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Guitar
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For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation).

The guitar is a stringed musical instrument,

that is usually fretted (with some exceptions)
and typically has six or twelve strings. It is
usually held flat against the player's body
and played by strumming or plucking the
strings with the dominant hand, while
simultaneously pressing selected strings
against frets with the fingers of the opposite
hand. A guitar pick may also be used to
strike the strings. The sound of the guitar is
projected either acoustically, by means of a
resonant hollow chamber on the guitar, or
amplified by an electronic pickup and an
amplifier.

Guitar

A classical guitar with nylon strings

String instrument

Classification String instrument

(plucked or
strummed)

Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322
classification (Composite
chordophone)

Developed 13th century

Playing range

(a standard tuned guitar)

Related instruments

Bowed and plucked string instruments

The guitar is classified as a chordophone –

meaning the sound is produced by a
vibrating string stretched between two fixed
points. Historically, a guitar was constructed
from wood with its strings made of catgut.
Steel guitar strings were introduced near the
end of the nineteenth century in the United
States;[1] but only following World War II, did
nylon and steel strings become mainstream.
[1]
The guitar's ancestors include the gittern,
the vihuela, the four-course Renaissance
guitar, and the five-course baroque guitar, all
of which contributed to the development of
the modern six-string instrument.

There are three main types of modern guitar:

the classical guitar (Spanish guitar); the
steel-string acoustic guitar or electric guitar;
and the Hawaiian guitar (played across the
player's lap). Traditional acoustic guitars
include the flat top guitar (typically with a
large sound hole) or an archtop guitar, which
is sometimes called a "jazz guitar". The tone
of an acoustic guitar is produced by the
strings' vibration, amplified by the hollow
body of the guitar, which acts as a
resonating chamber. The classical Spanish
guitar is often played as a solo instrument
using a comprehensive fingerstyle technique
where each string is plucked individually by
the player's fingers, as opposed to being
strummed. The term "finger-picking" can
also refer to a specific tradition of folk, blues,
bluegrass, and country guitar playing in the
United States.

Electric guitars, first patented in 1937,[2] use

a pickup and amplifier that made the
instrument loud enough to be heard, but also
enabled manufacturing guitars with a solid
block of wood needing no resonant chamber.
[3]
A wide array of electronic effects units
became possible including reverb and
distortion (or "overdrive"). Solid-body
guitars began to dominate the guitar market
during the 1960s and 1970s; they are less
prone to unwanted acoustic feedback. As
with acoustic guitars, there are a number of
types of electric guitars, including
hollowbody guitars, archtop guitars (used in
jazz guitar, blues and rockabilly) and solid-
body guitars, which are widely used in rock
music.

The loud, amplified sound and sonic power

of the electric guitar played through a guitar
amp has played a key role in the
development of blues and rock music, both
as an accompaniment instrument (playing
riffs and chords) and performing guitar
solos, and in many rock subgenres, notably
heavy metal music and punk rock. The
electric guitar has had a major influence on
popular culture. The guitar is used in a wide
variety of musical genres worldwide. It is
recognized as a primary instrument in genres
such as blues, bluegrass, country, flamenco,
folk, jazz, jota, ska, mariachi, metal, punk,
funk, reggae, rock, grunge, soul, acoustic
music, disco, new wave, new age, adult
contemporary music, and pop, occasionally
used as a sample in hip-hop, dubstep, or
trap music.

History

Types

Construction

Tuning

Accessories

See also

Notes and references

External links

Last edited 23 days ago by Jamedeus

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