Types Of Guitars

The Steel String Acoustic Guitars

The Round Hole Acoustic Guitar, sometimes known as the 'jumbo' or 'Dreadnaught' is the most suitable type of instrument for a beginner from several points of view. It is very similar in appearance to the traditional Spanish guitar, but more heavily built to withstand the extra tension of steel strings. Another important point is that the fingerboard of a steel string guitar is usually narrower and slightly curved, making it easier to play in some respects than a Spanish guitar, particular when dealing with moving chordal passages.

This instrument has no pickup or means of amplification and depends solely on the strings and the resonant properties of its own body for the sound it produces. It is used by a large number of Folk, Blues and Ragtime players, both as a solo instrument and as an accompaniment to the voice. Because of it's limited volume it is not suitable for playing the solo lead in a group, but it is a very useful instrument on which to learn the basics of guitar playing.

SEMI ACOUSTIC GUITAR

This is the instrument mostly favoured by Jazz players. Generally speaking it has a slim body which produces less un-amplified sound than the Dreadnaught.This limitation is not important however, because it is fitted with pickups which convert the vibrations of its steel string into electro magnetic impulses which are then fed into an amplifier. Thus major part of the sound comes from the speaker of the amplifier rather than the instrument itself and can be adjusted to make it louder or softer by a simple movement of a volume control knob.

Normally played with a plectrum the Semi Acoustic guitar is used for both comping (accompaniment playing) and single note soloing in Jazz groups. Of late years there has also been a growing trend among Jazz soloist to play the Semi Acoustic with the fingers of the right hand, a style which increases the self contained qualities of the instrument and converts into what has been described as a Lap Piano. The leading exponent in this field is without doubt Joe Pass, whose recordings will be only fair to make it clear at this point that it is also difficult one to play because it requires a greater knowledge of the fingerboard and the principles of Harmony than possibly any other style. I shall explain more about this subject in later chapters.