In the present world, the numbers of musicians are increasing day by day. And one of the most demanding instruments is the guitar. The demands for guitar is increasing as the number of guitarists are also on the rise. Guitars are generally divided in two types, namely, acoustic and electric guitars.
Acoustic Guitars
Acoustic Guitars can be divided into two categories: classical and steel-strings
Classical Guitars
Classical Guitars or Spanish guitars usually have nylon strings and are plucked by the fingers. They are usually played in a seated position. They can be used to play classical music.The classical guitar is wide, and the flat neck permits the musician to play scales, arpeggios, and certain chord forms more easily and with less adjacent string interference than on other styles of guitar.The flamenco guitar is the lighter version of the classical guitar. It has a cypress body and spruce top. The tapping plates of a flamenco are fixed to the table, so that they are protected against the taps with the fingernails. It is an importantl feature of the flamenco guitar.
Steel-string Guitars
Steel-string Guitars are also known as flat top. It is similar to the classical guitar. They are of varied sizes, and the body size of the steel-stringed is generally larger than a classical guitar, and its neck is narrower and is reinforced and has a strong structural design.They have steel strings which produces a louder sound. The acoustic guitar is used in various music including blues, jazz, pop, country, bluegrass and folk.
Electric Guitars
The Electric Guitar is the powerhouse of rock, blues, jazz and pop music. Electric guitars need to be plugged into an amplifier to be heard adequately. They are usually solid-body guitars but archtop electric guitars with hollow bodies are available which gives them some acoustic resonance. The electric guitar when amplified has a sound that is metallic with a lengthy decay (sustain).
The design of the electric guitar do not need a deep resonating body and thus contoured and thin bodied electric guitars were developed. The two designs namely Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul are one of the most popular designs.
The electric guitar strings are thinner than of acoustic guitars and are closer towards the neck, thusrequiring less force to push them below. The ease of bend string, clear accessibility to the twelfth fret and above, the use of a whammy bar and manipulation of pots and switches while playing has led to the developments of a lead guitar style.Another guitar technique for creating chords and melody lines is known as Fret-tappingwhich would be impossible using the standard technique of left-hand fretting and right-hand strumming. The electric guitar’s sustainability, sensitivity, low action and thin strings make it an ideal instrument for fret-tapping.
Conclusion
Guitars are made up of a large variety of woods, hardware and other materials. The two types are very different from each other. The acoustic guitars are generally produce soft, soothing music whereas the electric guitar produces a more rock, and loud music. To know more about different types of guitars, click here.