A guitar is a stringed musical instrument which traces its popularity back more than 5,000 years ago. The guitar is commonly known to have six strings, but in reality there are styles of guitars that use four, five, seven, eight, ten and twelve strings. The strings are tuned to different pitches and
Traditionally guitars are crafted from tone woods such as Maple, Mahogany, Cedar, Spruce, Poplar and Alder. Countless species of other common and exotic woods are also used to influence the tonal and aesthetic characteristics of the instrument.
Today, guitars are most commonly strung with strings made from metals such as nickel, steel, bronze, copper, gold and silver, or from synthetic materials like nylon and Kevlar. Before modern refined materials were used to string guitars, sheep and bull gut (referred to as "catgut") were used.
Playing The Instrument
Most often, guitars are designed for right-handed players, where the right hand plucks or strums the strings near the bridge of the guitar, and the left hand depresses the strings to the fretboard. This action shortens the effective length of the string that can vibrate, raising the pitch of the note that is played. Guitars are also manufactured for left-handed individuals, but often selection is limited. Guitar instructors commonly recommend that left-handed individuals start playing right-handed if they have had no prior experience with the guitar because of the advantages found from being the most popular method.
Techniques
Strumming - using a finger or a pick to sweep across the strings
Picking - using a finger or a pick to pluck individual notes
Bend - increasing the tension of the string to raise the pitch using the fretting hand
Hammer-on - a musical slur in which a higher note is played above the current note on the fretboard using only the fretting hand
Pull-off - a musical slur in which a lower note is played below the current note using only the fretting hand
Slide - a musical slur in which a note is played and the fretting finger slides up or down in order to raise or lower the pitch of the note
Trill - a consecutive series of hammer-ons and pull-offs, typically played very fast
Harmonic - a location on the string in which the fretting hand gently touches the string, but does not depress, and the plucking hand plays the note as usual. The fretting finger is them removed and the harmonic overtone that was created rings out
Traditionally guitars are crafted from tone woods such as Maple, Mahogany, Cedar, Spruce, Poplar and Alder. Countless species of other common and exotic woods are also used to influence the tonal and aesthetic characteristics of the instrument.
Today, guitars are most commonly strung with strings made from metals such as nickel, steel, bronze, copper, gold and silver, or from synthetic materials like nylon and Kevlar. Before modern refined materials were used to string guitars, sheep and bull gut (referred to as "catgut") were used.
History
Prior to the advent of electric guitars, the definition of a guitar was simply "a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides"[1]. While the six-string configuration pays homage to its official birthplace of Spain, its truly a confluence of artistry and passion traced back thousands of years to regions in Asia, India and the Middle East. Luthiers in Spain and Italy are attributed with much of the development of the modern acoustic guitar, from the body shape and tuning configuration to the construction and bracing techniques. Electric guitars emerged part way through the 20th century when George Beauchamp, founder of Rickenbacher, patented the electric guitar in 1936.Types
- Acoustic
- Classical
- Folk
- Archtop / Jazz
- Baroque / Renaissance
- Acoustic Bass
- Resonator / Dobro
- Electric
- Solid-Body
- Semi-Hollow
- Hollow-Body
- Electric Bass
Playing The Instrument
Most often, guitars are designed for right-handed players, where the right hand plucks or strums the strings near the bridge of the guitar, and the left hand depresses the strings to the fretboard. This action shortens the effective length of the string that can vibrate, raising the pitch of the note that is played. Guitars are also manufactured for left-handed individuals, but often selection is limited. Guitar instructors commonly recommend that left-handed individuals start playing right-handed if they have had no prior experience with the guitar because of the advantages found from being the most popular method.Techniques
Strumming - using a finger or a pick to sweep across the stringsPicking - using a finger or a pick to pluck individual notes
Bend - increasing the tension of the string to raise the pitch using the fretting hand
Hammer-on - a musical slur in which a higher note is played above the current note on the fretboard using only the fretting hand
Pull-off - a musical slur in which a lower note is played below the current note using only the fretting hand
Slide - a musical slur in which a note is played and the fretting finger slides up or down in order to raise or lower the pitch of the note
Trill - a consecutive series of hammer-ons and pull-offs, typically played very fast
Harmonic - a location on the string in which the fretting hand gently touches the string, but does not depress, and the plucking hand plays the note as usual. The fretting finger is them removed and the harmonic overtone that was created rings out
Tuning
The modern guitar having six strings is tuned in order from lowest to highest pitch: E, A, D, G, B, E. Alternate tunings are also common in contemporary music.References
- Kasha, Dr. Michael (August 1968). "A New Look at The History of the Classic Guitar". Guitar Review 30,3-12
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While the six-string configuration pays homage to its official birthplace of Spain...