of an acoustic guitar known as
an Alvarez.
This is a picture of an acoustic guitar known as
an Alvarez.
Many beginning guitarists are unfamiliar with this device. This is a picture of a capo. A guitar capo is a metal sometimes plastic clamp that you use on any part of the guitar fret board. It changes the pitch or key of the open strings. It is an easier way to play very popular songs that appear to take a lot of skill and talent. Every beginning guitarist or skilled guitarist should have one. They allow you to expand and experiment in different ways.
A guitar pick is primarily the most used device when playing a guitar.
You use a guitar pick to strum the strings of a guitar. However some
guitarists use picks to strum individual strings. The guitar pick is a
different method to strum strings on a guitar. You can also use your
fingers for quick progressions. Picks come in all types of sizes. Some
are light,medium, or heavy. Light picks break a lot easier but are good
because you don't have to apply much pressure to hear the sounds of the
strings.
This is a whammy bar. Otherwise known as a temolo arm or bar. It is a
lever attached to the bride of an electric guitar. It enables the player
to quickly vary the tension and even sometimes the length of the strings
for a short period of time. This changes the pitch of the sound which
creates a vibrato effect. Vibrato is an effect that adds expression and
vocal like qualities to the guitar.
These two pictures are chords. Chords are used in literally every type of
song. In music a chord is a set of three or more different notes from a
specific key that are played all at once. Chords that are constructed of
three notes are called triads and consist of two intervals. Two note
combinations are referred to as intervals otherwise known as dyads. A
succession of chords is called a chord progression. The two pictures are
of chords of different keys but are found in almost every type of music.
The chord on the right is from the G Major scale which will be discussed
later on. The chord on the left is from the C Major scale which will also
be discussed later on in the site.
©Christopher Connolly, 2009. All rights reserved.
