Guitar

Listen to the sound of a Guitar

The guitar is a fretted stringed instrument with a fingerboard, played by a guitarist who plucks or strums the strings and moves their fingers along the fret. The guitar sound is produced by the vibration of the strings when plucked/strummed either with fingers or a plectrum. It is one of the most popular and versatile instrument across varied genres of music.

There are three types of guitars, Acoustic, Bass and Electric but within these are several other variations and sizes of the instrument. The guitar is suitable for children from five upwards and the most suitable guitar for beginners is the Acoustic with nylon strings known as the Classical or Spanish guitar, as this is easier on the fingers at the early stages of the learning process.

The Bass and Electric guitar both use steel strings with quiet high tension that can be uncomfortable on the fingers in the early stages for the player and both guitars require an amplifier to play.

Hover with your mouse pointer over the blue dots in the picture below to familiarize yourself with the parts of the Guitar.

Headstock

The headstock is fitted with tuning pegs.

Nut

The nut is a small piece of hard material which supports the strings at the end closest to the headstock. It sets the spacing of the strings across the neck, and usually holds the strings at the proper height from the fingerboard. Along with the bridge, the nut defines the vibrating lengths of the open strings.

Neck

The neck is one of the two main components of the guitar. To this are attached the guitar's frets, fretboard, tuners, headstock, and truss rod. The rigidity of the neck with respect to the body of the guitar is one determinant of a good instrument versus a poor one

Position Markers

Position Markers are the little dots on the neck of a guitar which help the player find their bearings

Pickguard/Scratchplate

The Pickguard/Scratchplate is usually a piece of laminated plastic or other material that protects the finish of the top of the guitar from damage due to the use of a plectrum or fingernails.

Bridge

On an acoustic guitar the bridge transfers the vibration from the strings to the soundboard, this vibrates the air inside of the guitar, thereby amplifying the sound produced by the strings. On all electric, acoustic and original guitars, the bridge holds the strings in place on the body. On almost all modern electric guitars, the bridge is adjustable for each string so that the tone stays correct up and down the neck

Sounding board/Soundboard

The Sounding board/Soundboard is the part of the guitar that transmits the vibrations of the strings to the air, greatly amplifying the sound over that of the string alone.

Tuning pegs

The tuning pegs adjust the tension of the strings, which in turn tunes the strings and affects the pitch

fret/finger board

The fret/finger board 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. Pinching a string against the fretboard effectively shortens the vibrating length of the string, producing a higher pitch.

Frets/Frets wire

Frets are metal strips embedded along the fretboard and located at exact points that divide the scale length. Pressing the guitar string against a fret determines the strings' vibrating length and therefore its resultant pitch.

Sound hole

The Sound hole is the opening in the body of the guitar. It's purpose is to help the guitar project its sound more efficiently. The majority of sound comes from the surface area of both sounding boards, with sound holes playing a part by allowing the sounding boards to vibrate more freely, and allowing some of the vibrations which have been set in motion inside the guitar to travel outside the instrument.

Strings

Steel strings are found on acoustic guitars. They have a bright and brassy sound. Nylon strings are usually found on classical and flamenco guitars. They have a mellow delicate sound. Nylon strings are normally easier for beginners to play as they are easier on the fingers.

Body

The body of the guitar is a major determinant of the overall sound quality. In acoustic guitars, string vibration is transmitted through the bridge and saddle to the body via a sound board.

Strap peg

The Strap peg is the stubb on which the guitar strap hangs to support the guitar.

Acoustic guitars are constructed mainly of wood. The body is a large hollow belly which amplifies the sound of the strings when played. The tone of an acoustic guitar is produced by the vibration of the strings, amplified by the body of the guitar, which acts as a resonating chamber. Electric and Bass guitars are also made of wood (graphite or other light materials are also used) however, both need external amplification to produce their sound through loudspeakers.

The neck sticks out from the body of the guitar, it holds the fingerboard and frets that form the basis for picking the chords when playing the guitar. Frets are the hard metal strips implanted along the fingerboard (or fretboard) on top of the neck. Pressing down the strings against the fingerboard creates the sound and notes required for the music you wish to play. The bass guitar fingerboard is longer than that of the acoustic or electric guitar.

At the end of the neck is the nut and headstock. The nut is a small piece of hard material that supports the strings. The headstock holds the tuning pegs for adjusting the tensions of the strings.

The strings run from the headstock to the bridge which sits on top of the soundboard and is where the other end of the strings are attached. There are six strings for a standard guitar, acoustic guitars have nylon or steel strings whilst the bass and electric guitars use steel strings.

The nylon strings are said to suit the playing of the classical and flamenco guitar whilst some acoustics with the steel strings are ideal for folk, rock, blues & country.

The standard number of strings for the bass guitar is four though some advanced players use basses with five or even six strings.

Placed towards the lower middle part of the guitars body is the pickguard or scratchplate. This is a piece of laminated plastic or other material set there to protect the body or soundboard from scratch by the fingers or plectrum when playing.

Specifically on electric guitars, you will also find the pickup. This is a microphone built into the guitar so they can be plugged into an amplifier or a PA system and has a transformative effect of converting the strings vibration into electric energy which has a huge impact on the sound and tone of the electric guitar. There is also the Electronic Controls that are knobs on the guitar that aim to allow you to change the volume and tone of the sound directly during play.

A person who plays the Guitar is called a Guitarist and the maker of a Guitar is a luthier

History
Learn more about the history of the guitar through various time periods.

Buying a Guitar
There are many different brands, makes and models of guitars to choose from

Accessories
Take a look at the different accessories for a guitar and what they are used for.

Faults & Repairs
Guidance on the some common faults and repairs for guitar owners.

Types of Guitars

There are three main classification types for guitars – Acoustic, Bass and Electric but there are many varieties and hybrids based on body shapes, hardware features, and the number of strings.

Acoustic guitars

The Acoustic guitar is the guitar most people starting out come into contact with. It is usually made of wood, has six strings and a hollow body which amplifies the sound acoustically.

Acoustic guitars are most ideal for beginner guitarists and singer-songwriters who want something to strum and/or fingerpick their songs on. They come in a variety of sizes with the choice of instrument made depending on the size of the guitarist’s body.

Guitar size	Guitar size measurement	Approximate age
4/4 (Full size)	100 x 38 cm	12 + years old
3/4 (Three quarters)	92 x 34 cm	8 - 12 years old
1/2 (Half size)	86 x 30 cm	5 - 8 years old
1/4 (Quarter size)	77 x 27 cm	2 - 5 years old

There are several varieties of acoustic guitar group: classical and flamenco guitars referred to also as nylon string guitars and steel-string guitars, which include the flat-topped, twelve-string and the arched-top guitar best suited for folk, rock, blues and country music. There are also the Dreadnoughts and Jumbo guitars with larger bodies that give off bigger booming sound and the Parlour and Auditorium guitars with quieter and more articulate tone.

Semi-acoustic guitars

Semi-acoustic guitars, also referred to as the hollow bodied electric guitars, sit in the middle between acoustic and electric guitars. These are compact and thin like electric guitars with hollow bodies like acoustic guitars. Their compactness and thinness doesn’t allow for loud sounds when it is not connected/plugged into an amplifier or a public address (PA) system.

Electric Guitar

The electric guitar has a solid body and as such, produce very little in the way of sound unless it is plugged into an amplifier or a public address system. Some electric guitars do have semi-hollow, or hollow bodies but produce little sound without amplification.
Like the acoustic guitar, electric guitars are usually made of wood and usually have six strings, though there are twelve string versions available. Electric guitars come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some of the most iconic are: the Gibson Les Paul, the Fender Stratocaster and the Fender Telecaster.
Electric guitars are ideal for players who seek a powerful, sustaining sound or who want a much greater choice of sounds. It is used extensively in jazz, blues, R & B, and rock and roll.

Bass guitars

The Bass guitar is the ideal type of guitar in a band for those who like to work with the drummer to form the rhythm section and spine to hold down the powerful low-end groove. It is built in the style of an electric guitar but produces lower frequencies. Unlike regular guitars, bass guitars usually only have four big thick strings that produce a big, deep, thick and low sound.

Bass guitars are usually solid-bodied and electric, but there are acoustic and semi-acoustic basses available to.

Bass guitars are not suited for beginners as it’s principle use is as an accompaniment instrument.

Similar stringed instruments that aren’t necessarily guitars, but can be seen as related to the guitar include : -

Mandolin
The Mandolin is a small sized stringed instrument from the lute family which evolved in the 18th century in Italy and Germany from the 16th-century mandora. It is a bit like a strummed violin because it is tuned the same way though it carries double the number of stings the violin has. but they are strummed like guitars rather than played with a bow.

They have a very bright, trebly sound and are popular in styles of music like folk.
Banjo
The Banjo is a stringed instrument of African origin that was popularised in the 19th century by US slaves. It has five metal strings that are usually tuned to an open G chord. Instead of having a soundhole like a guitar, a banjo has a drum for a body.

Banjos are all treble and no bass, giving them a very twangy top heavy sound. They’re very popular in styles of music such as folk, bluegrass, country and sometimes in Jazz.
Ukulele
The Ukulele (Ukelele) is a small Hawaiian string instrument around 60 cm long with four strings that looks a lot like a miniature guitar. It originates from a four stringed guitar introduced to Hawaii by the Portuguese around the 1870’s called the Machada or Machete. They’re ideal for people who want to play and/or write songs, but find guitars to be a bit big for them.

Ukuleles are prevalent in traditional Hawaiian music and have been used across the US and Europe in Jazz music. Like the mandolin and the banjo, the ukulele produces a very trebly, delicate, ‘twinkly’ sound.

Learn

The best way to learn to play the guitar is to find an experienced and patient teacher in your local area. Sometimes, lessons can also be arranged via your child’s school where they may have a visiting teacher.

If you cannot find a local teacher, having an online tutor is another option to consider and failing that, you can teach yourself using online tutorials or guide books you can get from book shops. There are many resources available on both the internet and physically.

Below are just a few examples of what is available : -