The Vast World of the Guitar

Whenever you see a button or a picture, click on it to see if it does

something. You may be surprised at what you find!

FIRST, L

ET’S L

EARN

ABOUT THE P

ARTS OF

THE GUIT

AR AND W

HAT

THEY ALL D

O

Click on a part to fi nd out more about it

Guitar Diagram

The Body of the Guitar

• The body of the guitar is where all the sound is generated

• The pickups (rock and jazz) and the soundhole (classical) allow for the sound to be amplified

• The knobs (electric and jazz) change the volume and tone of the guitar when it is amplified

• The bridge holds the strings in place

Guitar Diagram

The Neck of the Guitar

• The neck of the guitar is where the player chooses what notes to play

• The notes are chosen by pushing down the string on a certain fret on the fretboard

• Most fretboards are made of either Rosewood or Mahogany wood

Guitar Diagram

The Head of the Guitar

• The head of the guitar is where the strings are tuned

• Each string has it’s own tuning peg located on the side of the head to raise or lower the pitch of the note

Guitar Diagram

The Guitar

Now, we’re going to learn about the diff erent types of guitars. Remember,

when you see a picture, click on it and it might show you something neat!

What type of guitar

would you like to learn

about?

You Chose…

Rock Guitar!

In the world of music, the electric guitar is king. When plugged into an amplifi er, it can

shake a house and knock pictures off of walls. Let’s learn about how this happens and the

most famous people to ever rock out!

Rock Guitar

• Usually in rock music, the guitar ’s that are primarily used are solid body electric guitars• These are made from one or two solid pieces of wood • These guitars use pickups to amplify their sound

Rock Guitar

Some of the most innovati ve and well-known guitarists include:

J imi Hendrix J immy Page Joe Satriani Eddie Van Halen

Rock Guitar

• One of the most important parts of rock guitar is the amplifi er•Without the amplifi er, it would be impossible to hear the guitar•The amplifi er is also responsible for the tone that the guitar makes•Without amplifi ers, all guitars would sound the same to the untrained ear

Rock Guitar

•The techniques used by rock guitarists vary from genre to genre•As you may have noti ced earlier, a guitarist like Jimmy Page doesn’t have to solo as much or be as technically profi cient as Joe Satriani

Rock Guitar

Review

•Rock guitarists primarily use solid body electric guitars •Pickups on the body amplify the sound through the amplifi er•Guitarists use diff erent techniques depending on what genre the play•Without an amp, it would be impossible to hear the guitar

♫ Jazz Guitar ♫

You Chose…

Jazz Guitar…

In a Jazz Band, the guitar is one of the most important instruments. It provides the chordal structure for the horns to base their melodies on. As a soloist, a jazz guitarist has a different sound from a rock guitarist. Let’s learn more!

…♪♫♬♩

•Originally, in the 20’s and 30’s, jazz guitarists used acoustic guitars•They switched to electrified guitars in the 40’s to increase their volume•The guitar used is usually a semi-hollow electric guitar although solid bodies are sometimes used

JAZZ!

Please note: The Bacon Bits were not a real jazz

band of pigs.

Jazz Guitar…

•Jazz guitarists can do many things when they are accompanying a jazz band•They can “comp” chords (playing chords behind a melody), play the melody, or improvise

…♪♫♬♩

Check out this video of one of the most famous Jazz Guitarist’s today, Brian Setzer!

Brian Setzer Orchestra

Jazz Guitar…

•Usually, jazz guitar solos are played at a faster pace than rock solos•Jazz guitarists move through multiple scales while rock guitarists may only use one or two

Jazz Guitar… Review!

•The jazz guitar provides chordal structure in a jazz band•Originally, jazz guitars were acoustic•Now, the guitars are semi-hollow electrics•Jazz solos are at a faster pace than rock solos•Jazz guitarists use multiple scales rather than one or two

You Chose…

Classical Guitar

Although it’s called “classical” guitar, it does not mean that only classical music is played. Classical guitarists play anything from Bach to Queen! It’s not as boring as you think!

Classical

GuitarA classical guitar is typically an acoustic guitar with a wider neck and three metal strings with three nylon strings. The wide neck allows for more movement around the neck while the nylon strings provide a less “twangy” guitar sound.

Check out these two cool classical guitar videos!

Ave Maria Rock Medley

Classical

Guitar REVIEW•The Classical guitarist plays more than just classical music•The guitar is typically an acoustic with a wider neck with three metal strings and three nylon strings•The wider neck allows for more movement around the neck

Are you ready for the

quiz?If not, you can return to

the main guitar parts

menu or to the different

guitar styles menu to study more.

YES

NO

What part of the acoustic guitar allows the sound to

be amplified?ABCD

The Soundhole

The Pickups

The Neck

Johnny Cash

The bridge holds the _________ in place.

ABCD

Neck

Body

Strings

pickups

The frets are located on the ___________ .

ABCD

Body

Neck

Head

1924

The primary type of guitar used in rock music is a

_________. ABCD

Solid Body

Semi-Hollow

Acoustic

All of the Above

What is the primary guitar type in Jazz music today?

ABCD

Solid Body

Semi-Hollow

Acoustic

All of the Above

What kind of guitar is used in classical music?

ABCD

Solid Body

Semi-Hollow

Acoustic

All of the Above

Originally, what type of guitar was used in Jazz?

ABCD

Solid Body

Semi-Hollow

Acoustic

All of the Above

Jazz solos are typically ________ than rock solos.

AB

Faster

Slower

Classical Guitars have what kind of strings on them?

ABC

Metal

Nylon

All of the Above

Classical guitarists only play classical music.

AB

True

False