| Styles of guitar By Naoki Ito There are millions of guitarists and various styles of guitars in the world. We play guitars according to types of music. We can divide it into mainly three different styles: electric, folk and classical. Electric guitar is the most common style for popular music. It is very different from the other two styles, because it needs an amplifier. We cannot hear the sound of an electric guitar without an amplifier. We also use an effecter to distort the sound. In addition, some electric guitars have no room inside. These kinds of guitars are called solid guitars. Telecaster and Stratcaster are famous models of solid guitars. Not only the structure but also the playing styles are different. We sometimes bend strings in order to change pitch. This technique, called choking, is one of the most important and useful techniques for rock guitarists. Folk guitar is also used in popular music. The sound of folk guitar is recorded directly without changing the sound by using an effecter or an amplifier. We usually put thick and heavy strings on folk guitars. Folk guitars have a hole in its body, and we hear the sound from there. Folk guitar is often used in popular music as well as folk music. The sound is quite different from electric guitar. It is not so aggressive as electric, but we can relax by listening to it. Classical guitar is very difficult to play, because we have to play the bass line and the melody at the same time by using the fingers. The sound is softer than others, since classical guitar uses nylon strings instead of iron ones. Classical guitar has a thicker neck and fewer frets compared with other guitars. I really enjoy playing the guitar, and I love my telecaster. I think the guitar is a great musical instrument that everybody can enjoy. |