Guitar

 

We can divide the guitars into three main categories: the classical, the acoustic and the electric.

 

Compared to the electric one, the classical and the acoustics have a resonance sound box that amplifies the sound in a natural way. In the electric guitar is present instead an electric amplifier. Furthermore, each artist can choose, based on his own style, to customize one of the guitars that fall into these three main categories: usually, “personalization” takes place through a luthier. In general, the classical guitar is a type of guitar used for playing classical or popular music (such as Latin-American music or flamenco). The sounds emitted by the classical guitar and the acoustic guitar are different from each other: this is due both to the different form and to the materials, different from each other, that make up the two instruments.

THE ROPES

 

The main difference between classical and acoustic guitar is in the strings. In the classic the 6 strings are nylon or silk: the first three, called cantini, are made of nylon; the other three are made of nylon and covered with a thin metallic layer. The strings of the acoustic guitar are instead all metal. The strings of the classical guitar are also softer and are played by pinching them with the fingers while those on the acoustic guitar are harder and can hurt if you are not well trained. Usually for the latter we prefer the use of a pick and it is enough to just touch them to make them sound.

 

AESTHETIC DIFFERENCES

 

In addition to the strings, the two types of guitar differ in the handle. That of the classical guitar is slightly wider than that of acoustics and for this reason the first is more recommended for those who must learn to play: a wider handle involves a greater distance between the strings and therefore allows you to press the strings in a easier to carry out the agreements. The handle also has a different number of keys: the classical guitar usually has 19 keys: the acoustic guitar has 20. However, there are guitar models with a number of keys different from the standard number. A further difference is that between the harmonic case and the handle of the classical guitar there is a heel that is not present in the acoustics, because the nylon strings exert a greater tension than the metallic ones. On the other hand, on the headstock the strings are fixed differently and the mechanics also differ between the two models. In the acoustic guitar the tuners are usually present on the same side laterally and mounted on the rear of the headstock; in the classical guitar the strings are knotted on two mechanics located on each side of the headstock, made up of three keys. The resonance chamber of the acoustic guitar is usually larger than that of the classical one and is characterized by the presence of the pickguard near the hole, which serves to avoid ruining the instrument by scratching it with a pick. Finally, note that the acoustic guitars have a recess in the lower part of the sound box to allow you to reach the higher keys more easily. These models are called “cutaway” or “cutaway”.

 

SOUND AND POSTURE

 

The different materials with which the strings are made give different sonic characteristics to the two types of guitar: the nylon gives a warmer sound and is used mainly for classical music and for flamenco; the acoustic guitar has a cleaner sound and is more suitable for strumming. Also the posture to hold while playing varies depending on the shape of the guitar and the technique you choose to make the strings vibrate. The classical guitar is usually played from a sitting position, keeping the left foot on a small stool, so as to keep the left leg raised and rest the guitar case which must be kept parallel to the torso: the shape of the guitar ensures that it has no need to be supported; the handle is turned upwards. The right arm should rest on the upper lateral band of the instrument and the right hand should be at dead weight in front of the hole; the left hand instead is placed on the handle of the guitar: the thumb is normally opposite to the middle and the ring finger and rests with the fingertip on the virtual line that divides the handle in half, so as to have the phalanges of the other fingers free to articulate ; the latter crush the strings vertically, like a hammer. The acoustic guitar is instead usually held in the arm, resting on the right leg and with the handle lowered; the right hand does not necessarily rest on the lateral band and the left hand keeps the hammered fingers as much as possible, while the thumb can emerge from above the handle creating a support point.

 

THE ELECTRIC GUITAR

 

On the electric guitar the vibration of the strings is detected by one or more pick-ups; the signal is then picked up at the exit and conveyed into an acoustic amplifier so that the sound is audible. The pick-up (transducer) is an electrical device, mainly used in the musical field, capable of transforming the vibrations of the strings of a musical instrument (for example the electric guitar or the electric bass) into electrical impulses. It should be noted that the electric guitar belongs to the family of chordophones (more precisely, it is part of the long handle lutes) and is not considered an electrophone because it does not generate sound electrically or electronically through a circuit. Electronics is not a component however accessory, but intrinsically part of the instrument itself by participating in an essential way to the emission: what is transduced into an electric signal and amplified is not the acoustic sound, but the oscillating electromagnetic field generated by the vibrating strings.