认识吉他&&from&Baidu&and&Wikipedia
吉他（英语：Guitar），又译为结他或。属于弹拨，通常有六条，形状与相似。吉他在、摇滚音乐、、、中，常被视为主要乐器。而在的领域里，吉他常以或的型式演出；当然，在和中，吉他亦扮演着相当程度的陪衬角色。
简介　　吉他（英语：guitar），又译六弦琴。其面板与背板都是平的，琴身腰部无角
而往里凹。琴颈很长，指板上有弦枕并装有很多窄而稍向上凸起的金属制的横格，称之为「品」，它把琴弦划分为许多半音。　吉他被用于多种音乐风格，它在流行音乐、摇滚音乐、蓝调、民歌、弗拉门戈中常被视为主要乐器。吉他亦有被于用古典音乐，有大量的独奏曲，室内乐和管弦乐中偶有使用。它通常有六弦，但亦有四弦、八弦、十弦和十二弦。吉他主要有两大类：一是历史悠久、以木制共鸣箱扩音的木吉他，二是二十世纪被发明、以电扩音器扩音的。原声吉他有四种：平面吉他（在中国也叫民谣吉他），拱面吉他（又名吉他），古典吉他和弗拉门戈吉他。木吉他通常被用于古典音乐、民间音乐及流行音乐。　电吉他则通常被用于摇滚音乐、蓝调及流行音乐。电吉他的发明对流行文化及音乐有重要影响。
形状构造及工作原理
作为乐器家族中弦乐器的一员，吉他是一种通过拨动上面一根根的琴弦发出声音的有弦的演奏乐器。弹奏时用一只手拨动琴弦，另一只手的手指抵在指板上，后者是覆盖在琴颈上的金属小条。弹奏出来的声音会通过吉他的共鸣箱得到增强。
　　吉他的祖先，可以追溯到公元前两三千年前古埃及的耐法尔，和古波斯的各种古弹拨乐器。考古学家找到的最古老的类似现代吉他的乐器，是公元前1400年前生活在小亚细亚和叙利亚北部的古赫梯人城门遗址上的“赫梯吉他”。8字型内弯的琴体决定了吉他属乐器特有的声音共鸣和乐器特点，这也成为吉他与其它弹拨乐器的最显著特点。
　　在十三世纪的西班牙，由波斯语逐渐演化成的语吉他一词就已经形成，在当时种类繁多的乐器中，已经出现了“摩尔吉他”和“拉丁吉他”。其中摩尔吉他琴体为椭圆形背部鼓起，使用金属弦，演奏风格比较粗犷；拉丁吉他琴体为与现代吉他类似的8字型平底结构，使用羊肠弦，风格典雅。
　　时期是吉他的鼎盛时期。十六世纪四对复弦的吉他和它的近亲——用手奏的比维拉琴，在演奏与创作方面都达到了很高的水准。吉他和比维拉琴不仅深受民众喜爱，而且还常常成为宫廷乐器。当时的吉他、比维拉大师有米兰、纳乐瓦埃斯、穆达拉，以及十七世纪时五组复弦的巴洛克吉他时代大师桑斯、科尔贝塔、维赛等。他们的许多作品现在仍是现代古典吉他曲目中的不朽财富。当时吉他、比维拉琴等乐器所使用的记谱方法还不是现在的五线谱，而是用横线来代表各弦，用数字或字母表示音位和指法，与现在民谣吉他中使用的类似的图示。
　　当时著名的大道兰和魏斯等人的作品经后人改编，在今天的古典吉他曲目中占有重要的位置。伟大的集大成者巴赫所创作的不朽作品如、组曲、奏鸣曲的吉他改编曲，在古典吉他曲具有不朽的价值。十八世纪后期鲁特琴和比维拉琴逐渐退出了历史舞台，五对复弦和其后出现的六对复弦吉他也渐渐完成了它们的历史使命。1800年前后，全新的六根单弦的吉他以其清晰的和声及方便等优点很快得到了几乎全欧洲的青睐，古典吉他的黄金时代终于到来了。
　　十九世纪初，活跃在当时吉他音乐中心巴黎、维也纳还有伦敦的最著名的
吉他大师有索尔，阿瓜多，朱利亚尼，卡罗利，和。其中索尔和朱利亚尼除了是吉他大师外还是出色的音乐家，他们以杰出的才华为六弦古典吉他创作了包括协奏曲在内的第一批大型曲目，为六弦吉他日后的发展奠定了基础。尤其索尔在创作上承袭海顿、莫扎特的古典音乐传统，除写作歌剧、舞剧音乐外，还为吉他创作了包括系统的、教程在内的大量优秀作品，被音乐评论家称为“吉他音乐的贝多芬”。
　　十九世纪后期著名的吉他音乐家有考斯特、默茨、卡诺、等，他们为吉他创作的很多优秀作品都成为了十九世纪吉他音乐的经典。吉他能在二十世纪蓬勃发展并达到前所未有的辉煌，在很大程度上应归功于“近代吉他之父”对吉他从制做、乐器性能、演奏技术直至曲目等各方面的深入研究和革新。泰雷加和他的老师阿尔卡斯一直致力于与吉他制作家托雷斯合作，并最终生产出了琴体扩大、音量增大、乐器性能明显改善的现代古典吉他。
　　吉他成为和钢琴、提琴一样被人们广泛喜爱的高雅乐器，在全世界流行开来，还吸引了许多专业为吉他写下了大量高水平的音乐作品。
吉他分类　　
吉他根据不同的结构和发声原理可以大致分为木吉他（民谣/指弹吉他，弗拉门戈吉他）和电吉他（如标准电吉他和低音电吉他）和古典6弦琴(古典吉他)三种。除低音电吉他外，其他几种吉他使用相同的定弦方法，即从粗到细依次将各弦定为E，A，D，G，B，E。特殊情况也可以将某一弦或者全部的弦降低定音或者升高定音。如比较普遍使用的将低音E弦降低为D。各种吉他一般在琴颈上安装有18至24个不等的音品，单弦的音域在两个八度左右，两个品位之间是半音关系所以又叫半音乐器。
　　原名古典6弦琴。和竖琴(古典23弦琴、古典46弦琴等)、lute琴等同属古典琴大类。是吉他家族中艺术性最高，最具代表意义，适应面最广，最有深度，最受艺术界肯定的一类，被称为“世界三大经典乐器”（只有古典吉他才是，另外两种是钢琴，小提琴），其同时具备钢琴的富丽堂皇与小提琴的优雅婉转，又有“乐器王子”之称；古典吉他早已经成为一种国际化的正规乐器，并不像弗朗明哥吉他只局限于演奏西班牙民族音乐。年龄较小或音乐天赋较高的孩子学吉他就应当学习古典吉他，吉他家族中最为昂贵的往往是古典吉他，只有古典吉他才具有与钢琴、小提琴并驾齐驱的地位。古典吉他某种意义上讲可以替代其它任何一类吉他，它的演奏姿势严格，技术也是最为规范和深奥的。古典吉他可以独奏、重奏，与交响乐队协奏等等。
　　即老百姓们常见的弹唱吉他，民谣吉他特点：①钢丝弦②个头比较大些，琴颈较细③琴弦为刚弦与琴箱接头处为十四品。④表面板上可能有一块半月形保护板。⑤油漆往往较花哨，欠庄重。以伴奏为主。
弗朗门歌吉他
　　这是一种具有典型西班牙民族特色的吉他种类，风格较为粗犷，外观上看，弗朗门歌吉他与古典吉他并无区别，但其制作所用材料与古典吉他大不相同。琴弦的技术高度，面板的松紧要求也完全不同，真正的弗朗门歌吉他在我国可以说见不到，我国极少数弹弗朗门歌吉他的人，大多是用古典吉他代替。
　　电吉他是科学技术发展的产物，普通吉他加上拾音器、效果器、音箱等附件就是电吉他，电吉他主要用于电声乐队的中声部填充、过门、间奏，有时会起领奏作用。
　　匹克即英文P I c
K的音译，就是拨片，匹克吉他用拨片来弹奏，匹克吉他的特点：①没有圆音孔，而是“f”音孔，看上去象提琴的音孔。②张钢丝弦。
夏威夷吉他
　　这类吉他在我国很少见到。它需要平放在桌上或腿上，用圆铁棒触弦，用指甲套拨弦。
　　吉他演奏方法主要有四种:一是用手指弹奏，但指甲容易受损，故常有人使用假指甲或在指甲上涂上能强化指甲的指甲油，二是使用弹片（Picks）拨弦，三是用金属圆管（滑奏吉他,
Slide Guitar）演奏，第四种较冷门，是使用一种可带在手指上的指套来演奏。 　　1.
(Slide) 　　
2. 搥弦(Hammer-On) 　　3. 勾弦(Pull-Off) 　　4.
(Tapping) 　　5.
(Bending) 　　6.
柔弦吉他常用技巧 　　7. (Sweep
Picking)：多用于电吉他演奏，常见于。 　　8. 打弦
(Slap)：多用于低音吉他（Bass）。 　　9. 琵音 　　10. 　　11.　 　　12. 颤指（）：古典吉他最迷人的演奏技巧之一。其中塔雷加(T&rrega)的《（Recuerdos de la
Alhambra）》是轮指奏法的代表作。 　　13.
民谣常用技巧 　　14.制音
吉他(20张)
　　15.切音 　　16.摇把(摇杆)摇把颤音
　　17.拍泛,一种用手指在天然泛音的区域拍出来的泛音的技巧　　18.闷音,一般用&标示出来。闷音和切音是不同的，闷音是在音还未发出时就止住，而切音时音已经发出只是马上止住。闷音演奏时，用按弦的左手稍微放松，但仍接触在上面。切音是用手指按住弦使音停止。　　19.Mute-Attack
由日本吉他演奏家押尾光太郎的演奏方式（源于弗拉门戈的演奏技巧）,在食指拨弦后顺势用中指和无名指指甲部分击打高音弦的一种技巧,可以使一把吉他演奏出来的声音更加立体和丰富.
吉他演奏大师
外国吉他大师
　　* 费尔南多·索尔（Fernando Sor,），西班牙吉他作曲家、演奏家。　 　　*
弗朗西斯科·塔雷加（Francisco T&rrega,1852 - 1909），西班牙吉他作曲家、演奏家。　 　　*
安德烈斯·塞戈维亚 (Andres Segovia, 1893 - 1987)， 西班牙吉他演奏家。 　　* （Narciso
Yepes，），西班牙著名吉他演奏
家、音乐家，有"吉他旗手"的美称。 　　*佩佩·罗梅罗（ Pepe
Romero，日出生于西班牙马拉加），西班牙吉他演奏家，以其动人心魄的诠释和天衣无缝的技巧而闻名遐迩。　　*B·B·金（B.
B. King，原名Riley B.
King，日－），美国布鲁斯吉他手和歌曲作者。有史以来最伟大的布鲁斯音乐家之一，外号「布鲁斯之王」（"The
King of Blues"）。2003年在滚石杂志评选的一百大吉他手位列第三（位于吉米·亨德里克斯和杜安·阿尔芒之后）。 　　*
朱里安·布林姆 (Julian Bream, 1933 -) ，英国吉他演奏家。 　　* 约翰·克理斯多夫·威廉斯 (John
Christopher Williams, 1941 -)， 澳洲吉他演奏家。 　　* 詹姆斯.马歇尔.亨德里克斯 (James
Marshall Hendrix)，日出生于华盛顿州的西雅图。 　　*吉米·培基（，日生于英国的梅德塞
克斯)，弹奏双柄电吉他的功力与地位，在摇滚史上是无人可以匹敌.　* 埃里克.（Eric Clapton
），英国最伟大的布鲁斯吉他手，日出生于英国苏里。 　　* 托米.英曼纽,(Tommy
Emmanuel)世界顶尖指弹大师,Tommy独到的演奏风格&他个人只简单称为”手指技法(finger
style)”,的职业生涯已经超过四十五年了,而且不断与世界各地的顶尖乐手有所交流.在澳大利亚他是一个国宝级的人物,Tommy在五大洲已经拥有超过几万个忠实的乐迷。
中国吉他大师
　　（WongKakui，日-日）是中国香港殿堂级摇滚乐队的队长，无论是电吉他还是木吉他家驹都擅长。虽然英年早逝，但留下的Beyond（超越）精神激励了无数的年轻人。　　　(Paul
Wong,日-)，与黄家驹同为Beyond 黄贯中乐队吉他手，《》是大家都熟悉的他唱的歌曲，在Beyond的1991年生命接触演唱会可见其弹奏吉他之高超水平。　　　（Wong Ka
Keung，日-）Beyond乐队低音吉他 黄家强手（贝斯手），《》是大家都比较熟悉的歌曲，在Beyond的1991年生命接触演唱会可见其弹奏贝司之高超水平，特别是弹奏《冷雨夜》那段间奏时。　　陈志
教授是我国著名的吉他艺术家、教育家、活动家、评论家，是把中国古典吉他带领世界制高点的奠基人。 陈志现为古典吉他教授、硕士研究生导师、法国国立巴黎音乐学院、英国伦敦皇家音乐学院、中国广播吉他乐团团长兼指挥、北京吉他学会理事长、北京陈志古典吉他学校校长，享受的文艺一级专家。　　卢家宏，中国台湾著名吉他演奏家，华人首席指弹(Fingerstyle)木吉他手，擅长
吉他(木, 电, 古典) , midi编曲录音。　 　　，中国著名吉他教育家、著作家，临沂兰山音乐家协会副秘书长、中国音乐家协会吉他专业委员会理事、中国吉专业委员会《吉他》杂志编委及杂志副刊主编、上海《吉他之友》杂志编委、广州《流行吉他》杂志特约主编，多次参加全国吉他考级曲目编审工作，多次出任全国吉他比赛评委．并创办阳光吉他学校，培养了一大批吉他人才。
选购与保养
　　①
音准是核心问题。按吉他的定音标准调校好各弦之后弹出一弦第12品的泛音，如果它与该弦第12品的音高相同则为合格。如此依次检查六根弦。　　②
其次检查手感。手感不良会使你被迫采取不当的按弦方法，从而极大地阻碍左手技术的提高。当吉他调到标准音高时，在第14品格处，弦与指板的距离应在4mm左右。太高，按弦会感觉吃力，反之会造成打品的现象。好的手感应该是在不打品和出现任何杂音的情况下，左手手指可以轻松地按下任意一个音，打横按也不感到费力。　　③
检查音质。弹奏每根弦第五品泛音，共鸣差的吉他往往发不出明亮的泛音。然后在琴上做各种力度的拨弦，音量应有大幅度的变化。同时，性能较好的吉他各弦音量平衡，发音灵敏，高音明亮纯净，低音深沉厚实，高把位的音量也不会衰减。　　④
其他部位的检查。看看的齿轮是否损坏，旋转是否顺畅，面板，背侧板是否有开裂现象，油漆是否光亮，琴的色泽是否协调。最重要的是品丝一定要光滑，指板边不能划手。一把好吉他的保养也很重要，此谓之"工欲善其事，必先利其器"。
　　中，低档吉他要买个琴套，高档的吉他要买个琴盒，这样便于吉他的存放。温度，湿度的突然变化会对吉他造成伤害。平时要避免吉他在阳光下直照，不要让吉他靠近暖气。如果空气过分潮湿可在琴盒内放一些干燥剂。高档吉他都是经过相当考究的工艺及材料精细加工而成的，因此特别容易受伤。切忌将吉他放到桌面或地板上。注意拉链和纽扣造成划伤。经常弹奏，随时让吉他各部分充分震动，是保养吉他的最好方法。
著名吉他品牌
　　,,,,,,,,,Washburn,Sprctor,,Music
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other uses, see .
(plucked, nylon-stringed guitars usually played with
fingerpicking, and steel-, etc. usually with a .)
(Composite )
(a standard tuned guitar)
string instruments
The guitar is a , usually played with fingers or a . The guitar
consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings,
generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally
constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more
recently, with either nylon or steel strings. Some modern guitars
are made of
materials. Guitars are made and repaired by . There are
two primary families of guitars: acoustic and electric.
(and similar instruments) with hollow bodies have been in use for
over a thousand years. There are three main types of modern
acoustic guitar: the
(nylon-string guitar), the , and the .
The tone of an acoustic guitar is produced by the vibration of the
strings, which is amplified by the body of the guitar, which acts
as a resonating chamber. The classical guitar is often played as a
instrument
using a comprehensive
technique.
, introduced in the 1930s, rely on an
electronically manipulate tone. Early amplified guitars employed a
hollow body, but a solid body was found more suitable. Electric
guitars have had a continuing profound influence on .
Guitars are recognized as a primary instrument in genres such as
, , , , , ,
, , , and many forms
Main article:
Illustration from a
from the 9th
century, showing a guitar-like plucked instrument.
Before the development of the electric guitar and the use of
synthetic materials, a guitar was defined as being an instrument
having "a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a
flat back, most often with incurved sides".
The term is used to refer to a number of related instruments that
were developed and used across Europe beginning in the 12th century
and, later, in the Americas.
These instruments are descended from ones that existed in ancient
. For this reason guitars are distantly related
to modern instruments from these regions, including the , the
, and the . The
oldest known iconographic representation of an instrument
displaying the essential features of a guitar is a
3,300&year old stone carving of a
The modern word guitar, and its antecedents, have been
applied to a wide variety of cordophones since ancient times and as
such is the cause of confusion. The English word guitar, the
German gitarre, and the
French guitare were
adopted from the Spanish guitarra, which comes from the
قيثارةر
itself derived from the
cithara, which in turn
came from the
κιθάρα ,
and is thought to ultimately trace back to the . Tar means string in Persian.
Although the word guitar is descended from the Latin word
, the modern
guitar itself is not generally believed to have descended from the
instrument.
Many influences are cited as antecedents to the modern guitar. One
commonly cited influence is of the arrival of the four-string
which was introduced by the invading
in the 8th
Another suggested influence is the six-string Scandinavian
lut (), which gained in
popularity in areas of Viking incursions across medieval
Europe[]. Often depicted in carvings c. 800
AD[], the Norse hero Gunther (also known as
Gunnar), played a lute with his toes as he lay dying in a
snake-pit, in the legend of Siegfried. It is likely that a
combination of influences led to the cr
plucked instruments from across the Mediterranean and Europe were
well known in Iberia since antiquity[].
Two medieval instruments that were called "guitars" were in use
by 1200: the guitarra
moresca (Moorish guitar) and the guitarra latina (Latin guitar). The
guitarra moresca had a rounded back, wide fingerboard, and several
soundholes. The guitarra latina had a single soundhole and a
narrower neck.
By the 14th century the qualifiers "moresca" and "latina" had been
dropped and these two cordophones were usually simply referred to
as guitars.
The Spanish
or (in Italian)
"viola da mano", a guitar-like
instrument of the 15th and 16th centuries, is widely considered to
have been a seminal influence in the development of the guitar. It
had six courses (usually), lute-like
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 late 15th century
some vihuelas were played with a bow, leading to the development of
the . By the sixteenth
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- guitars.
The vihuela enjoyed only a short period of popularity in Spain and
Italy during an era dominated elsewhere in E the last
surviving published music for the instrument appeared in 1576.
Meanwhile the five-course ,
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.
Confusingly, in Portugal, the word vihuela referred to the
guitar, whereas guitarra meant the "", a variety of .
The guitar player (c. 1672), by
Guitars can be divided into two broad categories, acoustic and
Acoustic guitars
Main article:
There are several notable subcategories within the acoustic
guitar group: steel-string guitars, which include the flat-topped,
or "folk," ; 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 guitars
Main article:
These are the gracile ancestors of the modern . They are substantially smaller and more delicate than
the classical guitar, and generate a much quieter sound. The
strings are paired in courses as in a modern , but they only have four or five courses of strings
rather than six. They were more often used as rhythm instruments in
ensembles than as solo instruments, and can often be seen in that
performances. ('
Instrucci&n de M&sica sobre la Guitarra Espa&ola of 1674
constitutes the majority of the surviving solo corpus for the
guitars 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 guitars
Main article:
Eminent South American guitarist,
These 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 including . 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.
are very similar in construction, but are associated with a more
percussive tone. In Mexico, the popular
band includes
a range of guitars, from the tiny
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 small bandola (sometimes known as the
Deleuze-Guattari, for use when traveling or in confined rooms or
spaces), to the slightly larger , 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 Spaniard
Extended-range classical guitars
Main article:
An Extended-range classical guitar is a classical guitar with
more than 6 strings, usually up to 13.
Flamenco guitars
Main article:
The flamenco guitar is similar to the classical guitar, but of
lighter construction, with a cypress body and spruce top. Tuning
pegs like those of a violin are traditional, although many modern
guitars have
machine heads. A distinguishing feature of all flamenco guitars is
the tapping plates (golpeadores) glued to the table, to
protect them against the taps with the fingernails that are an
essential feature of the flamenco style.
Many modern soloists[]
(following the lead of ) play what is called a flamenca negra, a hybrid of
the flamenco and classical guitar constructions[].
Flat-top (steel-string) guitars
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A guitarist playing a blues tune on a semi-acoustic guitar
Main article:
Similar to the , however, within the varied sizes of the steel-stringed
guitar the 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 the steel-string
was developed in the 1840s by German-American luthiers of whom
best known. Originally used on gut-strung instruments, the strength
of the system allowed the guitar to withstand the additional
tension of steel strings when this fortunate combination arose in
the early 20th century. The steel strings produce a brighter tone,
and according to many players, 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-sized
makes a modern variation, with a rounded back/side assembly molded
from artificial materials.
Archtop guitars
Main article:
These are steel-string instruments in which the top (and often
the back) of the instrument are carved from a solid billet in a
curved rath this violin-like construction is
usually credited to the American
introduced the violin-inspired f-hole
design now usually associated with archtop guitars, after designing
a style of
of the same
type. The typical archtop guitar has a large, deep, hollow body
whose form is much like that of a mandolin or violin family
instrument. Nowadays, most archtops are equipped with magnetic
pickups and are therefore both acoustic and electric. F-hole
archtop guitars were immediately adopted upon their release by both
and have remained particularly popular in jazz music, usually with
flatwound strings.
Selmer-Maccaferri guitars
These are usually played by those who follow the style of
. It is an unusual-looking instrument, distinguished
by a fairly large body with squarish bouts, and either a "D"-shaped
or longitudinal oval soundhole. The strings are gathered at the
tail like an archtop guitar, but the top is formed from thin spruce
(like a flat-top or classical) forced into a shallow dome. It also
has a wide fingerboard and slotted head like a nylon-string guitar.
The loud volume and penetrating tone make it suitable for
single-note
frequently employed as a
An 8-string
Resonator, resophonic or Dobro guitars
Main articles:
All three principal types of resonator guitars were invented by
the Slovak-American
() for the National and Dobro (Dopyera
Brothers) 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 the . The
original purpose of the resonator was to produ
this purpose has been largely superseded by electrical
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
glass . The round
neck resonator guitars are normally played in the same fashion as
other guitars, although slides are also often used, especially in
Twelve-string guitars
Main article:
The twelve-string guitar usually has steel strings and is
widely used in , , and
Rather than having only six strings, the 12-string guitar has six
of two strings each, like a
highest two courses are tuned in unison, while the others are tuned
in octaves. The 12-string guitar is also made in electric
Russian guitars
Main article:
These seven-string acoustic guitars were the norm for Russian
guitarists throughout the 19th and well into the 20th centuries.
The Russian guitar is traditionally tuned to open G major.
Acoustic bass guitars
Prime and bass acoustic guitars
Main article:
These have steel strings or gut strings and often the same
tuning as an electric .
Main article:
The guitarr&n is a very large, deep-bodied Mexican 6-string
acoustic bass played in mariachi bands. It is fretless with heavy
gauge nylon strings, and is usually played by doubling notes at the
octave, which is facilitated by the unusual tuning of A D G C E
Tenor guitars
Main article:
A number of classical guitarists call the Niibori prime guitar
a "Tenor Guitar" on the grounds that it sits in pitch between the
alto and the bass. Elsewhere[]the name is taken for a 4-string guitar with a
scale length of 23" (585&mm)—about the same as a
Terz Guitar. The tenor guitar is tuned in fifths, C G D A, as is
the tenor banjo and the cello. It is generally accepted[] that the tenor guitar was created to allow a
tenor banjo player to follow the fashion as it evolved from
Dixieland Jazz towards the more progressive Jazz that featured
guitar. It allows a tenor banjo player to provide a guitar-based
rhythm section with little to learn. A small minority of players
(such as Nick Reynolds of the Kingston Trio) close tuned the
instrument to D G B E to produce a deep instrument that could be
played with the 4-note chord shapes found on the top 4 strings of
the guitar or . The deep pitch
warrants the wide-spaced chords that the banjo tuning permits, and
the close tuned tenor does not have the same full, clear
Harp guitars
Main article:
Harp Guitars are difficult to classify as there are many
variations within this type of guitar. They are typically rare and
uncommon in the popular music scene. Most consist of a regular
guitar, plus additional 'harp' strings strung above the six normal
strings. The instrument is usually acoustic and the harp strings
are usually tuned to lower notes than the guitar strings, for an
added bass range. Normally there is neither fingerboard nor frets
behind the harp strings. Some harp guitars also feature much higher
pitch strings strung below the traditional guitar strings. The
number of harp strings varies greatly, depending on the type of
guitar and also the player's personal preference.The Pikasso
4 necks, 2 sound holes, 42 strings] and also the Oracle
H 24 strings
(with 12 sympathetic strings protruding through the neck) are
modern examples.
Extended-range guitars
Main article:
For well over a century guitars featuring ,
strings have been used by a minority of guitarists as a means of
increasing the range of pitch available to the player. Usually, it
is bass strings that are added. Classical guitars with an extended
range are useful for playing
repertoire, some of
which was written for lutes with more than six courses. A typical
example is the modern 11 string archguitar, invented and
played by Peter Blanchette.
Guitar battente
Main article:
The battente is smaller than a classical guitar, usually played
with four or five metal strings. It is mainly used in
(a region in
southern Italy) to accompany the voice.
Electric guitars
Main article:
a Fender electric guitar.
Electric guitars can have solid, semi-hollow, or hollow bodies,
and produce little sound without amplification.
convert the vibration of the steel strings into ,
which are fed to an
sound is frequently modified by other electronic devices or the
amplifier. There are two main types of magnetic pickups,
and double
coil (or ), each of
which can be
or . The electric guitar is used extensively in , ,
, and . The
first successful magnetic pickup for a guitar was invented by
, and incorporated into the 1931 Ro-Pat-In (later
other manufacturers, notably ,
soon began to install pickups in archtop models. After World War II
the completely solid-body electric was popularized by Gibson in
collaboration with , and
independently by
. The lower fretboard action (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 include ,
extensive use of
(also known
as slurs), ,
The first electric guitarist of note to use a seven-string
guitar was jazz guitarist ,
who was a pioneer of this instrument[].
were popularized in the 1980s and 1990s in part
due to the release of the
guitar[], endorsed by . Other
artists go a step further, by using an
with two extra low strings. Although the most common
seven-string has a low B string,
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 1982
developed 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 33-fret
"Mighty Wing" guitar features a six-octave range[].
is similar in tuning to the traditional
viol. Hybrids of acoustic and electric guitars are also common.
There are also more exotic varieties, such as guitars with
or rarely four necks, all manner of alternate string arrangements,
(used almost exclusively on bass guitars, meant to
emulate the sound of a ),
, and such.
Some electric guitar and electric bass guitar models feature
pickups, which function as
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.
Construction and components
pegheads, tuning keys, tuning machines, tuners)
Heel (acoustic)&Neckjoint (electric)
Body sides (ribs)
Fingerboard)
Guitars can be constructed to meet the demands of both left and
right-handed players. Traditionally the dominant hand is assigned
the task of plucking or strumming the strings. For the majority of
people this entails using the right hand. This is because musical
expression_r(dynamics, tonal expression, color, etc.) is largely
determined by the plucking hand, while the fretting hand is
assigned the lesser mechanical task of depressing and gripping the
strings. This is similar to the convention of the
where the right hand controls the bow. Left-handed players
generally choose a left-handed (mirror) instrument, although some
play in a standard right-handed manner, others play a standard
right-handed guitar reversed, and still others (for example
a right-handed guitar strung in reverse. This last configuration
differs from a true left-handed guitar in that the
normally angled in such a way that the bass strings are slightly
longer than the treble strings to improve .
Reversing the strings therefore reverses the relative orientation
of the saddle (negatively affecting intonation), although in
Hendrix' case this is believed to have been an important element in
his unique sound.
Main article:
The headstock is located at the end of the guitar neck furthest
from the body. It is fitted with machine heads that adjust the
tension of the strings, which in turn affects the pitch.
Traditional tuner layout is "3+3" in which each side of the
headstock has three tuners (such as on ). In this layout, the headstocks are commonly
symmetrical. Many guitars feature other layouts as well, including
six-in-line (featured on ) tuners or even "4+2" (Ernie Ball Music Man).
However, some guitars (such as ) do not
have headstocks at all, in which case the tuning machines are
located elsewhere, either on the body or the bridge.
Main article:
The nut is a small strip of , , ,
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, and/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.
Main article:
Also called the fingerboard, the
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 the
fretboard effectively shortens the vibrating length of the string,
producing a higher pitch. Fretboards are most commonly made of
, and sometimes
manufactured or composite materials such as HPL or resin. See below
on section "Neck" for the importance of the length of the fretboard
in connection to other dimensions of the guitar.
Main article:
Frets 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. 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 the
Standard classical guitars have 19 frets and electric guitars
between 21 to 24 frets, although guitars have been made with as
many as 27 frets.
Frets are laid out to a mathematical ratio that results in
division of the octave. The
of the spacing of
two consecutive frets is the . The twelfth fret divides the
exact halves and the 24th fret position divides the
half yet again. Every twelve frets represents one octave. In
determine fret
positions using the constant 17.817, which is derived from the
(17.817 = (1-2-1/12)&1). The
divided by this value yields the distance from the nut to the first
fret. That distance is subtracted from the
and the result is divided in two sections by the constant to yield
the distance from the first fret to the second fret. Positions for
the remainder of the frets are calculated in like
Actual fret spacing does not
the fret spacing
on the fretboard was also done by trial and error (testing) method
over the ages[].
There are several different fret gauges, which can be fitted
according to player preference. Among these are "jumbo" frets,
which have 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 allows a dramatic vibrato effect.
Fine frets, much flatter, allow a very low string-action but
require other conditions such as curvature of the neck to be well
maintained to prevent buzz.
On steel-string guitars, frets are eventually bound to wear
when this happens, frets can be replaced or, to a certain
extent, leveled, polished, recrowned, or reshaped as required.
Main article:
The truss rod is a metal rod that runs along the inside
of the neck. It is used to correct changes to the neck's curvature
caused by the neck timbers aging, 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 the action. Some
truss rod systems, called "double action" truss systems, tighten
both ways, allowing the neck to be pushed both forward and backward
(standard truss rods can only be released to a point beyond which
the neck is no longer compressed and pulled backward).
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 an
strip running down
the back of a
neck. There
is no tension adjustment on this form of reinforcement.
Main article:
Inlays are visual elements set into the exterior surface of a
guitar. The typical locations for inlay are on the fretboard,
headstock, and on acoustic guitars around the soundhole, known as
the . 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 used
in the fretboard to
produce a 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
mark) instead of
the 11th and 13th frets. Some older or high-end instruments have
inlays made of mother of pearl, abalone, ivory, coloured 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
sound boards are sometimes inlaid. Some instruments have a filler
strip running down the length and behind the neck, used for
strength and/or to fill the cavity through which the trussrod was
installed in the neck.
Elaborate inlays are a decorative feature of many limited
edition, high-end and custom-made guitars. Guitar manufacturers
often release such guitars to celebrate significant or historic
milestones.
Main article:
A guitar's , , , , and
attached to a long wooden extension, collectively constitute its
. 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 (see ), and the
ability of the neck to resist bending (see ) 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 one. The shape 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 fingerboard, 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 type of material used to
make guitar necks are graphite (
guitars), aluminium (,
or carbon fiber (
electric guitars have two necks, allowing the musician to quickly
switch between guitar sounds.
Neck joint or "Heel"
See also: ,
This 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 include
joints (such as those used by CF Martin &
Co.), dovetail joints (also used by CF 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 the
construction. These are designed so that everything from the
machine heads down to the bridge are 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.
The standard guitar has six
guitars are also available.
Classical and flamenco guitars historically used
but these have been superseded by polymer materials, such as nylon
and fluorocarbon.
Modern guitar
constructed of metal, polymers, or animal or plant product
materials. Instruments utilising "steel" strings may have strings
made of alloys incorporating steel, nickel or phosphor bronze. Bass
strings for both instruments are wound rather than
monofilament.
Body (acoustic guitar)
In acoustic guitars, string vibration is transmitted through the
bridge and saddle to the body via . The
sound board is typically made of tone woods such as spruce or
cedar. Timbers for tone woods 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 electric guitars,
to an electric signal, which in turn is
and fed to
speakers, which vibrate the air to produce the sounds we hear.
Nevertheless, the body of the electric guitar still performs a role
in shaping the resultant tonal signature.
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 of
and . This
thin piece of wood, often only 2 or 3&mm thick, is
strengthened by differing types of .
The top is considered by many luthiers to be 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.
Body size, shape and style has 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, and C.F.
were 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, Indian
and highly
regarded Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra). Each one is
primarily chosen for their aesthetic effect and can be decorated
with inlays and purfling.
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. 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
characterised, like the rest of the guitar body, by a number of
resonance modes at which it responds more strongly.
Instruments with larger areas for the guitar top were introduced
by Martin in an attempt to create louder volume levels. The
popularity of the larger ""
body size amongst acoustic performers is related to the greater
sound volume produced.
Body (electric guitar)
Most electric guitar bodies are made of wood, and include a
plastic pick guard. Boards wide enough to use as a solid body are
very expensive due to the worldwide depletion of hardwood stock
since the 70's, so the wood is rarely one solid piece. Most bodies
are made of two pieces of wood with some of them including a seam
running down the centre line of the body. The most common woods
used for electric guitar body construction include , , ,
, , and . 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 or
lacquer 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.
Main article:
has features common to many electric guitars:
multiple pickups, a /, and
volume and tone knobs.
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 electronically
. The most
common type of pickup is
in design. These contain magnets that are tightly wrapped in a
coil, or coils, of copper wire. Such pickups are usually placed
right underneath the guitar strings. Electromagnetic pickups work
on the same principles and in a similar manner to an . The vibration of the strings causes a small voltage
to be created in the coils sur this signal
voltage is later amplified.
Traditional electromagnetic pickups are either
double-coil. Single-coil pickups are susceptible to noise induced
from electric fields, usually mains-frequency (60 or 50 hertz) hum.
The introduction of the double-coil
mid-1950s did away with this problem through the use of two coils,
one of which is wired in a reverse polarity orientation.
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 selection of a pickup is that less
wire (lower DC resistance) = brighter sound, more wire = "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.
type guitars generally utilize three single-coil
pickups, while most
types use humbucker pickups.
Piezoelectric, or piezo, pickups represent another class of
pickup. These employ
to 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.
Some piezo-equipped guitars use what is known as a hexaphonic
pickup. "Hex" is a prefix meaning six. In a hexaphonic pickup
separate outputs are obtained from discrete piezoelectric pickups
for each of the six strings. This arrangement allows the signal to
be easily modified by on-board modelling electronics, as in the
Line 6 Variax brand the guitars allow for a
variety of sounds to be obtained by digitally manipulating the
signal. This allows a guitar to mimic many vintage models of
guitar, as well as output alternate tunings without the need to
adjust the strings.
Another use for hexaphonic pickups is to send the output signals
to a MIDI interpretation device, which determines the note pitch,
duration, attack and decay characteristics and so forth. The MIDI
() interpreter then sends the note
information to a sound bank device. The resulting sound can closely
mimic numerous types of instruments. The MIDI setup can also enable
the guitar to be used as a game controller (i.e. Rock Band Squier)
or as an instructional tool, as with the
Electronics
On guitars that have them, these components and the wires that
connect them allow the player to control some aspects of the sound
like volume or tone. These at their simplest consist of passive
components such as
also include specialized
or other active components requiring
for power, for preamplification and signal processing, or even for
assistance in tuning. In many cases the electronics have some sort
of shielding to prevent pickup of external interference and
Lining, binding, and purfling
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 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 are called . 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.
Main article:
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), and/or fine-tuning the intonation of the
instrument. Some are spring-loaded and feature a "", a removable arm that lets the player modulate the pitch
by changing the tension on the strings. The whammy bar is sometimes
also referred to as a "tremolo bar" (see
for further
discussion of this term—the effect of rapidly changing pitch
produced by a whammy bar is more correctly called "vibrato"). Some
bridges also allow for alternate tunings at the touch of a
On almost all modern electric guitars, the bridge has saddles
which 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 backwards. 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
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.
The saddle of a guitar refers to 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 end point 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.
Main article:
Also known as a scratchplate. This 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 or
fingernails. Electric guitars sometimes mount pickups and
electronics on the pickguard. It is a common feature on
steel-string acoustic guitars. Vigorous performance styles such as
, which can
involve the use of the guitar as a percussion instrument, call for
a scratchplate to be fitted to nylon-string instruments.
Whammy Bar (Tremolo Arm)
Main article:
Many electric guitars are fitted with a vibrato and pitch bend
device known as a "tremolo bar (or arm)", "sissy bar", "wang bar",
"slam handle", "whammy handle", and "whammy bar". The latter two
manufacturers
to use the term 'whammy' in coming up with a pitch raising effect
introduced by popular
pedal brand .
The tremolo arm is common enough that there is a technical term,
hard tail, for a guitar without one.
much to create the electric guitar, also created much confusion
over the meaning of the terms "tremolo" and "vibrato" by the naming
many of his guitars and also the
his "Vibrolux" amps. In general, vibrato is a variation in
tremolo is a variation in volume, so the tremolo bar is
actually a vibrato bar and the "Vibrolux" amps actually had a
tremolo effect. However, following Fender's example, electric
guitarists traditionally reverse these meanings when speaking of
hardware devices and the effects they produce. See
for a more detailed discussion, and
more of the history.
Another type of pitch bender is the , a spring and
lever device mounted in an internal cavity of a solid body
electric, guitar that allows the guitarist to bend just the B
string of the guitar using a lever connected to the strap handle of
the guitar. The resulting pitch bend is evocative of the sound of
Guitar strap
A guitar strap is a strip of fabric with a
piece on each
end. It is made to hold a guitar via the , at an
adjustable length to suit the position favoured by the
guitarist.
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 double cutaway), 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.
Some acoustic and classical guitars come with no strap buttons
at all. In this case, one or two strap buttons can usually be added
to the guitar, or a "classical guitar strap" (also called a "guitar
harness" or "neck strap") can be used, which supports the guitar by
hooking into the sound hole.
Self-tuning guitars
Self-tuning guitars are computerized guitars programmed to tune
themselves. The , released in 2007, is often mistaken as the first of
this kind, but was preceded by the Transperformance system by at
least 20 years. Gibson has also released a second, self-tuning
model called the Dark Fire.[]
Main article:
The guitar is a . Its pitch sounds one octave lower than it is
notated on a score.
A variety of tunings may be used. The most common tuning, known
as "Standard Tuning," has the strings tuned from a low E, to a high
E, traversing a two octave range—EADGBE. When all strings are
played open the resulting chord is an Em7/add11.
The pitches are as follows:
minor tenth below
minor thirteenth below
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
A guitar using this tuning can tune to itself using the fact,
with a single exception, that the 5th fret on one string is the
same note as
that is, a 5th-fret note on the
sixth string is the same note as the open fifth string. The
exception is the interval between the second and third strings, in
which the 4th-fret note on the third string is equivalent to the
open second string.
Standard tuning has evolved to provide a good compromise between
simple fingering for many
ability to play common scales with minimal left hand movement.
Uniquely, the guitar's tuning allows for repeatable patterns, which
also facilitates the ease of playing common scales. There are also
a variety of commonly used .
Most of these are ,
i.e., the unfretted strings produce a simple chord, such as a G
Major chord. Many open tunings, where all of the strings are tuned
to a similar note or chord, are popular for slide guitar playing.
Alternate tunings are used for two main reasons: the ease of
playing and the variation in tone that can be achieved.
Many guitarists use a long established, centuries-old tuning
variation where the lowest string is 'dropped' down a . Known
(or dropped D)
tuning it is, from low to high, DADGBE. This allows for open string
tonic and dominant basses in the keys of D and D minor. It also
enables simple fifths (powerchords) to be more easily played.
sometimes uses a device known as a 'D Tuna,' which he patented. It
is a small lever, attached to the fine tuner of the 6th string on a
Floyd Rose tremolo, which allows him to easily drop that string
from E to D. Many contemporary rock bands retune all strings by
several semi-tones, making, for example, Drop-C or Drop-B tunings,
However this terminology is inconsistent with that of "drop-D" as
"drop-D" refers to dropping a single string to the named pitch.
Often these new tunings are also simply referred to as the
"Standard" of the note in question e.g.&"D Standard" (DGcfad').
Some guitarists tune in straight fourths, avoiding the major
third between the third and second strings. While this makes
playing major and minor triads slightly more difficult, it
facilitated playing chords with more complicated extended
structures.[] One proponent of the straight fourth tuning
(EADGCF) is .
As with all stringed instruments a large number of
possible on the guitar. A common form of scordatura involves tuning
the 3rd string to F&#9839; to
mimic the standard tuning of the , especially when
playing renaissance repertoire originally written for the lute.
Guitar accessories
Though a guitar may be played on its own, there are a variety of
common accessories used for holding and playing the guitar.
Main article:
A capo (short for capotasto) is used to change the pitch
of open strings. Capos are clipped onto the fret board 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 fret board just below the first fret. Its use allows players to
play in different keys without having to change the chord
formations they use. Because of the ease with which they allow
guitar players to change keys, they are sometimes referred to as
"cheaters" or the "hillbilly crutch." Classical performers are
known to use them to enable modern instruments to match the pitch
of historical instruments such as the renaissance .
Main article:
A , (neck of a
bottle, knife blade or round metal bar) used in blues and rock to
effect. The necks of bottles were often used in blues and country
music. Modern slides are constructed of glass, plastic, ceramic,
chrome, brass or steel, depending on the weight and tone desired.
An instrument that is played exclusively in this manner, (using a
metal bar) is called a
playing to this day is very popular in
Some slide players use a so called
Some performers that have become famous for playing slide are
Main article:
A variety of guitar picks
"" 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 .2 and
.5&mm) is usually used for strumming or rhythm
playing, whereas thicker picks (between .7 and 1.5+ mm) are usually
used for single-note lines or lead playing. The distinctive guitar
attributed to using a
as a pick. Similarly,
is known to
as a pick. 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 finger tips 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.
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