Guitar Basics

Guitar Basics-By David Barker-www.guitartime.com.au


The guitar is an instrument with ancient roots and is used in several different musical genres.  Guitars usually have six strings but you can find guitars with seven, ten or even twelve strings.
Guitars are typically the main instrument in music such as rock, blues, country, and forms of pop.  Guitars may also be used as a solo instrument.   Traditional guitars are made of wood and steel or nylon strings.

Guitars may be played either acoustically or may need to rely on an amplifier.  There are various types of guitars.  First there is the acoustic guitar. In an acoustic guitar, the sound is created by vibrating strings that are echoed in the hollow body of the guitar.  It does not depend on anything external to produce its sound.   It depends on a wooden piece that is mounted on the front of the guitar.  The acoustic guitar is typically quieter than the instruments you would find in an orchestra or band so it is usually externally amplified.  There are a lot of acoustic guitars that have different pickups so the player can modify and amplify the sound of the instrument.

There are different types of acoustic guitars.  They are steel string guitars, twelve string guitars, arch top guitars, flamenco, and classical guitars.  There is also the acoustic bass guitar.

The invention of the electric guitar has influenced much of the music of the twentieth century and popular culture.  An electric guitar relies on an amplifier that helps to manipulate the tone of the instrument electronically.  An electric guitar uses what you call pickups to change the vibration of the strings into an electrical current, which is then amplified.  The electrical signal that emits from the guitar may be altered electronically before it passes into the amplifier.  This makes the final sound.  Some electric guitars have the ability to sound like an acoustic guitar with the flip of a switch.

Unlike the acoustic guitar, an electric guitar usually does not have a hollow body and the guitar makes very little sound when you pluck the strings.  When the strings are plucked an electric current is generated.  This current is then sent through a wire to an amplifier.  The current produced varies depending on how dense the string is and how much movement occurs (how you are strumming the guitar).
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