Ian Williamson asked:


The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments today. There are different kinds of guitars that are available out for different guitar players. Guitars are different in terms of playability, overall appearance and sound quality.
Here are some of the types of guitars that guitar players or aspiring guitar players can choose from:
Acoustic
If you want go get into the guitar world, you can start learning with an acoustic guitar.
Acoustic guitars are dependent on their structures and body shapes for resonating sounds. Unlike the more modern electric guitars, they don’t rely on other external devices to enhance sounds. The natural vibrations of the strings are resonated by the body of the guitar.
Acoustic guitars are generally made out of wood. The neck is usually made from mahogany and the fret board is made of maple or rosewood. There are many kinds of acoustic guitars, here are some of them:
1) Classical
Classical guitars are very popular and are usually the choice guitar for beginners. The strings are usually made from nylon. They are usually played in a standard sitting position and used in playing classical music. Classical guitars produce whole sounds which are very pleasing to the ear.
Flamenco guitars are similar to classical guitars, however, they produce crisper and thinner sounds than the other classical guitars.
2) Steel-top
Steel-top guitars are much similar than the classical guitar but are constructed to be more resilient. The parts of the steel-top guitar are reinforced and their bodies are significantly larger than the classical guitars. They also produce a warmer tone than the classical guitar.
3) 12-String guitar
A normal guitar usually has 6 strings, but the 12-string guitar, as its name implies, has 12 strings. Each string is accompanied by another string with the same note but is usually tuned in a higher octave. This guitar produces a semi-chorus effect which is very pleasant to the ear.
4) Resonator
This type of guitar is similar to the steel-top guitar, but the steel in the middle of the soundboard is used to amplify the sound from the vibration of the guitar strings to produce a very thin and distinct sound. These guitars are generally used when playing the blues. There are also variations of the resonator guitar: the square-neck resonator guitar is played on the lap like a piano or organ; and the round neck resonator guitar is played like a common guitar. Resonator guitars work very well with glass or metal slides.
5) Archtop
The archtop guitar was inspired by other instruments such as the violin and the cello. An archtop guitar usually has the f-hole design. Jazz players prefer archtop guitars. Some archtop guitars can command a price of about $25,000.
6) Acoustic Bass
Acoustic bass guitars are bass guitars without electronic pick-ups. The body of the guitar is used to produce the sound. They are usually 4-stringed guitars but there are acoustic bass guitars which have 5 or 6 strings.
Electric
Electric guitars make use of electronic pick-ups to amplify the vibrations of the guitar strings. They are usually connected to electric amplifiers. Electric guitars have a solid or semi-solid body type and they don’t use the body for sound resonance so usually make very little or no sound when played without an amplifier. The concept used by electric guitars is that the energy of the strings is diverted into electrical impulses and not directly into sound so that they are able to achieve an amplified sound.
Electric guitars usually have control knobs for changing the volume or the tone of the guitar. There are also pick-up selectors in electric guitars and many electric guitars use multiple pick-ups to achieve the best guitar sounds. These pick-ups gather and produce different tones from the guitar. The tone knobs are used to shift from a bass-intensive sound to a treble-intensive sound or vice versa.
Some electric guitars also have whammy bars. These bars are attached to the guitar to shift notes without changing the finger positions on the fret board. Whammy bars are used to produce “crying” guitar sounds and are a very useful tool when performing rock and roll songs or even ballads. The use of the whammy bar in less expensive guitars is not advised because it may cause the strings to go out of tune.
These are some of the basic types of guitars that are available for everyone. Guitars are made to fit the preferences of the player in terms of playability and sound. Choose the guitar that best fits your preference.

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Groshan Fabiola asked:


With so many quality guitar lesson-providing websites out there, increasingly larger numbers of existing and prospective guitar players are nowadays turning to the Internet when it comes to finding efficient guitar playing lessons, tutorials, tips and tricks that can significantly improve their playing. Although many types of guitar lessons have good potential of teaching both the basics and subtleties behind playing the guitar, guitar lesson videos are still regarded as the best methods of learning how to play the guitar. Designed by the best guitar players and instructors in the world, the right video guitar lessons can teach you everything you want to know in the least of time and with minimum effort. Video guitar lessons are nowadays provided by dedicated websites either under the form of downloadable or CD/DVD video files, they are properly categorized on criteria such as difficulty and music genre, and can be either accessed for free or obtained in exchange of a small fee.

Regardless of your level of skill and experience at playing the guitar, online guitar lesson videos are perfect for helping you polish your guitar playing technique and discovering new things about playing the guitar. Providing you with valuable guitar playing techniques, tips and tricks in video format, video guitar lessons are ideal for both novice and experienced guitar players looking to further improve their playing.

Presenting a variety of concepts in a descriptive and highly comprehensive manner, guitar lesson videos are easy to put into practice and can help you discover and reach new levels of guitar playing in less time and with less effort. Therefore, if you are interested in learning everything you can about the art of playing the guitar from professional guitar players, all you need to do is find a reliable, dedicated guitar tutorials-providing website, enter in possession of a few quality video guitar lessons and start practicing. With good motivation and regular practice, results will begin to show in no time.

If you are a complete beginner and want to learn the basics of playing the guitar the quick, easy and convenient way, then it is advisable to enter in possession of quality beginner guitar lessons in video format. Video guitar lessons for beginners are perfect for learning the basics such as the notes on the guitar fret board, basic finger positions on the fret board, the most commonly used scales, finger strength building, picking techniques, speed training, and so on. Helping novice guitar players build a solid guitar playing foundation, beginner video guitar lessons are crucial for ensuring that all exercises are performed correctly and naturally. Considering that the first guitar lessons that you receive have a great impact on your future guitar playing (once formed, bad guitar playing habits are usually very difficult to eliminate) it is crucial that you use the best quality beginner video guitar lessons right from the beginning and build a clean, proper technique.

Once you have reached the next level with your guitar playing, then you can switch to a set of intermediate and advanced video guitar lessons and develop new skills while also working to further improve the ones you have already learned. High quality, efficient video guitar lessons for intermediate and advanced-level guitar players are designed to help you learn how to play the guitar like a pro, and cover a variety of topics, as well as a wide range of tips, tricks and secrets that most guitar players prefer not to expose. If you want to be able to play the guitar like a pro and impress all your friends with your skills, then you should enter in possession of a few quality video guitar lessons for advanced, start practicing, arm yourself with a little patience and results will definitely show!

For more information about guitar lesson video or even about beginner guitar lesson your can check on this website http://www.guitar5day.com for more guitar related subjects.

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Max Cane asked:


Guitars come in various shapes, sizes, looks and design. The music world has classical acoustic guitars, semi-acoustic guitars, electric guitars, hollow body guitars, jumbo guitars, ‘S’ hole guitars etc. Each of these guitars has its own characteristic generic looks, characteristic sound and tonality, which attract their own respective following. Overall, guitars can be classified into two broad categories: acoustic guitars and electric guitars.
How Does a Guitar Work?
To know how guitar work, let us first see what is common to the working of any guitar. Every acoustic guitar has a minimum of six parts - the guitar neck with guitar nut and headstock, fret board, tuning keys, Guitar Bridge, sound box and guitar strings. Each of these parts is crucial to the good working of the guitar and plays its own roles to dole out music.
The guitar strings are long strands of metal or nylon wire, which stretch along through the major length of the guitar. There are normally six strings in a guitar (for the most common six-string guitar). All of these six strings run parallel to each other and are interspersed with a small gap between them. There are the sound generators of the guitar.
Strings generate sound for the guitar by vibrating along their vibrating length. The guitar bridge on one end and the guitar nut on the other end fix the vibrating length of a guitar string. The strings are tied onto a guitar under tension. The strings are plucked by fingers or with a pick. The tension in the string (varied about with the help of tuning keys) makes the string to vibrate.
Up to this point, the working of all guitars is the same. What happens next is what categorizes whether the guitar is an acoustic guitar or and electric guitar.
Working of Acoustic Guitars
All guitars have strings that vibrate which are the principal sound generators of the musical instrument. If you pluck a string tied under tension (no, no! not on a guitar!) you will find that the sound produced is not what you will want to hear again and again as you would like to hear the sound of a good guitar. Moreover, the sound from bare strings is very soft and you will barely be able to hear them. The sound has to be amplified so that people far and near can hear them. This is where the sound box from the acoustic guitar comes in. The sound box of an acoustic guitar is made as an hollow body constructed out of wood. It uses the ‘acoustics’ of the shape of the hollow body, material characteristics etc to amplify the sound generated by the string. The sound box of a guitar gives it its characteristic sound.
How Does An Electric Guitar Work?
Electric guitars amplify the sound generated by the guitar strings electronically. Instead of the sound box of an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar has pick-ups and other electronic components. The pick up from an electric guitar picks up the sound waves generated by the strings and converts them into their corresponding minute electrical signals. There are different types of pickups. Commonly used ones are magnetic pickups, piezo electric pickups, condenser pick ups etc.
The converted electric signal then passes through the various electronic components mounted on the guitar and finally into the sound amplifier which electronically amplifies the sound. The electronic components on the guitar modulate the converted electric signal to suit the guitarist. Most commonly found components on guitars are the volume control knob (which enables the guitarist to control the volume of the guitar sound) and tone control knobs (which enables the playing guitarist to determine the sound tonality).

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Guitars from Spain asked:


Buying a new guitar is always an exciting process for the beginner or experienced guitarist. A basic knowledge of the instrument and an assessment of your musical goals will help you make a wise purchase, a purchase you can enjoy for years, perhaps even a lifetime All guitars produce sound through the vibration of the strings. Classical guitars transmit the vibration of the string to the soundboard via the saddle and bridge. The combined resonance of the strings, saddle, bridge and soundboard are, in turn, amplified in the sound-box or body of the guitar. The design and quality of the, saddle, bridge and soundboard have a major impact on the guitar’s sound.

Have in mind before buying…

Nylon produces a round, mellow sound and is the preferred sound for classical, Low, medium, normal and hard tension strings create a tension up 75-90 pounds. Less string tension makes a classic guitar easier to play. The fingerboard, 50-52 mm at the nut, provides room for intricate finger picking. The longer string, 650-655mm length from saddle to nut enhances the bass response and sustain. The classical guitar body style is smaller than most other acoustic designs which make the instrument easy to handle and feel. Always remember, when buying a handmade guitar, you are buying a live instrument. Temperature and humidity are the main factors to ruptures and instrument deterioration if not cared according to the maker’s instructions.

See” taking care of your guitar” below.

Setting Goals

What are your goals? Are you anticipating a serious hobby or majoring in music? If so, buy the best solid top guitar you can afford. An inexpensive guitar is a good choice if your goal is merely casual enjoyment for a semester or so (or if you’re really poor!). Do you need to be amplified for church or stage? If so, an acoustic-electric classical will afford maximize versatility. Before shopping, decide on a budget so the dealer can show you guitars in your price range.

Trying Out a Guitar - Action

Each guitar is unique in feel due to variations in neck thickness and shape. If the neck is comfortable, the guitar will be easier to play. The string height above the fingerboard–the action–also influences playing ease. The action may vary according to personal taste and playing style. High action is difficult to play but allows buzz-free high volume playing. Low

action is easy to play but buzzes during aggressive playing. A compromise between the two is best for most players. Fortunately, the action can be adjusted to suit your needs. If you are a steel-string player, remember that classical action is higher than steel-string action due to nylon’s lower tension. Listen carefully to the timbre (tone color) of the guitar. A balance between dark and bright is the most versatile. However, timbre preference is subject to taste and playing style. If your right hand technique is on the bright side, a dark sounding guitar will help balance your tone. If you play without

nails, a brighter guitar will help bring out the upper frequencies. Play single notes throughout the guitar’s range and listen to how they sustain. Listen to the relationship of the bass notes to the treble. The bass should be firm with a long sustain. However, the treble notes must be able to stand out in relation to the bass so you can project the melody. Finally, have someone play the instrument so you can judge the projection. What’s the difference in sound between a $300 guitar and a $3000 one? Budget guitars are less resonate and have a smaller tonal and dynamic range than expensive guitars.

Workmanship

Whether you are a beginning or advanced player, a quality guitar is crucial to your success and enjoyment. A fine instrument is easy to play, exudes workmanship, and sounds resonant and responsive. A quality instrument inspires you to practice and excel as a musician. Buy the best guitar you can afford and it will greatly enhance your learning and enjoyment. Note the quality of workmanship in the seating and polish of the frets, the binding between the top and sides, and in the finish. However, in all fairness, you normally get what you pay for. Budget guitars cost less because cheap materials and lesser workmanship are used to trim costs. Budget guitars should be playable but will have numerous finish defects, unpolished frets, messy glue joints, unsanded bracing and poorly adjusted action (a good dealer will adjust the action if needed). Premium quality guitars will have a near perfect fit and finish of all components. Even the interior bracing will be neatly glued and sanded smooth! Before purchasing a guitar, confirm that the tuning heads turn smoothly and allow reasonable pitch control. Fortunately, cheap or broken turning heads are relatively easy and inexpensive to replace.

Price Ranges

Professional classical guitarists play instruments handcrafted by individual makers, e.g., Fleta, Hauser or Gilbert. Depending on the maker’s reputation, these guitars cost $3,000 to $20,000. Guitars made by a specialized group of builders in a small shop cost from $1000 to $10,000 e.g., Ramírez, Hirade or Asturias. For most people these instruments are out of each.

Most beginners are looking for an inexpensive guitar. Buyer beware: most guitars retailing for under $100 are disappointing junk. Don’t throw your money away on a cheap toy, pay a little more and get a real guitar. Really cheap guitars have

unacceptable compromises in design, materials and construction quality. Fortunately, there are many factory-made guitars costing from $150 to $300 that make fine beginning instruments.

Recommended Classic Guitars

These models are excellent values in their respective price ranges. Granada guitars from Sevilla- Spain range form $299- $499, Prudencio Saez - guitars form Torrent - Spain. range from $380 -$1,800. Amalio Burguet guitars- Catarroja- Spain, range fro, $999- $4,500.

Mesa Boogie

Peter Clark asked:


Just about every kid ever born wants to be a rock star. They see their favorite stars up there on stage playing the electric guitar to a crowd and want to do the same. Problem is, it’s not easy learning to play the electric guitar.And of course before you learn to play the guitar you need to own a guitar, or at least borrow one. When you’re just starting out learning the electric guitar you don’t need one like Jimmy Hendrix would play, but you still need to get your hands on an electric guitar that will be adequate for the beginner. And if that’s you then there’s a few things that you need to know about electric guitars that may help in understanding a little more about them. First thing to remember about buying your first electric guitar is that you don’t need to spend hundreds of thousands to do so. Be happy with a cheap electric guitar while you’re learning, and maybe once you hit the big time spend up big. However a cheap electric guitar will do the job for the first few years.You also need to know exactly what style of music you will be playing on your guitar. Different styles of music require different styles of electric guitar. You need a different guitar to play rock, for example, to the guitar you’d buy if you were playing jazz.So spend a little time researching the types of electric guitar that should be used by different music styles.Electric guitar types boil down to 2 basic types, solid body and hollow body. As the name suggests a solid body guitar has no hollow space inside, and is usually, though not exclusively, made of solid wood. Different types of timber can produce different sounds, so as you get better you may want to research more on the type of timber you need to produce the sound you want, but in the early stages if you’re buying a cheap electric guitar don’t get too carried away getting the ideal timber, you may find it more expensive than you need to be paying, and it’s not essential at the start.And there’s a few unusual terms you’ll need to become familiar with if you’re buying an electric guitar for the first time. Here’s a taste.Pickups. The pickup is a magnet with a coil of wire wrapped around it placed right under the strings. This receives the vibrations of the strings and turns these into an electric signal for the amp to use. There are 2 types of pickup. The single coil, which produces a sound that sounds good for playing rock, blues and country. Humbuckers are a pickup with 2 coils next to each other that produces a warmer sound which is great for metal and rock in particular. Some guitars have a combination of single coils and humbuckers, and there is usually at least 2 pickups utilized.Bridge. The bridge is where the strings connect to the body of the guitar. You can have a fixed bridge or a Vibrato bridge which allows you to move the bridge to tighten or loosen the strings. The fixed bridge is better for beginners who can graduate to a Vibrato bridge after they’ve mastered the basics.Hollow body electric guitars are the second basic style of guitar. These, as the name suggests, have a hollow body although there is also a variation of this which is the semi hollow. As the player plays his guitar the hollow space helps the body resonate which produces a quite distinctive sound. These are good guitars for jazz. These hollow body guitars also utilize pickups, including single coil and humbucker.That’s really just the start when it comes to understanding electric guitars, and for the enthusiast it’s a lifetime job learning all there is to know about them. And finding out exactly what it is that you need to play to produce exactly the sound you want to produce. That’s part of the fun of playing the guitar, it’s a constant learning process, not just about how to play but what to play as well.However remember, the most important piece of advice. If you’re a beginner don’t spend up big the first time. Buy yourself a cheap electric guitar first, then learn to play that and take it from there. It’s the best way to kick off your rock star career.

Rock n Roll

Guitars from Spain asked:


For most players, the realm of classical guitars is one that they’d just as soon avoid. The scale length is different, the neck is wider, and they’re harder to play, so why bother?

Why? Because the world of the classical guitar is definitely one worth exploring and one that will reap incredible rewards the more you explore it. A well-executed classical passage within a rock song can give an air of class and distinction to the music, not to mention adding a great break in the middle of the song. Playing classical guitar, even if you use it traditionally (playing simple fingerpicker parts, strumming and single-note lines) can help your playing take a giant leap

forward.

Classical guitars are very, very similar in their construction to traditional acoustic guitars. The body is smaller, but the bracing methods and wood types are similar. The necks are wider to accommodate your fingers, the nylon strings give the classical guitar its distinctive tone, but most players with average-size hands find that this transition isn’t as difficult as they first may have pictured it.

What can a Classical guitar do for you?

Well, give it a try and you’ll find out a whole new world.

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