Do you have a genuine fondness for guitar and wish to have one to train yourself in the art of guitar playing, but you get discouraged every time you confront the pool of guitar terminologies?
Well, you are not alone in your predicament, a lot of people get confused by the complex terminologies with regard to guitar parts and the playing rules.
The guide below makes it simple for you to understand various guitar terminologies.
A guitar is constructed with various guitar parts that work in complete harmony to produce the fine tones of a guitar.
Let us explain which terms refer to which part of the guitar. You will also come across the terms that are associated with the playing of the guitars.
Head
If you are left clueless as to what has ahead to do with a guitar, you will be relieved to know that it is a major part of the guitar, where the tuning machines are located.
Neck
The part called neck also leaves us perplexed. In reality, this part provides the support by bearing the entire pull of the strings and it also provides you the space to grab the instrument by hand.
Fingerboard
It is the part of the guitar on which lie the strings and on it, the frets are set into. It is basically a separate wood attached either with the help of glue or screw with the body of the guitar.
Frets
They are nothing but rows of thin metal strips. When you hit on a string, the fret acts as a contact point and sets the length of the string’s vibrating.
Bridges
It is located on the body of the guitar and separates the playing part of the strings from the anchor part.
Soundboard
It is a piece of wood attached to the front of an acoustic guitar. This part determines the quality of an acoustic guitar’s tone and projection.
Soundhole
It is also related to acoustic guitar. It is situated on the top of the guitar and helps to enhance the instrument’s sound.
Pickup
This is associated with an electronic guitar. It is an electronic device that transforms the vibrations emanating from the strings into an electrical signal for amplification.
Binding
It refers to the narrow piece of wood, or other material like plastic that is used to make the body, neck, or head of the guitar stronger. It also improves the look of an acoustic guitar.
Action
It refers to the distance between the frets and the strings in an acoustic guitar.
Attack
When you hit on a particular note, it makes an initial sound before reaching its maximum volume. Action refers to this initial sound after a silence.
Decay
After the note reaches its maximum level, its volume gradually reduces. The degree of loss of volume until silence is called decay.
Intonation
This term refers to the relationship of tones on different parts of the fretboard. The note corresponding to each string on the 12th fret is complementary to the 12th fret harmonic note on the same string.
If there is a mismatch, the guitar’s intonation should be readjusted.
So now you have got the basic idea about the various guitar-related terms that always confused and frightened you.
All these parts work harmoniously to produce the unique and lively sounds that a guitar is all about.
Next time when you head off to a music store, just go through the guide one more time to brush up on these terminologies.
You will be able to follow the salesperson better and I can bet that you will win the best bargain from the salesperson if he gets the impression that you are well informed about the nuances of guitars.
This is the direct benefit of knowing about the guitar terminology.
