Guitar Classes

Generally, guitars are classified as Classical, Acoustic, and Electric. Acoustic has a hollow body, steel strings, and is usually played in Folk, Pop and Country music. Classical guitar has a hollow body, wide neck and is equipped with nylon strings. It’s usually used in Classical and Spanish music. Electric guitar has a solid body and is generally heavy. It has a pickup installed to it which converts the string vibrations into signal which is then converted as a sound in an amplifier. It’s usually used for Rock and Pop music.

The origin is still a mystery. However, a plucked stringed instrument that closely resembles a guitar can be seen in a picture painted around 3,000 B.C. in Egypt. Around the turn of 15th century, a plucked string instrument that was first called a guitar appeared in Spain.

Modern guitarist nowadays wanted even lower sound for their specific music. So, they have customized their guitar for more strings, adding even lower notes than the low E (6th string)

The strings for different types of guitars are made from, steel (Copper, zinc, Phosphor) and Nylon string. Nylon strings are also coated with metal for heavier sound. This can be observed on the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings of the classical guitar

Humidity or changes in temperature shrinks the neck of the guitar that causes it to bend or warp. This is the common case for display it in a music shop, and to all instruments which are not kept in a case. Some guitars have a Truss Rod installed on its neck which will help to adjust and straighten it back. Always check the neck of the guitar and for the presence of truss rod when you buy.

It is an essential tool that is clamped on the guitar neck for quick transposition of key. It’s also widely used by acoustic musicians to avoid the stress of using a barred chord.

Whammy bar is a rod connected to the bridge of the guitar. It’s usually used for musical expression such as vibrato and pitch bend effect. This is popularly used by guitarist Steve Vai, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Hendrix and others.

Unlike acoustic guitar with hollow body, Electric has a solid body where there’s no space for sound to vibrate. It has a pickup installed on it instead. This pickup is a device with magnetic properties that will transfer the vibration of the strings to the amplifier which will be then converted as sound.

The most expensive guitar was sold at an auction for 6 Million Dollars. It was Kurt Cobain’s 1959 Martin acoustic guitar.

The largest electric guitar, also the world’s largest functioning, is whopping 13.29m tall and 5.01m wide (Guinness World Records)

Guitar was named after the Spanish word Guitarra.

For regular players, it’s advisable to change your strings every 3 months. The more you play, the more rust will accumulate to the strings which will cause it to sound dull and to break very soon.

Power chord was first seen in a written classical piece. It was later became the main chord for Rock and Metal music because of its heavy and aggressive sound.

The Ukulele has a Portuguese origin but was popularized in Hawaii. It broke into a big scene when a Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwo’ole played Ukulele in the song-What a wonderful world/Somewhere over the rainbow. The Ukulele well complimented the voice and the message of the song. It was a big hit that garnered huge commendations and awards internationally.

Scales arranged in specific groupings are a good start for practicing speed. Picking speed is a product of accuracy. Play each note slowly and accurately then gradually increase your speed. Always use a metronome to track your tempo and speed. Practice consistently. Be patient.