History of the Guitar
Parts of the guitar
Parts of
typical classical and electric guitars
- Headstock
- Nut
- Machine heads (or pegheads, tuning keys,
tuning machines, tuners)
- Frets
- Truss rod
- Inlays
- Neck
- Heel (acoustic or Spanish) - Neckjoint (electric)
- Body
- Pickups
- Electronics
- Bridge
- Pickguard
- Back
- Soundboard (top)
- Body sides (ribs)
- Sound hole, with Rosette inlay
- Strings
- Saddle
- Fretboard
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.
In this layout, the headstocks are commonly symmetrical. Many guitars
feature other layouts as well, including six-in-line tuners or even
"4+2" (Ernie Ball Music Man). However, some guitars 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
, 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.
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 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'
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.
- In electric guitars, transducers known as pickups convert
string vibration to an electronic signal, which in turn is amplified
and fed to speakers, which vibrate the air to produce the sound we hear.
Body
(acoustic guitar)
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)
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.
More about what do we do:
- Guitar Lessons- With over 30 years of teaching experience
you will learn at your own pace in a fun and relaxed enviroment.
- Weddings- Have great classical guitar played during your
ceremony to accompany a singer, or the guitar alone sounds great! Click
here to hear some of
our music
- Private Parties (or company parties)- Liven up the party
with some great classical music. Everyone will comment on how great the
music was for the event!
- Other gigs such as wineries, and coffee shops- Need us for
something else? Call or email and let us know what you need!
Please contact us if you have any questions regarding
lessons or event availability.
Call us at 641-840-0604
Email us by clicking here!