The first thing you think of when you think about acoustic instruments is likely the acoustic guitar. What most people do not know is that “acoustic guitar” is a retronym. Until electric guitars were invented, they were simply called guitars. The differentiation was necessary upon the invention and adoption of the electric guitar. Something else people probably don’t know is that there are actually quite a few distinctly different types of acoustic guitars. The four main types are nylon or gut stringed guitars, steel stringed guitars, bass guitars, and Russian guitars. Under nylon/gut and steel types are numerous sub-types.
There are five nylon/gut types, as follows:
- Renaissance guitar
- Baroque guitar
- Romantic guitar
- Classical guitar
- Flamenco guitar
There are seven steel string types, as follows:
- Steel stringed acoustic guitar (which is also called the folk, country, or western)
- Twelve string guitar
- Resonator guitar
- Archtop guitar
- Battente guitar
- Lap steel guitar
- Lyre guitar
What all of these guitars have in common is the way in which they create sound. The strings are strung from the face of the guitar, over the bridge, over the body and down the strings, to the head of the guitar where the tuning pegs are. When you pluck a string, it vibrates. This also vibrates the bridge, which is in contact with the face of the body, also known as the sounding board. This creates resonance in the body of the guitar which eventually escapes through the sounding hole.
How a guitar will sound is dependent on a few different things:
- The size of the body
- The shape of the body
- The wood or woods used to make the guitar
- The type of strings used
- The size of the strings
There are 3 main body sizes. Smallest to largest, they are: classic, dreadnought, and jumbo. The body shapes are all very similar, but different brands and makes and sizes will vary, of course. Perhaps the biggest difference you might note in a body is whether or not it has a cutaway for access to the higher frets or not. The types of wood used for guitars matters a lot. Cheaper guitars will use softer woods which are more susceptible to warping and damage, and generally will not sound as rich or full. More expensive guitars will use harder woods such as Mahogany, Rosewood, Maple, or any other number of exotic and semi-exotic hardwoods. These will be more durable, less prone to warping, and generally sound a lot better. The type of strings used is more of a personal taste, but is also linked to the type of guitar being used, as is the size of the strings. Larger strings vibrate slower, and so produce lower notes. Smaller strings vibrate faster, producing higher notes. What they are made of and how they are made can also influence this somewhat.
Lastly, how tight the strings are wound will affect their sound, as a string wound tighter will produce a higher pitch than one wound looser.
Photo Credits: 1
Originally posted 2009-02-23 05:07:19. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Acoustic Guitar Basics The first thing you think of when you think about acoustic instruments is likely the acoustic guitar. What most people do not know is that “acoustic guitar” is a retronym. Until electric guitars were invented, they were simply called guitars. The differentiation was necessary upon the invention and adoption of...... -
Brief History of Guitars One of the most widely recognized musical instruments is the acoustic guitar. It is an instrument that has roots deep in history, and is played many different ways. There are many varieties, in four, six, seven, eight, ten and twelve strings, although six is standard. Guitars are used in many...... -
Some Background on the Acoustic Bass Guitar The acoustic bass guitar is an instrument which provides the heavy tones and harmonies associated with good Jazz. Somewhat of a mixed past, the acoustic bass guitar was born in the 50's but was developed in the 60s by Ernie Ball. It came after it's cousin, the electric bass guitar,...... -
Introduction to Bending Strings The History of String Bending and Gauges String bending is a technique that was founded by blues and country music players who wished to mimic the sound of bottleneck guitars, and later on, pedal steel-string guitars. Since then, bending has become a standard technique in the playing of guitars, because...... -
Wood Types for Acoustic Guitars Just as there are many types of acoustic guitars, so are there many types of wood from which guitars may be made. It also matters in which part of the guitar the wood is to be used. Also as with many things, the skill of the craftsman, the design of......
Related Websites -
Fender Guitar Dealers -> Musical Instruments -> String A Fender guitar is one of the best guitars you can purchase in the world today, whether it's a new instrument or a vintage one. Fender began with Leo Fender releasing the Esquire model guitar in 1950, but production only lasted for about...... -
The Cheapest Loan For Home Remodeling Like the building of a house, remodeling of it also takes much time, effort and also costs a lot. Those who have solid cash with them could easily do that with their own money but others who are in short of money and need the house to be remodeled would...... -
The Double Bass - Then and Now In the modern orchestra, there are a number of stringed instruments that cover a variety of sounds. Highs and lows, the entire spectrum of sound audible to the human can be accessed with stringed instruments. At the lowest end of the spectrum, the double bass, or upright bass, can access...... -
Introduction to Bass Guitar Tablature A guitar tab, or guitar tablature is a system of letters, symbols, notations and other visual representations that dictate how music should be played, rather than following traditional musical notation. Guitar tablature gives directions to the bass player or guitar player regarding how they should play a musical piece. What...... - Music Review of A Mouthful by The Do “The Do” are a French two-piece or duo indie band based in Paris. The Do were formed in 2007 and they are Dan Levy (Musician) and Olivia Merilahti (Vocals). Their music covers a wide variety of genres that include indie rock, indie pop, folk rock and a bit of electronic......
- Soft, Gig Bags Acoustic Guitar Cases Musical Instruments
- Ukulele String Musical Instruments
- Banjo Vintage Pre-1980 String Musical Instruments
- Takamine Acoustic Electric Guitar Musical Instruments
- Vintage Pre-1980 String Musical Instruments
Categories:
Acoustic Musical Instruments, Guitars
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment