All You Wanted to Know About Guitar
Guitar is a musical instrument and has been used as an accompaniment in various musical soirees. The instrument normally has 6 strings but 4 to 18 stringed guitars are also prevalent. In Jazz, Flamenco Blues and in various types of Pop, guitar plays a premier role. It can also be used as a solo instrument.
Guitar has been basically categorized under two types – the Acoustic and Electric. In the former type, the music is played on the strings and the tune is emitted both by the vibration of the strings and the hollow body of the instrument. Traditional guitars are usually constructed of a variety of wood, including spruce and cedar with nylon and steel strings. Tone of the music is dependent on the wood strength that has the ability to transmit energy from strings to the air. Sound is also dependent on the general characteristics of the guitar`s body and its resonant cavity.
In Electric guitar, the music is dependent on the amplifier which produces an electronically manipulated tone. This type of electric guitar came into vogue in the 1930s and it still has a predominant influence on Pop music which is extremely popular.
There are a variety of Guitar brands but the most popular ones are Dean, Paul Reed Smith, Gibson, Jackson and many such. It is believed that guitar as a musical instrument originated in Central Asia and India while in the European countries this form of instrument became popular around the 15th century.
The Acoustic type is not dependent on any external device for its sound emission. It rather uses the sound board which is a wooden piece mounted in the frontal lobe of the guitar. The sound hole in the Acoustic guitar is round shaped, placed under the strings and projects sound. This type of guitar produces a quiet sound and in recent times feature pick-ups ensuring the player the ability to amplify or modify the sound and tone of the music.
The Acoustic guitars have further sub categories such as the Classical and Flamenco guitar, Steel String guitar, Two string guitar and the Arch top guitar. The Classical guitars are also of two types – the Baroque and the Contemporary Classical types. The ancient classical guitars are much smaller in size and emit a quieter sound. The Baroque guitars are extremely ornamental and are embellished with ivory or wooden inlay. The contemporary classical guitars have nylon strings and emit classical tune. They allow the musicians to play scales. The Flamenco guitars have a more melodious sound and emit a medley of vibrations.
The flat top steel version of this musical instrument produces a louder tone and is associated with folk, country, jazz and pop music. The arch top guitars were designed by the Gibson Guitar Corporation which has the appearance of a violin. It has a hollow body and is equipped with magnetic pick-ups which make them acoustic as well as electric. It is a favored instrument by both jazz and country musicians.
The Resonter guitar produces a sound through the metal resonator mounted in the middle of the top of the instrument. However, the electric guitar has replaced this type though it is still preferred by some musicians because of its sound clarity. The electric guitar, like other types of guitar, also has a hollow body but produces almost no sound without amplifiers.
The magnetic pick-ups transform the sound emitted by the steel strings into electrical signals that are transmitted by the amplifier. The vacuum tubes and other electric devices in the amplifier modify the sound tone. This type of guitar has widespread usage in Jazz, Blues and Rock n` Roll. Such guitars display more techniques than the Acoustic guitars.