Guitar

What do you know about the Guitar already?

know your guitar

  • The history of the guitar can be traced back to  Spain, earlier than the 16th century.

  • Guitars come in many sizes and shapes, and almost anyone can learn the basics of playing them.

  • Because of the guitar's ability to produce a wide variety of sounds, it has remained current and popular for a very long time

  • You can hear guitar-playing in many styles of music around the world

PARTS OF THE GUITAR

String Numbers

  • The strings are numbered 1 through 6

  • Smallest string is string number 1
    • One = Thin String (the one closest to the floor)

  • Locate the strings and find the tuners attached to them

tuning the guitar

  • To tune your own guitar:
    • Locate the correct tuner for the string you are tuning
    • Listen to the pitch on the recording
    • Pluck the string that you are tuning
    • Match the pitch on the recording by tightening or loosening the tuner. Keep plucking the string as you turn the tuner
    • If the pitch of your string is getting closer to the pitch on the recording, keep turning the tuner in the same direction
    • If the pitch of your string is getting father away, turn the tuner in the other direction
    • Your string is in tune when the pitch of your string matches the sound on the recording
      Guitar Tuning (10.9)  - bass string 6 and each string has its own track

Playing position

  • Experiment with different ways of holding your guitar
  • Depending on:
    • Body Size
    • Type of Guitar
    • Style of Playing
        You may prefer one of the positions shown.

  • Guitar neck tilts upward ( NEVER Downward)

  • Your body and arms are relaxed

Pro Tips


  • Many professional guitarists play standing up. If you want to play this way you will need a guitar strap.

                                                 

Hand positions


  • Fingers should arch over the strings.
  • Press the tips straight down onto the strings
  • Thumb is placed at the back of the neck

Hand positions Continued

  • You will begin strumming with the thumb of the right hand (Strumming hand) by brushing down across the strings over the sound hole.
  • When you use a pick, hold it like this:
  • 1.     2. 

down-up strumming

  • First strum downward with your thumb
  • Then strum upward, using your index finger or index and middle fingers
  • You can also use a flat pick to strum down and up

  • You can also strum faster, twice on each beat using a down-up-down-up strumming pattern

acoustic guitars

  • Many different styles of music use various types of acoustic guitars.
  • The number of strings and material from which they are made can also vary.
  • Each type of guitar has a unique tone quality that determines its suitability for certain styles of music


Acoustic Guitar: a term describing instruments that project sound naturally and do not require an amplifier.

Steel-String guitars

  1. Dreadnaught

  • most popular type of acoustic guitar.
  • It is a very versatile and balances well with the voice and other instruments

Steel-String Guitar

2. 12 String Guitar
  • produces a brighter, fuller sound and is mostly used for playing the rhythm part
  • The strings are tuned to the same pitches as a six-string guitar, but every string is doubled.
  • Each pair is tuned an octave apart except for the B and the high E, which are tuned in unison
  • This guitar is usually strummed with a pick or plucked with individual finger picks
  • The 12-string guitar usually has a dreadnought-style body.

12 string guitar




steel-string guitar

3. Cutaway Guitar
  • design allows players to reach the higher frets more easily
  • This is especially helpful for guitarists who play melodies, or "lead style"
  • Cutaway guitars usually have a low action, which means that the strings are quite close to the frets, making it easier to press down on the strings while you play chords or solos
                                                     

classical guitar

  • Classical Guitar
    • nylon strings and a wider neck then the steel-string guitar 
    • the nylon strings give the classical guitar a softer, more delicate tone.
    • oldest design, dating back to the eighth century C.E. in Spain
    • it is often the favoured guitar of long-time players

adrian legg

  • Born 1948
  • From England
  • Fingerstyle guitar
  • He often appears on many "best-player" lists
  • Won top awards from Guitar Players Magazine
  • Voted "Guitarist of the Decade" (1984-1994) by Guitarist Magazine
  • Technique / Method of playing is unusual
  • Known for creating complex and beautiful music
  • Legg is also well-known as a storyteller, and he gives concerts that combine stories and music
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9pWlrSTcgg

Guitar

By jenniferdawnwalsh

Guitar

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