The Spanish
vihuela
"de mano" appears to be an aberration in the transition of the
renaissance guitar to the modern guitar. It had
lute-style
tuning
and a guitar-like body. Its construction had as much in common with
the modern guitar as with its contemporary four-course renaissance
guitar. The vihuela enjoyed only a short period of popularity, the
last surviving publication of music for the instrument appeared in
1576. It is not clear whether it represented a transitional form or
was simply a design that combined features of the Arabic oud and the
European lute. In favour of the latter view, the reshaping of the
vihuela into a guitar-like form can be seen as a strategy of
differentiating the European lute visually from the Moorish
oud. (See
the article on the
lute
for further history.) The Ancient Iranian lute, called
tar in
Persian also is found in the word guitar. The tar is thousands of
years old, and could be found in 2, 3, 5, and 6 string variations.
The Vinaccia family of luthiers is known for developing the
mandolin, and may have built the earliest extant six string
guitar. Gaetano Vinaccia (1759
- after 1831)
[1]
has his signature on the label of a guitar built in
Naples, Italy for six strings with the date of
1779[2]
[3].
This guitar has been examined and does not show tell-tale signs of
modifications from a double-course guitar. However, fakes are common
for guitars and their labels in this era, and caution should be taken.
Modern dimensions of the classical instrument were established by
Antonio Torres Jurado (1817-1892), working in Seville in the
1850's. Torres and Louise Panormo of London (active 1820s-1840s) were
both responsible for demonstrating the superiority of fan strutting
over transverse table bracing.[4]
The
electric guitar was patented by
George Beauchamp in
1936.
Beauchamp co-founded
Rickenbacher which used the horseshoe-magnet pickup. However, it
was
Danelectro that first produced electric guitars for the wider
public. Danelectro also pioneered
tube amp technology. [citation
needed]
Types of Guitar
Guitars can be divided into two broad categories, acoustic and
electric:
Acoustic guitars
-
An acoustic guitar is not dependent on any external device for
amplification. The shape and resonance of the guitar itself creates
acoustic amplification. However, the unamplified guitar is not a loud
instrument. It cannot compete with other instruments commonly found in
bands and orchestras, in terms of sheer audible volume. Many acoustic
guitars are available today with built-in electronics and power to
enable amplification.
There are several subcategories within the acoustic guitar group:
steel string guitars, which includes the flat top, or "folk" guitar,
the closely related twelve string guitar, and the arch top guitar. A
recent arrival in the acoustic guitar group is the acoustic bass
guitar, similar in tuning to the electric bass.
-
Renaissance and
Baroque guitars: These are the gracile ancestors of the
modern
classical guitar. 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
12 string guitar, 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 role in
early music performances. (Gaspar
Sanz' Instrucción de Música sobre la Guitarra Española of
1674 constitutes the majority of the surviving solo corpus for the
era.) Renaissance and Baroque guitars are easily distinguished
because the Renaissance guitar is very plain and the Baroque guitar
is very ornate, with inlays all over the neck and body, and a
paper-cutout inverted "wedding cake" inside the hole.
-
Classical guitars: These are typically strung with nylon
strings, played in a seated position and are used to play a
diversity of musical styles including
classical music. The classical guitar is designed to allow for
the execution of solo polyphonic arrangements of music in much the
same manner as the pianoforte can. This is the major point of
difference in design intent between the classical instrument and
other designs of guitar.
Flamenco guitars are very similar in construction, have a
sharper sound, and are used in
flamenco. In Mexico, the popular
mariachi band includes a range of guitars, from the tiny
requinto to the
guitarron, 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 travelling or in confined rooms or
spaces), to the slightly larger tiple, to the full sized classical
guitar. Modern dimensions of the classical instrument were
established by
Antonio Torres Jurado (1817-1892). Classical guitars are
sometimes referred to as classic guitars, which is a more proper
translation from the Spanish.
-
Portuguese guitar: Is a 12 string guitar used in
Portugal for the traditional
Fado
song. Its true origins are somewhat uncertain but there is a general
agreement that it goes back to the medieval period. It is often
mistakenly thought of to be based on the so-called "English guitar"
- a common error as there is no such thing. For some time the best
instruments of this and other types were made in England, hence the
confusion. "English guitar" refers to a quality standard, not really
an instrument type. This particular instrument is most likely a
merge of medieval "cistre" or "citar" and the Arabic lute.
-
Flat-top (steel-string) guitars: Similar to the
classical guitar, however the body size is usually significantly
larger than a classical guitar and it has a narrower, reinforced
neck and stronger structural design, to sustain the extra tension of
steel strings which produce a brighter tone, and according to some
players, a louder sound. The acoustic guitar is a staple in
folk,
Old-time music and
blues.
-
Archtop guitars are steel string instruments which feature a
violin-inspired f-hole design in which the top (and often the back)
of the instrument are carved in a curved rather than a flat shape.
Lloyd Loar of the
Gibson Guitar Corporation invented this variation of guitar
after designing a style of
mandolin of the same type. The typical Archtop is a hollow body
guitar whose form is much like that of a mandolin or violin family
instrument and may be acoustic or electric. Some solid body electric
guitars are also considered archtop guitars although usually 'Archtop
guitar' refers to the hollow body form. Archtop guitars were
immediately adopted upon their release by both
jazz
and
country musicians and have remained particularly popular in jazz
music, usually using thicker strings (higher gauged round wound and
flat wound) than acoustic guitars. Archtops are often louder than a
typical dreadnought acoustic guitar. The electric hollow body
archtop guitar has a distinct sound among electric guitars and is
consequently appropriate for many styles of
rock and roll. Many electric archtop guitars intended for use in
rock and roll even have a
Tremolo Arm.
-
Resonator, resophonic or
Dobro
guitars: Similar to the flat top guitar in appearance, but with
sound produced by a metal resonator mounted in the middle of the top
rather than an open sound hole, so that the physical principle of
the guitar is actually more similar to the
banjo.
The purpose of the resonator is to amplify the sound of the guitar;
this purpose has been largely superseded by electrical
amplification, but the resonator is still played by those desiring
its distinctive sound.
Resonator guitars may have either one resonator cone or three
resonator cones. Three cone resonators have two cones on the left
above one another and one cone immediately to the right. The method
of transmitting sound resonance to the cone is either a BISCUIT
bridge, made of a small piece of hardwood, or a SPIDER bridge, made
of metal and larger in size. Three cone resonators always use a
specialised metal spider bridge.
The type of resonator guitar with a neck with a square
cross-section -- called "square neck" -- is usually played face up,
on the lap of the seated player, and often with a metal or glass
slide. The round neck resonator guitars are normally played in
the same fashion as other guitars, although slides are also often
used, especially in blues.
-
12 string guitars usually have steel strings and are widely
used in
folk music,
blues
and
rock and roll. Rather than having only six strings, the
12-string guitar has pairs, like a
mandolin. Each pair of strings is tuned either in unison (the
two highest) or an octave apart (the others). They are made both in
acoustic and electric forms.
-
Russian guitars are seven string acoustic guitars which were
the norm for Russian guitarists throughout the 19th and well into
the 20th centuries. The guitar is traditionally tuned to an open G
major tuning.
-
Acoustic bass guitars also have steel strings, and match the
tuning of the electric bass, which is likewise similar to the
traditional double bass viol, or "big bass", a staple of string
orchestras and
bluegrass bands alike.
There's very sketchy background information about tenor guitars on
the World Wide Web.
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. And this does have a nice feeling of closure and
symmetry about it.
But elsewhere, the name is taken for a 4-string guitar, with a
scale length of 23" (585mm) - about the same as a Terz Guitar. But the
guitar is tuned in fifths - C G D A - like the tenor banjo or the
cello. Indeed it is generally accepted that the tenor guitar was
created to allow a tenor banjo player to follow the fashion as it
evolved from 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 nothing to learn.
Elsewhere, a small minority of players 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
ukulele. In fact, though, 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 sound.
-
Harp guitars. 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 (as they have often
been made to the player's specification).
The Pikasso guitar; 4 necks, 2 sound holes, 42 strings
- Extended-range guitars. For well over a century guitars
featuring
seven, eight, nine, ten or more strings have been used by a
minority of guitarists as a means of increasing the range of pitch
available to the player. Usually this entails the addition of extra
bass strings.
-
Guitar battente. The battente is smaller than a classical
guitar, usually played with four or five metal strings. It is mainly
used in
Calabria (a region in southern Italy) to accompany the voice.
This
Fender Stratocaster has the features of most electric
guitars: multiple pickups, a whammy bar, volume and tone knobs.
Electric guitars
Electric guitars can have solid, semi-hollow, or hollow bodies, and
produce little sound without amplification.
Electromagnetic
pickups (single and double coil) convert the vibration of the
steel strings into
electrical signals which are fed to an
amplifier through a
cable
or radio
transmitter. The sound is frequently modified by other electronic
devices or the natural
distortion of valves (vacuum
tubes) in the amplifier. The electric guitar is used extensively
in jazz,
blues
and
rock and roll, and was commercialized by
Gibson together with
Les
Paul and independently by
Leo Fender. The lower fretboard action (the height of the strings
from the fingerboard) and its electrical amplification lend the
electric guitar to some techniques which are less frequently used on
acoustic guitars. These techniques include
tapping,
extensive use of
legato
through
pull-offs and
hammer-ons (also known as slurs in the traditional Classical
genre),
pinch harmonics,
volume swells and use of a
Tremolo arm or
effects pedals.
Seven-string solid body electric guitars were developed in the
1990s (earlier in
jazz) to
achieve a much darker sound through extending the lower end of the
guitar's range. They are used today by players such as
James "Munky" Shaffer,
Dave Weiner,
John Petrucci,
Jeff Loomis,
Steve Smyth, and
Steve Vai.
Meshuggah,
Dino Cazares,
Rusty Cooley &
Charlie Hunter go a step further, using an
8 string guitar with two extra low strings. Although
the most commonly found 7 string is the variety in which there is one
low B string, Roger McGuinn (Of Byrds/Rickenbacker Fame) has
popularized a variety in which an octave G string is paired with the
regular G string as on a 12 string guitar, allowing him to incorporate
chiming 12 string elements in standard 6 string playing. Ibanez makes
many varieties of electric 7 strings.
The
electric bass guitar is similar in tuning to the traditional
double bass viol. Hybrids of acoustic and electric guitars are
also common. There are also more exotic varieties, such as
double-necked guitars, all manner of alternate string
arrangements,
fretless fingerboards (used almost exclusively on bass guitars,
meant to emulate the sound of a
stand-up bass),
5.1 surround guitar, and such.
Parts of the guitar
Headstock
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
Gibson Les Pauls). In this layout, the headstocks are commonly
symmetrical. Many guitars feature other layouts as well, including
six-in-line (featured on
Fender Stratocasters) tuners or even "4+2" (Ernie Ball Music Man).
However, some guitars (such as
Steinbergers) do not have headstocks at all, in which case the
tuning machines are located elsewhere, either on the body or the
bridge.
Nut
The nut is a small strip of
bone,
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, and/or string buzz.
Fretboard
Also called the fingerboard in fretless guitars and basses,
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
'60's and '70's 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
rosewood,
ebony,
maple,
and sometimes manufactured or composite materials such as HPL or
resin.
Frets
Frets are metal strips (usually nickel alloy or stainless steel)
embedded along the fretboard which are placed in points along the
length of string that divide it mathematically. When strings are
pressed down behind them, frets shorten the strings' vibrating lengths
to produce different pitches- each one is spaced a half-step apart on
the 12 tone scale. For more on fret spacing, see the
Strings and Tuning section below. Frets are usually the first
permanent part to wear out on a heavily played electric guitar. They
can be re-shaped to a certain extent and can be replaced as needed.
Frets also indicate fractions of the length of a string (the string
midpoint is at the 12th fret; one-third the length of the string
reaches from the nut to the 7th fret, the 7th fret to the 19th, and
the 19th to the saddle; one-quarter reaches from nut to fifth to
twelfth to twenty-fourth to saddle). This feature is important in
playing
harmonics. Frets are available in several different gauges,
depending on the type of guitar and the player's style.
Guitars have
frets on
the
fingerboard to fix the positions of notes and
scales, which gives them
equal temperament. Consequently, the
ratio
of the spacing of two consecutive frets is the
twelfth root of two
![\sqrt[12]{2}](http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/7/0/b/70b8b8fc763c20423a65bd934e378085.png)
,
whose numeric value is about 1.059463. The twelfth fret divides the
scale length in two exact halves and the 24th fret (if present)
divides the
scale length in half yet again. Every twelve frets represents one
octave. In practice,
luthiers determine fret positions using the constant 17.817152,
which is derived from the
twelfth root of two. The
scale length divided by this value yields the distance from the
nut to the first fret. That distance is subtracted from the
scale length 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
manner.[5]
There are several styles of fret, which allow different sounds and
techniques to be exploited by the player. Among these are "jumbo"
frets, which have much thicker wires, allowing for a lighter touch and
a slight vibrato technique simply from pushing the string down harder
and softer, "scalloped" fretboards, where the wood of the fretboard
itself is "scooped out", becoming deeper away from the headstock,
which allows a dramatic vibrato effect and other unusual techniques,
and fine frets, much flatter, which allow a very low string-action for
extremely fast playing, but require other conditions (such as
curvature of the neck) to be kept in perfect order to prevent buzz.
Truss rod
The truss rod is a metal rod that runs along the inside of
the neck. Its tension is adjusted by a hex nut or an allen-key bolt
usually located either at the headstock (sometimes under a cover) or
just inside the body of the guitar, underneath the fretboard
(accessible through the sound hole). Some truss rods can only be
accessed by removing the neck, forcing the luthier to replace it after
every adjustment to check its accuracy. The truss rod counteracts the
immense amount of tension the strings place on the neck, bringing the
neck back to a straighter position. The truss rod can be adjusted to
compensate for changes in the neck wood due to changes in humidity or
to compensate for changes in the tension of strings. Tightening the
rod will curve the neck back and loosening it will return it forward.
Adjusting the truss rod affects the intonation of a guitar as well as
affecting the action (the height of the strings from the fingerboard).
Some truss rod systems, called "double action" truss systems, will
tighten both ways, allowing the neck to be pushed both forward and
backward (most truss rods can only be loosened so much, beyond which
the bolt will just come loose and the neck will no longer be pulled
backward). Most classical guitars do not have truss rods, as the nylon
strings do not put enough tension on the neck for one to be needed.
Inlays
Inlays are visual elements set into the exterior frame of a guitar.
The typical locations for inlay are on the fretboard, headstock, and
around the soundhole (called a rosette on acoustic guitars). Inlays
range from simple plastic dots on the fretboard to fantastic works of
art covering the entire exterior surface of a guitar (front and back).
Some guitar players put
LEDs in the
fretboard as inlays to produce a unique lighting effect onstage. Both
Sam Rivers- bassist of rock group Limp Bizkit- and guitar virtuoso
Steve Vai have used LEDs as fret inlays.
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. Some
manufacturers go beyond these simple shapes and use more creative
designs such as lightning bolts or letters and numbers. The simpler
inlays are often done in plastic on guitars of recent vintage, but
many older, and newer, high-end instruments have inlays made of
mother of pearl,
abalone,
ivory,
coloured wood or any number of exotic materials. On some low-end
guitars, they are just painted. Most high-end classical guitars have
no inlays at all since a well trained player is expected to know his
or her way around the instrument, however players will sometimes make
indicators with a
marker pen,
correction fluid, or a small piece of tape.
The most popular fretboard inlay scheme involves single inlays on
the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 15th, 17th, 19th, and 21st frets, and double
inlays on the 12th, sometimes 7th, and (if present) 24th fret.
Advantages of such scheme include its symmetry about the 12th fret and
symmetry of every half (0-12 and 12-24) about the 7th and 19th frets.
However, playing these frets, for example, on E string would yield
notes E, G, A, B, C# that barely makes a complete
musical mode by themselves.
A less popular fretboard inlay scheme involves inlays on 3rd, 5th,
7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 22nd and 24th frets. Playing these
frets, for example, on E string yields notes E, G, A, B, D that fit
perfectly into E minor
pentatonic. Such a scheme is very close to
piano
keys colouring (which involves black colouring for
sharps that pentatonic consists of) and of some use on classic
guitars.
Beyond the fretboard inlay, the headstock and soundhole are also
commonly inlaid. The manufacturer's logo is commonly inlaid into the
headstock. Sometimes a small design such as a bird or other character
or an abstract shape also accompanies the logo. The soundhole designs
found on acoustic guitars vary from simple concentric circles to
delicate fretwork (referred to as a
Rosette).
Many high-end guitars have more elaborate decorative inlay schemes.
Often the edges of the guitar around the neck and body and down the
middle of the back are inlaid. The fretboard commonly has a large
inlay running across several frets or the entire length of the
fretboard, such as a long vine creeping across the fretboard. Most
acoustic guitars have an inlay that borders the sides of the fretboard,
and some electrics (namely Fender Stratocasters) have what looks like
a wood inlay running on the back of the neck, from about the body to
the middle of the neck, commonly referred to as a skunk stripe. In
fact this is a filler strip, used to fill the cavity through which the
trussrod was installed in the neck.
Some very limited edition high-end or custom-made guitars have
artistic inlay designs that span the entire front (or even the back)
of the guitar. These designs use a variety of different materials and
are created using techniques borrowed from furniture making. While
these designs are often just very elaborate decorations, they are
sometimes works of art that even depict a particular theme or a scene.
Although these guitars are often constructed from the most exclusive
materials, they are generally considered to be collector's items and
not intended to be played. Large guitar manufacturers often issue
these guitars to celebrate a significant historical milestone.
Neck
A guitar's frets, fretboard, tuners, headstock, and truss rod, all
attached to a long wooden extension, collectively comprise its
neck. The wood used to make the fretboard will usually differ 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
Strings and tuning), and the ability of the neck to resist bending
(see Truss 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
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
that 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.
Neck joint or 'Heel'
- Further information:
Set-in neck , Bolt-on
neck, and Neck-thru
This is the point at which the neck is either bolted or glued to
the body of the guitar. Almost all acoustic guitars, with the primary
exception of Taylors, have glued (otherwise known as set) necks, while
electric guitars are constructed using both types.
Commonly used set neck joints include
mortise and tenon joints (such as those used by CF Martin & Co.
guitars), dovetail joints (also used by CF Martin on the D28 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 and sustain. 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
Neck-through-body 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 it is said to allow 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.
Strings
Guitar
strings are strung parallel to the neck, whose surface is covered
by the
fingerboard (fretboard).
By depressing a string against the fingerboard, the effective length
of the string can be changed, which in turn changes the frequency at
which the
string will vibrate when plucked. Guitarists typically use one
hand to pluck the strings and the other to depress the strings against
the fretboard.
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 (dynamics, tonal
expression and colour etc) is largely determined by the plucking hand,
whilst the fretting hand is assigned the lesser mechanical task of
depressing and gripping the strings. This is similar to the convention
of the
violin family of
instruments where the right hand controls the bow. A minority
however believe that left-handed people should learn to play
"conventional" guitars strung in the manner used by right-handed
people, simply to standardise the instrument.
The strings may be plucked using either fingers or a
plectrum (Guitar
pick).The sound of the guitar is achieved either mechanically or
electronically, forming two main categories of guitar: acoustic
(mechanical amplification) and
electric (electronic amplification).
- In acoustic guitars, string vibration is transmitted through the
bridge and saddle to the
sound board. The sound board, typically made of a light springy
wood such as spruce, vibrates the air, producing sound which is
further shaped by the guitar body's resonant cavity.
Body (acoustic guitar)
- Further information:
Sound box
The body of the instrument is a major determinant of the overall
sound variety for acoustic guitars. The guitar top, or soundboard, is
a finely crafted and engineered element often made of
tonewood like
spruce,
red
cedar or
mahogany. This thin (often 2 or 3 mm thick) piece of wood,
strengthened by different types of internal bracing, is considered to
be the most prominent factor in determining the sound quality of a
guitar. The majority of the sound is caused by vibration of the guitar
top as the energy of the vibrating strings is transferred to it.
Different patterns of wood bracing have been used through the years by
luthiers (Torres, Hauser, Ramirez, Fleta, and C.F.
Martin being among the most influential designers of their times);
to not only strengthen the top against collapsing under the tremendous
stress exerted by the tensioned strings, but also to affect the
resonation of the top. The back and sides are made out of a variety of
tonewoods such as mahogany, Indian
rosewood and highly regarded Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia
nigra). Each one is chosen for their aesthetic effect and
structural strength, and can also play a significant role in
determining the instrument's
timbre.
These are also strengthened with internal bracing, and decorated with
inlays and purfling.
The body of an acoustic guitar is a resonating chamber which
projects the vibrations of the body through a sound hole,
allowing the acoustic guitar to be heard without amplification. The
sound hole is normally a round hole in the top of the guitar (under
the strings), though some may have different placement, shapes or
multiple holes.
As an instrument's maximum volume is determined by how much air it
can move; the
Dreadnought body size is popular amongst acoustic performers.
However, whilst the '00' pattern is a post-modern evolution in the
wake of affordable wire-drawing and truss-turning technologies,
musicians wishing to explore the nature of performance in the taverna
or salon environments which overlapped early recording technologies
may wish to consider the role of the 3/4-size as well as the Ordinary,
or '0', guitar—particularly where a duo or ensemble is called for and
space is at a premium.
Body (electric guitar)
- Further information:
Solid body
Most electric guitar bodies are made of wood with a plastic pick
guard. Boards wide enough to use as a solid body are very expensive,
so the wood is rarely one solid piece. Most bodies are made of two
pieces of wood with a seam running down the centre line of the body.
The most common woods used for electric guitar body construction
include
maple,
basswood,
ash,
poplar,
alder,
and
mahogany. Many bodies will 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 polyester or
nitrocellulose lacquer finish.
Pickups
-
Pickups are electronic devices attached to a guitar that detect
(or "pick up") string vibrations and allow the sound of the string to
be amplified. Pickups are usually placed right underneath the guitar
strings. The most common type of pickups contain magnets that are
tightly wrapped in copper wire. Pickups work on a similar principle to
a
electrical generator in that the vibration of the strings causes a
small voltage to be created in the coils surrounding the magnets. This
signal is later amplified by an
amplifier.
Traditional electric pickups are either
single-coil or double-coil. Double-coil pickups are also known as
humbuckers for their noise-cancelling ability. The type and model
of pickups used can greatly affect the tone of the guitar. Typically,
humbuckers, which are two magnets attached to each other and each
wrapped in copper wire, are used by guitarists seeking 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. However, a disadvantage of single coil pickups is
mains-frequency (60 or 50 hertz) hum. Some guitars need a battery to
power their pickups and/or pre-amp; these guitars are referred to as
having "active electronics", as opposed to the typical "passive"
circuits.
The
Fender Stratocaster type guitars generally utilize 3 single coil
pickups, while the
Gibson Les Paul types use humbucker pickups.
A further type of pickup is the piezo pickup. These employ
piezoelectricity to generate the musical signal and are popular in
hybrid electro-acoustic guitars. Usually, a crystal is located in the
saddle under each string. When the string vibrates, the shape of the
crystal is distorted, and this change in shape produces a tiny voltage
that can be amplified and manipulated.
Some guitars have what is called a hexaphonic pickup. These pickups
are also piezo pickups. "Hex" is a prefix meaning six. In a hexaphonic
pickup there is a separate piezo pickup wired for each of six strings.
This arrangement allows the signal to be easily modified by on-board
modelling electronics, as in the Line 6 Variax brand of electric
guitars, the guitars allow for a variety of different sounds to be
obtained by digitally modelling the vibration. This results in a
guitar which is able to mimic many vintage models, as well as output
alternate tunings (e.g. Drop D) without the need to adjust the
strings. The benefits of using a piezo pickup include the ability to
bend strings and use palm/neck muting. Another use for hexaphonic
pickups is to send the signal (that is the six separate signals) to a
MIDI interpretation device, which determines the note pitch, duration,
attack and decay characteristics, and so forth. The MIDI (Musical
Instrument Digital Interface) interpreter then sends the note
information to a sound bank device. The resulting sounds can closely
mimic a piano, trumpet or other brass instrument, harmonica or any of
numerous other instruments.
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
potentiometers and
capacitors, but may also include specialised
integrated circuits or other active components requiring
batteries 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
noise.
Lining, Binding, 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 then filled with binding material on the
outside corners and decorative strips of material next to the binding,
which are called purfling. This binding serves to seal off the
endgrain 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.
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 both electric and acoustic 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 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 "whammy bar", a removable arm which allows the player to
modulate the pitch moving the bridge up and down. The whammy bar is
sometimes also referred to as a "tremolo bar" (see
Tremolo
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
button.
On almost all modern electric guitars, the bridge is 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 can be adjusted with a screwdriver or hex key to remedy the
problem. In general, flat notes are corrected by moving the bridge
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 will be slightly but measurably
longer than the
scale length of 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.
Pickguard
-
Also known as a scratchplate. This is usually a piece of plastic or
other laminated material that protects the finish of the top of the
guitar. In some electric guitars, the pickups and most of the
electronics are mounted on the pickguard. On acoustic guitars and many
electric guitars, the pickguard is mounted directly to the guitar top,
while on guitars with carved tops (for example, the
Gibson Les Paul), the pickguard is elevated. The Pickguard is more
often than not used in styles such as
flamenco, which tends to use the guitar as a percussion instrument
at times, rather than for instance, a classical guitar.
Tuning
The guitar is a
transposing instrument. Its pitch sounds one octave lower than it
is notated.
A variety of different tunings are used. The most common by far,
known as "Standard Tuning" (EADGBE), is as follows:
- sixth (lowest tone) string: E (a minor thirteenth below
middle C—82.4 Hz)
- fifth string: A (a minor tenth below middle C—110 Hz)
- fourth string: d (a minor seventh below middle C—146.8 Hz)
- third string: g (a perfect fourth below middle C—196.0 Hz)
- second string: b (a minor second below middle C—246.92 Hz)
- first (highest tone) string: e' (a major third above middle
C—329.6 Hz)
A guitar using this tuning can tune to itself by the fact, with a
single exception, the 5th fret on one string is the same note as the
next open string; that is, a 5th-fret note on the sixth string is the
same note as the open fifth string. The exception to this rule 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
chords and the ability to play common scales with minimal left
hand movement. There are also a variety of commonly used
alternate tunings - most of which are chord voicings that can be
played on open strings or made by moving the
capo.
Many guitarists use a long established (centuries old) tuning
variation where the lowest string is 'dropped' two semi-tones down.
Known as
Drop-D (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 easily
played without the need for a high technical skill level. Many
contemporary rock bands downtune the entire tuning 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). Many other open tunings, where
all of the strings are tuned to a similar note or chord, are popular
for slide guitar playing.
As with all stringed
instruments a large number of
scordatura are possible on the guitar.
Guitar terminology
Vibrato Arm
The Vibrato (pitch bend) unit found on many electric guitars has
also had
slang terms applied to it, such as "tremolo bar (or arm)", "sissy
bar", "whammy handle", and "whammy bar". The latter two slang terms
led
stompbox manufacturers to use the term 'whammy' in coming up with
a pitch raising effect introduced by popular guitar effects pedal
brand "Digitech".
Leo Fender, who did much to create the electric guitar, also
created much confusion over the meaning of the terms "tremolo" and
"vibrato", specifically by misnaming the
"tremolo" unit on many of his guitars and also the
"vibrato" unit on his "Vibrolux" amps. In general, vibrato
is a variation in
pitch, whereas 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
vibrato unit for a more detailed discussion, and
tremolo arm for more of the history.
A distinctly different form of mechanical vibrato found on some
guitars is the
Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, commonly called Bigsby. This vibrato
wraps the strings around a horizontal bar, which is then rotated with
a handle by the musician.
Another type of pitch bender is the
B-Bender, 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 the
pedal steel guitar.
Capotasto
A capotasto (or capo) 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. Their use allows a player 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". Classical performers are
known to use them to enable modern instruments to match the pitch of
historical instruments such as the renaissance
lute.
Slides
A
slide, (neck of a bottle, knife blade or round metal bar) used in
blues and rock to create a
glissando or 'hawaiian'
effect. The necks of bottles were often used in blues and country
music. Modern slides are constructed of glass, plastic, chrome, brass
or steel, depending on the weight and tone desired. Some muscians
today choose the play slide with a shot glass. An instrument that is
played exclusively in this manner, (using a metal bar) is called a
steel guitar or
pedal steel. Slide playing to this day is very popular in
blues music
and
country music.
Some legends that have become famous for playing slide are Derek
Trucks, Warren Haynes, Duane Allman, Muddy Waters, and Adam Carswell.
Plectrum
A variety of guitar picks
A "guitar
pick" or "plectrum"
is a small piece of hard material which is generally held between the
thumb and first finger of the picking hand and is used to "pick" the
strings. Though most classical players pick solely with their fingers,
the "pick" is the most common means of playing used today. 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
became more and more endangered, the practice of using their shells
for picks or anything else was banned. Tortoise shell picks are often
coveted for a supposedly superior tone and ease of use.
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 sound of
Billy Gibbons is attributed to using a
quarter or
peso as a
pick. Similarily,
Brian May is known to use a
sixpence coin as a pick
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