The first guitars, although if they were not with the
usual form, were born a lot of centuries ago in the Middle East. Over the
centuries, this chord instrument, which used an amplification system with a
sound box, underwent many transformations, until finally arriving to the
instrument we know.
Of course even now there are several types, but the
most common is the six-strings guitar. The guitar is composed of many pieces,
starting from the top there are: the headstock together with the tuning keys
used to keep tension in the strings and to change the tuning. Here we find the
neck, the length can vary depending on the type of guitar, the neck is divided
into frets that are used to tighten the strings and get the notes you want.
Finally then we find the body with the soundboard and the bridge from where the
strings branch off.
Of course in electric guitars we will not find the
soundboard but a solid body (full body) that, to capture and disseminate the
different sounds, uses pickups that are placed where would be the hole for the
sound box. It is important to remember that in case of non-electric guitars
sound quality and its uniqueness are completely dependent on the type of wood
used to build the box and the type of joints inside it.
Even in electric guitars, the wood is very important
because the neck is subjected to a much higher tension than acoustic guitars,
it also has a metal core; a good neck must be able to withstand the tension and
its change when you change your tune and must also be sliding to let the right
hand slide. One of the most important part is certainly the strings, that,
plucked with the fingers or the plectrum, emit the characteristic sound of
these musical instruments.
The strings are stretched in different ways to obtain
different notes. The most common tuning is re-mi-sol-la-mi. This tuning, in
which the interval between two adjacent strings is right one fourth (except that between the second and third
string, a distance of a major third) has established itself for its ease in
forming chords. In guitars with more strings such as those with seven or eight
strings, more low note are added to obtain a sound more dark and powerful,
characteristic of metal music.
The power of the sound of the electric guitar is given
mainly by the type of pickup installed that characterize the power and the type
of sound that will be expressed through the use of amplifiers that can alter
the sound in different ways. The most common amplifiers are the combo and those
constituted by a surface plus a speaker.
The technical description still does not do justice to
the emotions and feeling you get playing these instruments. In conclusion when
you play you discover a part of you that you did not know it existed.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
