Me and My Guitar

An instrument is a tool of music. Just like all tools it allows us to assemble pieces, in the case of music it allows us to build song. Some instruments can be very subtle and soft and quite melodic such as a woodwind, where as there are also instruments that are very powerful, such as a trumpet and become the heart of a song or symphony. But I believe there is only one instrument that can be both subtle and also be powerful. Belonging the family of chordophones, the guitar, is my personal preference or favorite instrument. From the time it was first discovered that a vibrating string tied over a wooden box could produce a pleasant sound, plucked instruments of the guitar family have existed. The way a guitar produces sound reflects technology itself. When a player plucks a string, the string vibrates and most of the energy is transferred to the sound box via the bridge. Resonance in the sound box and the radiation of the soundboard then amplify the weak sound of the string and carries it through the surrounding air making it audible to the human ear.

For centuries, guitar makers have worked on these principles to improve the quality of sound produced by the instrument. From this it has come to a worldwide understanding that guitars have a standard tuning: E, sixth string, and a minor thirteenth below middle C. Then the fifth string A, a minor tenth below middle C. The fourth string, D, a minor seventh below middle C. The third string, G, a perfect fourth below middle C. The second string B a minor second below middle C, and the first string E, a major third above middle.

For many people, the guitar is a tremendous source of enjoyment and fulfillment in their lives. The study of the guitar is exciting because there is always something new to discover and achieve. There are three main forms of the guitar, the soft classical guitar, the rhythmic steel-string guitar, and of course the powerful electric guitar. Even though each one has its own distinct qualities in sound they have the unifying characteristics of, using the same tuning and harmonics.

The guitar has been around for centuries and was derived from stringed instruments of eastern music, most notably the lute, to become compatible with the standard octaves of western music. The oldest of the three types is the classical which was the successor to the baroque guitar of Spain. True classical guitars are difficult to find and are hand crafted using hand picked woods for unique sounds. These woods include the Brazilian Rosewood, Cocobolo, Maple, Bubinga (African Rosewood), and Ebony. The Brazilian Rosewood was the standard for years is no longer in use because it is now considered endangered. Classical guitars have a wide neck that remains the same throughout the whole fret board. This allows the player to have easy access to each string, thus allowing one to easily play one note at a time with the fingers, not a pick. With the strings being made of nylon, it allows the player to hold down the strings harder to ensure that each note is crisp and that the player's fingers do not hurt. Classical guitar is the most difficult kind to play. It is a series of finger picking rather than strumming. This method of playing is also part of the reason why classical guitar is not as popular as it once was. Although the classical guitar is used to play classical music, it is still maintains popularity among listeners with its soft sounds. It is more often used in Spanish music styles of flamenco, salsa, bachata and many more. The most popular and world renowned players of this guitar are Gaspar Sanz, Fernando Sor, Mauro Giuliani, Francisco Tбrrega, Andrйs Segovia, The Romeros, Julian Bream , and John Williams.

The Steel-String guitar came about in the first half of the twentieth century and still is the most popular and most played guitar of the three. Steel-string guitars are the easiest to find and have a distinct rhythmic sound. Most people begin playing on this guitar because even inexpensive models sound very good. This guitar is well designed with a longer neck and is durable enough to be played loud and aggressively without the fear of breaking the strings. This guitar was originally designed to be played as a classical. The wear the steel strings put on the players fingers it rise to the use of the plectrum or more commonly called, the pick. This allowed the players to play each note staccato, with a hard plectrum, or more rhythmically legato, with a soft plectrum. I believe this guitar to be the most diverse. It pairs well with the classical or the electric guitar, as well as being capable of carrying itself without accompaniment. Because of its great diversity it is used in more genres than either the classical or the electric, steel string guitars have been sampled in Country, Bluegrass, Rock and Roll, and has even appeared in Rap and Hip Hop quite a few times.

Another well known version of the steel string guitar is the Resonator. Its sound is produced by a series of metal cones instead of the wooden soundboard, which is the top of the face. Resonator guitars were designed originally to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overpowered by horns and percussion instruments in dance orchestras. Though Metallically toned it found use with several musical styles, most notably the Country and Bluegrass circuits even well after electric amplification solved the issue of inadequate guitar sound levels. There are many different kinds of resonators designed and produced by many manufacturers. They are usually made of wood, metal, or some composite material with usually two sound holes.

When it comes to pure power, no instrument can deliver like the electric guitar. The electric guitar I believe is one of the most phenomenal inventions to contribute to music in the past century. The electric guitar can be classified in three types on the basis of varied sounds. The most important thing relating to sound are the pick-ups, the ceramic and magnetic piece underneath the strings on the body. There are two types of pick-ups that come in guitars, double coil and single coil. A Double coil offers more clarity and has warmer tone. The single coil has more of a sharp tone, which distorts the clarity. Another important part of the guitar, which reflects on the sound, is the strings. There are many different sizes of strings. The lighter, or thinner, strings create a sharper tone, but aren't as durable. They are more likely to break and fall out of tune. The bigger strings create a much warmer, full tone, and are much more durable. Another thing that may come on the guitar is a whammy bar. A whammy bar is a bar that bends the strings to create a different tone. The only problem with the whammy bar is that the strings are more likely to fall out of tune. There are many other parts to a guitar that are important to the sound but these are the most distinguishable