximation to 1/(1-1/). If the nth fret is a distance x from the bridge, then the distance from the (n+1)th fret to the bridge is x-(x/17.817).[29]Frets are available in several different gauges and can be fitted according to player preference. Among these are "jumbo" frets, which have a much thicker gauge, allowing for use of a slight vibrato technique from pushing the string down harder and softer. "Scalloped" fretboards, where the wood of the fretboard itself is "scooped out" between the frets, allow a dramatic vibrato effect. Fine frets, much flatter, allow a very lowstring-action,but require that other conditions, such as curvature of the neck, be well-maintained to prevent buzz.
Truss rod
The truss rod is a thin, strong metal rod that runs along the inside of the neck. It is used to correct changes to the neck's curvature caused by aging of the neck timbers, changes in humidity, or to compensate for changes in the tension of strings. The tension of the rod and neck assembly is adjusted by a hex nut or an allen-key bolt on the rod, usually located either at the headstock, sometimes under a cover, or just inside the body of the guitar underneath the fretboard and accessible through the sound hole. Some truss rods can only be accessed by removing the neck. The truss rod counteracts the immense amount of tension the strings place on the neck, bringing the neck back to a straighter position. Turning the truss rod clockwise tightens it, counteracting the tension of the strings and straightening the neck or creating a backward bow. Turning the truss rod counter-clockwise loosens it, allowing string tension to act on the neck and creating a forward bow.
Adjusting the truss rod affects the intonation of a guitar as well as the height of the strings from the fingerboard, called theaction.Some truss rod systems, calleddouble actiontruss systems, tighten both ways, pushing the neck both forward and backward (standard truss rods can only release to a point beyond which the neck is no longer compressed and pulled backward). The artist andluthierIrving Sloane pointed out, in his bookSteel-String Guitar Construction,that truss rods are intended primarily to remedy concave bowing of the neck, but cannot correct a neck with "back bow" or one that has become twisted.[30]Classical guitars do not require truss rods, as their nylon strings exert a lower tensile force with lesser potential to cause structural problems. However, their necks are often reinforced with a strip of harder wood, such as anebonystrip that runs down the back of acedarneck. There is no tension adjustment on this form of reinforcement.
Inlays
This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(September 2023) |
Inlays are visual elements set into the exterior surface of a guitar, both for decoration and artistic purposes and, in the case of the markings on the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 12th fret (and in higher octaves), to provide guidance to the performer about the location of frets on the instrument.[31]The typical locations for inlay are on the fretboard, headstock, and on acoustic guitars around the soundhole, known as therosette.Inlays range from simple plastic dots on the fretboard to intricate works of art covering the entire exterior surface of a guitar (front and back). Some guitar players have usedLEDsin the fretboard to produce unique lighting effects onstage. Fretboard inlays are most commonly shaped like dots, diamond shapes, parallelograms, or large blocks in between the frets.
Dots are usually inlaid into the upper edge of the fretboard in the same positions, small enough to be visible only to the player. These usually appear on the odd-numbered frets, but also on the 12th fret (the one-octavemark) instead of the 11th and 13th frets. Some older or high-end instruments have inlays made of mother of pearl, abalone, ivory, colored wood or other exotic materials and designs. Simpler inlays are often made of plastic or painted. High-end classical guitars seldom have fretboard inlays as a well-trained player is expected to know his or her way around the instrument. In addition to fretboard inlay, the headstock and soundhole surround are also frequently inlaid. The manufacturer's logo or a small design is often inlaid into the headstock. Rosette designs vary from simple concentric circles to delicate fretwork mimicking the historic rosette of lutes. Bindings that edge the finger and soundboards are sometimes inlaid. Some instruments have a filler strip running down the length and behind the neck, used for strength or to fill the cavity through which the truss rod was installed in the neck.
Body
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Guitarist_girl.jpg/220px-Guitarist_girl.jpg)
In acoustic guitars, string vibration is transmitted through the bridge and saddle to the body viasound board.The sound board is typically made of tonewoods such as spruce or cedar. Timbers for tonewoods are chosen for both strength and ability to transfer mechanical energy from the strings to the air within the guitar body. Sound is further shaped by the characteristics of the guitar body's resonant cavity. In expensive instruments, the entire body is made of wood. In inexpensive instruments, the back may be made of plastic.
In an acoustic instrument, the body of the guitar is a major determinant of the overall sound quality. The guitar top, or soundboard, is a finely crafted and engineered element made oftonewoodssuch asspruceandred cedar.This thin piece of wood, often only 2 or 3 mm thick, is strengthened by differing types ofinternal bracing.Many luthiers consider the top the dominant factor in determining the sound quality. The majority of the instrument's sound is heard through the vibration of the guitar top as the energy of the vibrating strings is transferred to it. The body of an acoustic guitar has a sound hole through which sound projects. The sound hole is usually a round hole in the top of the guitar under the strings. The air inside the body vibrates as the guitar top and body is vibrated by the strings, and the response of the air cavity at different frequencies is characterized, like the rest of the guitar body, by a number of resonance modes at which it responds more strongly.
The top, back and ribs of an acoustic guitar body are very thin (1–2 mm), so a flexible piece of wood called lining is glued into the corners where the rib meets the top and back. This interior reinforcement provides 5 to 20 mm of solid gluing area for these corner joints. Solid linings are often used in classical guitars, while kerfed lining is most often found in steel-string acoustics. Kerfed lining is also called kerfing because it is scored, or "kerfed" (incompletely sawn through), to allow it to bend with the shape of the rib). During final construction, a small section of the outside corners is carved or routed out and filled with binding material on the outside corners and decorative strips of material next to the binding, which is calledpurfling.This binding serves to seal off the end grain of the top and back. Purfling can also appear on the back of an acoustic guitar, marking the edge joints of the two or three sections of the back. Binding and purfling materials are generally made of either wood or plastic.
Body size, shape and style have changed over time. 19th-century guitars, now known as salon guitars, were smaller than modern instruments. Differing patterns of internal bracing have been used over time by luthiers. Torres, Hauser, Ramirez, Fleta, andC. F. Martinwere among the most influential designers of their time. Bracing not only strengthens the top against potential collapse due to the stress exerted by the tensioned strings but also affects the resonance characteristics of the top. The back and sides are made out of a variety of timbers such as mahogany, Indianrosewoodand highly regarded Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra). Each one is primarily chosen for their aesthetic effect and can be decorated with inlays and purfling.
Instruments with larger areas for the guitar top were introduced by Martin in an attempt to create greater volume levels. The popularity of the larger "dreadnought"body size amongst acoustic performers is related to the greater sound volume produced.
Most electric guitar bodies are made of wood and include a plastic pickguard. Boards wide enough to use as a solid body are very expensive due to the worldwide depletion of hardwood stock since the 1970s, so the wood is rarely one solid piece. Most bodies are made from two pieces of wood with some of them including a seam running down the center line of the body. The most common woods used for electric guitar body construction includemaple,basswood,ash,poplar,alder,andmahogany.Many bodies consist of good-sounding, but inexpensive woods, like ash, with a "top", or thin layer of another, more attractive wood (such as maple with a natural "flame" pattern) glued to the top of the basic wood. Guitars constructed like this are often called "flame tops". The body is usually carved or routed to accept the other elements, such as the bridge, pickup, neck, and other electronic components. Most electrics have a polyurethane ornitrocelluloselacquer finish. Other alternative materials to wood are used in guitar body construction. Some of these include carbon composites, plastic material, such as polycarbonate, and aluminum alloys.
Bridge
The main purpose of the bridge on an acoustic guitar is to transfer the vibration from the strings to the soundboard, which vibrates the air inside of the guitar, thereby amplifying the sound produced by the strings. On all electric, acoustic and original guitars, the bridge holds the strings in place on the body. There are many varied bridge designs. There may be some mechanism for raising or lowering the bridge saddles to adjust the distance between the strings and the fretboard (action), or fine-tuning the intonation of the instrument. Some are spring-loaded and feature a "whammy bar",a removable arm that lets the player modulate the pitch by changing the tension on the strings. The whammy bar is sometimes also called a" tremolo bar ". (The effect of rapidly changing pitch is properly called" vibrato ". SeeTremolofor further discussion of this term.) Some bridges also allow for alternate tunings at the touch of a button.
On almost all modern electric guitars, the bridge has saddles that are adjustable for each string so that intonation stays correct up and down the neck. If the open string is in tune, but sharp or flat when frets are pressed, the bridge saddle position can be adjusted with a screwdriver or hex key to remedy the problem. In general, flat notes are corrected by moving the saddle forward and sharp notes by moving it backward. On an instrument correctly adjusted for intonation, the actual length of each string from the nut to the bridge saddle is slightly, but measurably longer than thescale lengthof the instrument. This additional length is called compensation, which flattens all notes a bit to compensate for the sharping of all fretted notes caused by stretching the string during fretting.
Saddle
The saddle of a guitar is the part of the bridge that physically supports the strings. It may be one piece (typically on acoustic guitars) or separate pieces, one for each string (electric guitars and basses). The saddle's basic purpose is to provide the endpoint for the string's vibration at the correct location for proper intonation, and on acoustic guitars to transfer the vibrations through the bridge into the top wood of the guitar. Saddles are typically made of plastic or bone for acoustic guitars, though synthetics and some exotic animal tooth variations (e.g. fossilized tooth, ivory, etc. ) have become popular with some players. Electric guitar saddles are typically metal, though some synthetic saddles are available.
Pickguard
The pickguard, also known as the scratch plate, is usually a piece of laminated plastic or other material that protects the finish of the top of the guitar from damage due to the use of a plectrum ( "pick" ) or fingernails. Electric guitars sometimes mount pickups and electronics on the pickguard. It is a common feature on steel-string acoustic guitars. Some performance styles that use the guitar as a percussion instrument (tapping the top or sides between notes, etc.), such asflamenco,require that a scratchplate or pickguard be fitted to nylon-string instruments.
Strings
The standard guitar has sixstrings,butfour-,seven-,eight-,nine-,ten-,eleven-,twelve-,thirteen-andeighteen-stringguitars are also available. Classical and flamenco guitars historically usedgutstrings, but these have been superseded by polymer materials, such as nylon andfluorocarbon.Modern guitarstringsare constructed from metal, polymers, or animal or plant product materials. "Steel" strings may be made from alloys incorporating steel, nickel or phosphor bronze. Bass strings for both instruments are wound rather than monofilament.
Pickups and electronics
This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2021) |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Stratocaster_detail_DSC06937.jpg/220px-Stratocaster_detail_DSC06937.jpg)
Pickupsaretransducersattached to a guitar that detect (or "pick up" ) string vibrations and convert the mechanical energy of the string into electrical energy. The resultant electrical signal can then be electronicallyamplified.The most common type of pickup iselectromagneticin design. These contain magnets that are within a coil, or coils, of copper wire. Such pickups are usually placed directly underneath the guitar strings. Electromagnetic pickups work on the same principles and in a similar manner to anelectric generator.The vibration of the strings creates a small electric current in the coils surrounding the magnets. This signal current is carried to aguitar amplifierthat drives aloudspeaker.
Traditional electromagnetic pickups are eithersingle-coilor double-coil. Single-coil pickups are susceptible to noise induced by stray electromagnetic fields, usually mains-frequency (60 or 50 hertz) hum. The introduction of the double-coilhumbuckerin the mid-1950s solved this problem through the use of two coils, one of which is wired in opposite polarity to cancel or "buck" stray fields.
The types and models of pickups used can greatly affect the tone of the guitar. Typically, humbuckers, which are two magnet-coil assemblies attached to each other, are traditionally associated with a heavier sound. Single-coil pickups, one magnet wrapped in copper wire, are used by guitarists seeking a brighter, twangier sound with greater dynamic range.
Modern pickups are tailored to the sound desired. A commonly applied approximation used in the selection of a pickup is that less wire (lowerelectrical impedance) gives a brighter sound, more wire gives a "fat" tone. Other options include specialized switching that produces coil-splitting, in/out of phase and other effects. Guitar circuits are either active, needing a battery to power their circuit, or, as in most cases, equipped with a passive circuit.
Fender Stratocaster-type guitars generally have three single-coil pickups, while mostGibson Les Paultypes have humbucker pickups.
Piezoelectric, or piezo, pickups represent another class of pickup. These employpiezoelectricityto generate the musical signal and are popular in hybrid electro-acoustic guitars. A crystal is located under each string, usually in the saddle. When the string vibrates, the shape of the crystal is distorted, and the stresses associated with this change produce tiny voltages across the crystal that can be amplified and manipulated. Piezo pickups usually require a powered pre-amplifier to lift their output to match that of electromagnetic pickups. Power is typically delivered by an on-board battery.
Most pickup-equipped guitars feature onboard controls, such as volume or tone, or pickup selection. At their simplest, these consist of passive components, such aspotentiometersandcapacitors,but may also include specializedintegrated circuitsor other active components requiringbatteriesfor power, for preamplification and signal processing, or even forelectronic tuning.In many cases, the electronics have some sort of shielding to prevent pickup of external interference and noise.
Guitars may be shipped or retrofitted with a hexaphonic pickup, which produces a separate output for each string, usually from a discrete piezoelectric or magnetic pickup. This arrangement lets on-board or external electronics process the strings individually for modeling orMusical Instrument Digital Interface(MIDI) conversion.Rolandmakes "GK" hexaphonic pickups for guitar and bass, and a line of guitar modeling and synthesis products.[32]Line 6'shexaphonic-equippedVariaxguitars use on-board electronics to model the sound after various vintage instruments, and vary pitch on individual strings.
MIDI converters use a hexaphonic guitar signal to determine pitch, duration, attack, and decay characteristics. The MIDI sends the note information to an internal or external sound bank device. The resulting sound closely mimics numerous instruments. The MIDI setup can also let the guitar be used as a game controller (i.e., Rock Band Squier) or as an instructional tool, as with theFretlightGuitar.
Tuning
Standard
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Standard_diagonal_shifting_of_C_major_chord.png/170px-Standard_diagonal_shifting_of_C_major_chord.png)
By the 16th century, the guitar tuning of ADGBE had already been adopted in Western culture; a lower E was later added on the bottom as a sixth string.[33] The result, known as "standard tuning", has the strings tuned from a low E to a high E, traversing a two-octave range: EADGBE. This tuning is a series of ascending fourths (and a single major third) from low to high.[33] The reason for ascending fourths is to accommodate four fingers on four frets up a scale before moving to the next string. This is musically convenient and physically comfortable, and it eased the transition between fingering chords and playing scales.[33] If the tuning contained all perfect fourths, the range would be two octaves plus one semitone;[34]the high string would be an F, a dissonant half-step from the low E and much out of place.[33][34]
The pitches are as follows:
String | Scientific pitch |
Helmholtz pitch |
Intervalfrommiddle C | Frequency (Hz) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | E4 | e' | major thirdabove | 329.63 |
2nd | B3 | b | minor secondbelow | 246.94 |
3rd | G3 | g | perfect fourthbelow | 196.00 |
4th | D3 | d | minor seventhbelow | 146.83 |
5th | A2 | A | minor tenth below | 110.00 |
6th | E2 | E | minor thirteenth below | 82.41 |
The table below shows a pitch's name found over the six strings of a guitar in standard tuning, from the nut (zero), to the twelfth fret.
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | C♯ | D | E♭ | E |
B | C | C♯ | D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B |
G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | C♯ | D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G |
D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | C♯ | D |
A | B♭ | B | C | C♯ | D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A |
E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | C♯ | D | E♭ | E |
![A fretboard with line-segments connecting the successive open-string notes of the standard tuning](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Tuning_ADGBE5_ADGBE0.svg/220px-Tuning_ADGBE5_ADGBE0.svg.png)
For four strings, the 5th fret on one string is the same open-note as the next string; for example, a 5th-fret note on the sixth string is the same note as the open fifth string. However, between the second and third strings, an irregularity occurs: The4th-fret note on the third string is equivalent to the open second string.
Alternative
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Diagonal_shift_of_C-major_chord_in_major-thirds_tuning.png/170px-Diagonal_shift_of_C-major_chord_in_major-thirds_tuning.png)
Standard tuning has evolved to provide a good compromise between simple fingering for manychordsand the ability to play common scales with reasonable left-hand movement. There are also a variety of commonly usedalternative tunings,for example, the classes ofopen,regular,anddroppedtunings.
![Ry Cooder plays the guitar.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Ry_Cooder_playing.jpg/170px-Ry_Cooder_playing.jpg)
Open tuningrefers to a guitar tuned so that strumming the open strings produces achord,typically a major chord. The base chord consists of at least 3 notes and may include all the strings or a subset. The tuning is named for the open chord, Open D, open G, and open A are popular tunings. All similar chords in the chromatic scale can then be played bybarringa single fret.[35]Open tunings are common inblues musicandfolk music,[36]and they are used in the playing ofslideandbottleneck guitars.[35][37]Many musicians use open tunings when playing slide guitar.[36]
For the standard tuning, there is exactly one interval of amajor thirdbetween the second and third strings, and all the other intervals are fourths. The irregularity has a price – chords cannot be shifted around the fretboard in the standard tuning E-A-D-G-B-E, which requires four chord-shapes for the major chords. There are separate chord-forms for chords having theirroot noteon the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth strings.[38]
In contrast,regulartuningshave equal intervals between the strings,[39]and so they have symmetrical scales all along the fretboard. This makes it simpler to translate chords. For the regular tunings, chords may be moved diagonally around the fretboard. The diagonal movement of chords is especially simple for the regular tunings that are repetitive, in which case chords can be moved vertically: Chords can be moved three strings up (or down) in major-thirds tuning and chords can be moved two strings up (or down) in augmented-fourths tuning. Regular tunings thus appeal to new guitarists and also to jazz-guitarists, whose improvisation is simplified by regular intervals.
On the other hand, some chords are more difficult to play in a regular tuning than in standard tuning. It can be difficult to play conventional chords, especially in augmented-fourths tuning and all-fifths tuning,[39]in which the large spacings require hand stretching. Some chords, which are conventional in folk music, are difficult to play even in all-fourths and major-thirds tunings, which do not require more hand-stretching than standard tuning.[40]
- Inmajor-thirds tuning,the interval between open strings is always amajor third.Consequently, four frets suffice to play the chromatic scale.Chord inversionis especially simple in major-thirds tuning. Chords are inverted simply by raising one or two notes by three strings. The raised notes are played with the same finger as the original notes.[41][42]In contrast, in standard tuning, the shape of inversions depends on the involvement of the irregular major-third.[43]
- All-fourths tuningreplaces the major third between the third and second strings with a fourth, extending the conventionaltuning of a bass guitar.With all-fourths tuning, playing the triads is more difficult, but improvisation is simplified because chord-patterns remain constant when moved around the fretboard. Jazz guitaristStanley Jordanuses the all-fourths tuning EADGCF. Invariant chord-shapes are an advantage of other regular tunings, such asmajor-thirdsand all-fifths tunings.[39]
- Extending the tunings ofviolinsandcellos,all-fifths tuningoffers an expanded range CGDAEB,[44]which however has been impossible to implement on a conventional guitar. All-fifths tuning is used for the lowest five strings of thenew standard tuningofRobert Frippand his former students inGuitar Craftcourses; new standard tuning has a high G on its last string CGDAE-G.[45][46]
Another class of alternative tunings is calleddrop tunings,because the tuningdrops downthe lowest string. Dropping down the lowest string awhole toneresults in the "drop-D"(or" dropped D ") tuning. Its open-string notes DADGBE (from low to high) allow for a deep bass D note, which can be used in keys such as D major, d minor and G major. It simplifies the playing of simple fifths (powerchords). Many contemporary rock bands re-tune all strings down, making, for example, Drop-C or Drop-B tunings.
Scordatura
Manyscordatura(alternate tunings) modify the standard tuning of thelute,especially when playingRenaissance musicrepertoire originally written for that instrument. Some scordatura drop the pitch of one or more strings, giving access to new lower notes. Some scordatura makes it easier to play in unusual keys.
Accessories
Though a guitar may be played on its own, there are a variety of common accessories used for holding and playing the guitar.
Capotasto
A capo (short forcapotasto) is used to change the pitch of open strings.[47]Capos are clipped onto the fretboard with the aid of spring tension or, in some models, elastic tension. To raise the guitar's pitch by one semitone, the player would clip the capo onto the fretboard just below the first fret. Its use allows players to play in different keys without having to change the chord formations they use. For example, if a folk guitar player wanted to play a song in the key of B Major, they could put a capo on the second fret of the instrument, and then play the song as if it were in the key of A Major, but with the capo the instrument would make the sounds of B Major. This is because, with the capo barring the entire second fret,open chordswould all sound two semitones (in other words, one tone) higher in pitch. For example, if a guitarist played an open A Major chord (a very common open chord), it would sound like a B Major chord. All of the other open chords would be similarly modified in pitch. Because of the ease with which they allow guitar players to change keys, they are sometimes referred to with pejorative names, such as "cheaters" or the "hillbilly crutch". Despite this negative viewpoint, another benefit of the capo is that it enables guitarists to obtain the ringing, resonant sound of the common keys (C, G, A, etc.) in "harder" and less-commonly used keys. Classical performers are known to use them to enable modern instruments to match the pitch of historical instruments such as the Renaissance musiclute.
Slides
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Fingandslide.jpg/250px-Fingandslide.jpg)
Aslideor asteelis a hard smooth object (a steel bar, round metal or glass bar or cylinder, neck of a bottle) commonly used in country music or blues music, to create aglissandoeffect made popular inHawaiian musicat the beginning of the 20th century. The slide is pressed against the strings by the non-dominant hand, instead of using player's fingers on frets; the strings are then plucked by the dominant hand. The characteristic use of the slide is to move up to the intended pitch by, as the name implies, sliding up the neck to the desired note. Historically, necks of bottles were often used in blues and country music as improvised slides, giving the name "bottleneck guitar"to a style of blues music. Modern slides are constructed of glass, plastic, ceramic, chrome, brass or steel bars or cylinders, depending on the weight and tone desired. An instrument that is played exclusively in this manner (using a metal bar) is called asteel guitarorpedal steel.In such case, the hard object is called a "steel" instead of a slide, and is the reason for the name "steel guitar". Aresonator guitaris a steel guitar built with a metal cone under the strings to make the instrument louder.
Plectrum
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Guitar_picks-KayEss-1.jpeg/220px-Guitar_picks-KayEss-1.jpeg)
A "guitar pick"or"plectrum"is a small piece of hard material generally held between the thumb and first finger of the picking hand and is used to" pick "the strings. Though most classical players pick with a combination of fingernails and fleshy fingertips, the pick is most often used for electric and steel-string acoustic guitars. Though today they are mainly plastic, variations do exist, such as bone, wood, steel or tortoise shell. Tortoise shell was the most commonly used material in the early days of pick-making, but as tortoises and turtles became endangered, the practice of using their shells for picks or anything else was banned. Tortoise-shell picks made before the ban are often coveted for a supposedly superior tone and ease of use, and their scarcity has made them valuable.
Picks come in many shapes and sizes. Picks vary from the small jazz pick to the large bass pick. The thickness of the pick often determines its use. A thinner pick (between 0.2 and 0.5 mm) is usually used for strumming or rhythm playing, whereas thicker picks (between 0.7 and 1.5+ mm) are usually used for single-note lines or lead playing. The distinctive guitar sound ofBilly Gibbonsis attributed to using aquarterorpesoas a pick. Similarly,Brian Mayis known to use asixpence coinas a pick, while noted 1970s and early 1980s session musician David Persons is known for using old credit cards, cut to the correct size, as plectrums.
Thumb picks and finger picks that attach to the fingertips are sometimes employed in finger-picking styles on steel strings. These allow the fingers and thumb to operate independently, whereas a flat pick requires the thumb and one or two fingers to manipulate.
Straps
A guitar strap is a strip of material with an attachment mechanism on each end, made to hold a guitar via the shoulders at an adjustable length. Guitars have varying accommodations for attaching a strap. The most common are strap buttons, also called strap pins, which are flanged steel posts anchored to the guitar with screws. Two strap buttons come pre-attached to virtually all electric guitars, and many steel-string acoustic guitars. Strap buttons are sometimes replaced with "strap locks", which connect the guitar to the strap more securely.
The lower strap button is usually located at the bottom (bridge end) of the body. The upper strap button is usually located near or at the top (neck end) of the body: on the upper body curve, at the tip of the upper "horn" (on a doublecutaway), or at the neck joint (heel). Some electrics, especially those with odd-shaped bodies, have one or both strap buttons on the back of the body. Some Steinberger electric guitars, owing to their minimalist and lightweight design, have both strap buttons at the bottom of the body. Rarely, on some acoustics, the upper strap button is located on the headstock. Some acoustic and classical guitars only have a single strap button at the bottom of the body—the other end must be tied onto the headstock, above the nut and below the machine heads.
Amplifiers, effects and speakers
Electric guitarsandbass guitarshave to be used with aguitar amplifierandloudspeakeror abass amplifierand speaker, respectively, in order to make enough sound to be heard by the performer and audience. Electric guitars and bass guitars almost always usemagnetic pickups,which generate an electric signal when the musician plucks, strums or otherwise plays the instrument. The amplifier and speaker strengthen this signal using apower amplifierand aloudspeaker.Acoustic guitars that are equipped with a piezoelectric pickup or microphone can also be plugged into aninstrument amplifier,acoustic guitar amporPA systemto make them louder. With electric guitar and bass, the amplifier and speaker are not just used to make the instrument louder; by adjusting theequalizercontrols, thepreamplifier,and any onboardeffects units(reverb,distortion/overdrive,etc.) the player can also modify the tone (also called the timbre or "colour" ) and sound of the instrument. Acoustic guitar players can also use the amp to change the sound of their instrument, but in general, acoustic guitar amps are used to make the natural acoustic sound of the instrument louder without significantly changing its sound.
See also
Notes and references
Notes
- ^"The first incontrovertible evidence of five-course instruments can be found in Miguel Fuenllana'sOrphenica Lyreof 1554, which contains music for avihuela de cinco ordenes.In the following year, Juan Bermudo wrote in hisDeclaracion de Instrumentos Musicales:'We have seen a guitar in Spain with five courses of strings.' Bermudo later mentions in the same book that 'Guitars usually have four strings,' which implies that the five-course guitar was of comparatively recent origin, and still something of an oddity. "Tom and Mary Anne Evans,Guitars: From the Renaissance to Rock.Paddington Press Ltd, 1977, p. 24.
- ^"We know from literary sources that the five course guitar was immensely popular in Spain in the early seventeenth century and was also widely played in France and Italy...Yet almost all the surviving guitars were built in Italy...This apparent disparity between the documentary and instrumental evidence can be explained by the fact that, in general, only the more expensively made guitars have been kept as collectors' pieces. During the early seventeenth century the guitar was an instrument of the people of Spain, but was widely played by the Italian aristocracy." Tom and Mary Anne Evans.Guitars: From the Renaissance to Rock.Paddington Press Ltd, 1977, p. 24.
Citations
- ^abSomogyi, Ervin (January 7, 2011)."Tracking The Steel-String Guitar's Evolution, Pt. 1".premierguitar.Premier Guitar Magazine.RetrievedFebruary 27,2021.
- ^"First-ever electric guitar patent awarded to the Electro String Corporation".history.A&E Television Networks.RetrievedSeptember 20,2017.
- ^"The Earliest Days of the Electric Guitar".rickenbacker.Rickenbacker International.RetrievedSeptember 7,2017.
- ^abHarvey Turnbull;James Tyler(1984). "Guitar". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.).The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments.pp. 87–88. Volume 2.
...the application of the name 'guitar' with its overtones of European musical practice, to oriental lutes betrays a superficial acquaintance with the instruments concerned.
- ^"14.11.2012 for those who are interested in ancient guitars and archaeology".Gitarrenzentrum.Retrieved18 April2021.
[reprint of news article:]Guitar rooted in northern Turkey, not Spain...Today's Zaman. Stand: 13 November 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL...http:// todayszaman /news-298052-guitar-rooted-in-northern-turkey-not-spain.html
- ^Farmer 1930,p. 137.
- ^"Guitar | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
- ^Dobney, Jayson Kerr; Powers, Wendy."The Guitar | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art".The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.Retrieved2017-04-08.
- ^abKasha 1968,pp. 3–12.
- ^Wade 2001,p. 10.
- ^Summerfield 2003.
- ^Who Invented The Acoustic Guitar?
- ^Tom and Mary Anne Evans.Guitars: From the Renaissance to Rock.Paddington Press Ltd 1977 p. 16
- ^Turnbull et al.
- ^"A Brief History of the Guitar".Paul Guy Guitars.Retrieved2019-02-25.
- ^"guitar | History & Facts".Encyclopedia Britannica.Retrieved2019-02-25.
- ^"Timeline of Musical Styles & Guitar History | Acoustic Music".acousticmusic.org.Retrieved2019-02-25.
- ^Turnbull, Harvey (2006).The Guitar from the Renaissance to the Present Day.Bold Strummer.ISBN978-0-933224-57-5.
- ^"History of the Guitar – Evolution of Guitars".Guitarhistoryfacts.Retrieved2019-02-25.
- ^The Guitar (From The Renaissance To The Present Day) by Harvey Turnbull (Third Impression 1978) – Publisher: Batsford. p57 (Chapter 3 – The Baroque, Era Of The Five Course Guitar)
- ^"What Is A Classical Guitar?".Cmuse.org.April 18, 2017.RetrievedJune 4,2018.
- ^Morrish, John."Antonio De Torres".Guitar Salon International.Retrieved2011-05-08.
- ^Ross, Michael (February 17, 2015)."Pedal to the Metal: A Short History of the Pedal Steel Guitar".Premier Guitar Magazine.RetrievedSeptember 1,2017.
- ^"Hybrid guitars".Guitarnoize.Archived fromthe originalon 2010-12-25.Retrieved2010-06-15.
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Books, journals
- Bacon, Tony (1997).The Ultimate Guitar Book.Alfred A. Knopf.ISBN0-375-70090-0.
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- Denyer, Ralph (1992).The Guitar Handbook.Special contributorsIsaac Guilloryand Alastair M. Crawford. London and Sydney: Pan Books.ISBN0-679-74275-1.
- Farmer, Henry George(1930).Historical Facts for the Arabian Musical Influence.Ayer.ISBN0-405-08496-X.
- French, Richard Mark (2012).Technology of the Guitar.Robert Fripp(foreword). New York; Heidelberg: Springer Verlag.ISBN978-1-4614-1920-4.
- Gioia, Joe (2013).The Guitar and the New World: A Fugitive History.State University of New York Press.ISBN978-1-4384-4617-2.
- Kasha, Michael (August 1968). "A New Look at The History of the Classic Guitar".Guitar Review.30.
- Strong, James(1890).The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.Cincinnati: Jennings & Graham.
- Summerfield, Maurice J. (2003).The Classical Guitar: Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since 1800(5th ed.). Blaydon on Tyne: Ashley Mark.ISBN1-872639-46-1.
- Wade, Graham (2001).A Concise History of the Classic Guitar.Mel Bay.ISBN0-7866-4978-X.
Online
- Sethares, William A.(2001)."Alternate Tuning Guide"(PDF).University of Wisconsin.Retrieved20 May2016.
- Turnbull, Harvey; et al."Guitar".Oxford Music Online.Oxford University Press.Retrieved20 May2016.
External links
- Instruments In Depth: The GuitarAn online feature from Bloomingdale School of Music (October 2007)
- International Guitar Research Archive
- The Guitar,Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History,The Metropolitan Museum of Artfeaturing many historic guitars from the Museum's collection
- Online GuitarAcoustic guitar realistic simulator