Description of types of guitars

For people who have little in common with the world of music, the guitar is presented in only three versions: acoustics that do not require additional equipment, an electric guitar that should be connected to the amplifier using a special cord, and a bass guitar equipped with four strings. But there are other varieties of this stringed instrument with individual characteristics, unusual structure, shape, sound and many other parameters.

Aspiring musicians treat choosing a guitar like going to a fashion store. To be more precise, other people consider exclusively the external beauty of the instrument. And this is not entirely correct. Yes, appearance is a relatively important aspect, but there are many other criteria that should be paid attention to first.

Modern musical instrument stores are stocked with a wide variety of guitars. Each model has individual parameters. All existing varieties are characterized by different specifications and sonic specifics. Every musician should know about them. But first, you need to get acquainted with the most common type of this six-stringed musical instrument - the classical guitar.

This instrument is ideal for lovers of beautiful and romantic instrumental music. The strings of the classical model give out the most musical, although not too loud sound than the usual acoustics with metal strings. On the classic version of the guitar, only a nylon string set is installed.This is due to the fact that there is no anchor on its neck that allows it to withstand the loads from the tension of metal, one might say, wire. At the same time, classic designs are made with a wider neck and a smaller resonant cavity.

It may seem strange to some, but the acoustic guitars familiar to everyone, the sounds of which are heard sometimes in the evenings in many city courtyards, differ not only in the price segment and build quality, but also in their intended purpose. Some varieties have such exotic names that it is simply impossible to hear in everyday life. And novice musicians sometimes get confused when they learn that conventional acoustics means more than 15 types of guitars. Let's name some of them that, perhaps, many have heard of.

• Dreadnought. The distinctive features of this type of acoustics are a narrow neck, a small distance between the strings, and a powerful sound. On the dreadnought, you can perform compositions of different musical directions (from country to rock).

• Jumbo. Quite an unusual variety, which is characterized by the richness of the sounds of the chord and base notes. The jumbo guitar is often used when performing compositions in the style of pop-rock and country.

• Folk. The same dreadnought, only in a miniature version. It is used for performing folk music compositions.

• Travel. This type of acoustics is not so good at sound, but due to its lightweight body, you can take it with you on a trip.

• Audio rhythm. With this kind of acoustics, the musician can perform at small concerts held indoors.

• Ukulele. A diminutive four-string popular in Hawaii.

• Baritone guitar. The main difference between this type of acoustics is the increased scale and low sounding of the strings.

• Tenor guitar. This instrument also has 4 strings, has a short scale, and has a sound range comparable to that of a banjo.

• Russian seven-string guitar. Almost the same as a 6-string, but with a different tuning. This type of acoustics is in demand when performing compositions of the Soviet era.

• 12-string. Quite a complex musical instrument in which each string is presented in pairs. Due to the double volume of musical strands, the reproduced sound is more saturated and accompanied by echoes. These guitars are most often chosen by bards and professional rock musicians.

• Electroacoustics. A fairly well-known and widespread type of acoustics, which has a distinctive feature in the form of a timbre block, an equalizer and a piezo pickup.

It is very difficult for novice guitarists to navigate the variety of guitar models. Getting acquainted with the instrument, they do not immediately understand which variety is in front of them, arctop or Silent. In order not to get into a similar situation, the musician needs to understand in advance the existing varieties of the instrument, their features, parameters and capabilities.

Guitarists with innate perfect pitch, with their eyes closed, determine which kind of guitar is played in front of them.

Each person understands the name "semi-acoustics" in his own way. Digging into the depths of history, the emergence of this instrument was a revolutionary breakthrough in the development of music. Modern semi-acoustic instruments have a hollow body on the inside, additional holes for resonance.Their design includes a pickup and other electronics.

To play this instrument, you must connect to the appropriate equipment. Otherwise, the sound of the strings will be very quiet, barely perceptible to the human ear. Semi-acoustic guitars are often made in vintage form, which attracts the attention of musicians who appreciate retro.

The sound of an electric guitar is due to pickups that convert the vibrations of the strings into an electric current. The amplifier helps to hear the result. Without connecting to ancillary equipment, the sound of an electric guitar sounds meaningless and ridiculous, like ordinary metal vibration.

As additional functions in the electric guitar there is a tone and volume control. The presented musical instrument is manufactured in a thin case, where even the smallest void recesses are absent.

Today, it's not just 6-string electric guitars that are on sale. The number of stretched musical threads can be up to 7 and 8 pieces. But the forms of electric guitars can be very diverse: it all depends on the author's idea. The shape can resemble an arrow, be made in the image of a star, and for girls it will even be possible to pick up a tool with a body in the form of a heart.

A distinctive feature of the bass guitar is the presence of 4 strings. This feature is immediately evident. Besides, the bass guitar has a longer neck, and when it sounds, it gives out a very unusual timbre. Either very low or too deep. These musical constructions are designed to play bass lines that add flavor and rhythmic richness to musical compositions. Jazz bands, as well as rock bands, cannot do without a bass guitar.

This type of guitar is better known as a synthesizer model. This is a musical instrument with a special polyphonic pickup that transmits the signal of each string individually. The work of a midi guitar is based on principles similar to a synthesizer. The only difference is that the guitar uses strings.

On many midi models, a special control unit is installed, thanks to which the musician can adjust the sound balance, switch from synthesizer sound to a regular electric guitar.

The presented variations of the varieties of guitars are the most common. In addition to them, there are other guitar modifications that have an unusual shape, size, have a unique sound, or require the use of additional equipment.

Let's get to know them.

• Resonator guitar. Its main distinguishing feature is the presence of a resonator. During the playing, the vibrations of the strings that occur are directed into a specially designed cone - a diffuser. It also processes vibrations and produces clear sound.

• Harp guitar. In this case, we are talking about a combination of instruments such as harp and guitar. In simple terms, the strings taken from the harp are added to the usual fretboard. As a result, the sound created by the musician gets originality and a kind of piquancy.

• Chapman stick. An unusual model of guitar, in which it was possible to connect an elongated bass neck and a pickup of an electric instrument. Due to this feature, this instrument can be played with both hands.

• Warr's guitar. This instrument looks like a regular electric guitar, which can be played with tapping.

• Doubleneck. Quite an unusual kind of electric guitar with two necks, on which a musician must work while performing compositions.

• Silent. A silent musical instrument with a solid, hollow body that does not resonate from string vibration. As novice guitarists note, this is a very convenient variation of the instrument. Suitable for those who have just started to master notes and chords.Thanks to the ability to connect headphones, you don't have to worry that the sound of a musical instrument will somehow disturb your household and neighbors.

• Ovation. The original version of the guitar, with an unusual body and springs, due to which the reproduced sound is higher when compared to the acoustics of the middle class.

There are a huge number of guitars in the world, each of which has its own individual characteristics. Some have a unique body shape (for example, "arrow" or the symbol of playing cards "spades"). Others are made with a wood base covered in carbon fiber. It is quite rare to see a headless modification. In simple terms, this design of a musical instrument does not have a headstock, where the tuning pegs are placed according to the standard. In this case, the strings are fixed to the back of the end of the neck.

Newbies have probably not heard of the existence of the master guitar. It is a high quality musical instrument that is a work of art. The price of such a product with strings is far from a couple of thousand rubles or even dollars.

There is also a foldable guitar that can be carried in a carrying case or specially selected case. The analogue of a folding musical instrument that takes up much less space is a pocket guitar. Disassembled, it resembles a reduced copy of the neck. Someone might think that these are two complementary musical instruments, but in fact there are significant differences between them (even in size).

Further, it is proposed to get acquainted with the parameters by which existing guitars are also divided. All this information is necessary to know not only for beginners, but also for professional musicians who have been conquering the stages of different countries for more than one year.

• Classic - traditional 6-string acoustics.

• Folk - 6-string acoustics, involving the use of strings made of metal.

• Flat - a folk guitar analogy, only the top has a flat-type deck.

• Arctop - guitar, with a convex front deck and resonators in the form of the Latin "f".

• Dreadnought - the body of the guitar has a peculiar rectangular shape.

• Jumbo - analogy of folk guitar, only of a larger size.

• Electroacoustics - closed design with built-in pickup.

• Gypsy modification - acoustics with springs in the body.

• A regular guitar is a traditional tuning, the range depends on the number of frets.
• Bass Guitar - Low Range.
• Tenor guitar - pitch and range are the same as banjo.
• Baritone guitar - understated range.

• Regular - guitar with frets and saddles.
• Fretless - from the name it is clear that the instrument has no frets.
• Slide - there are frets on the instrument, but the strings are played with a special device - a slide stretched over the musician's finger.

• Classical is a pop genre.
• Folk - a style of folk music.
• Flamenco is an instrument with a sharpened timbre adapted for flamenco.
• Jazz - from the name it is clear that it is used to perform compositions in the jazz style.

• Solo is a musical instrument for playing solo parts characterized by sharp and legible notes.
• Rhythm is a musical instrument designed to play rhythm parts characterized by a dense and even timbre.
• Bass is a musical instrument used to play bass parts.

• 4-string - a musical instrument consisting of 4 strings (ukulele, bass guitar).
• The 6-string is a traditional classical modification.
• 7-string - an instrument with seven strings (Russian guitar).
• 12-string is a musical instrument with 6 pairs of unison strings.

Currently, there are many modifications of guitars, each of which differs in the number of strings installed. Society traditionally perceives the classics, that is, 6-string instruments. But there are also hybrids in which the number of strings exceeds the number 12.