acoustic-guitar-string-sound

Twelve-string guitar

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:24:56 +0100

Twelve-string guitar

A 12-string guitar.

The twelve-string guitar is an acoustic or electric guitar with 12 strings in 6 courses, which produces a richer, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Essentially, it is a type of guitar with a naturalchorus effect due to the subtle differences in the frequencies produced by each of the two strings on each course.

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[edit]Design

The strings are placed in courses of two strings each that are usually played together. The two strings in each bass course are normally tuned an octave apart, while each pair of strings in the treble courses are tuned in unison. The tuning of the second string in the third course (G) varies: some players use a unison string while others prefer the distinctive high-pitched, bell-like quality an octave string makes in this position. Some players, either in search of distinctive tone or for ease of playing, will remove some of the doubled strings. For example, removing the higher octave from the three bass courses simplifies playing running bass lines, but keeps the extra treble strings for the full strums.

The strings are generally arranged such that the first string of each pair to be struck on a downward strum is the higher octave string; however, this arrangement was reversed by Rickenbacker on their electric360/12.

The tension placed on the instrument by the strings is great, and because of this, 12 string guitars have a reputation for warping after a few years of use. Some twelve-string guitars have non-traditional structural supports to prevent or postpone such a fate, at the expense of appearance and tone. Until recently, twelve-string guitars were nearly universally tuned lower than the traditional EADGBE, to reduce thestresses on the instrument. Lead Belly may have used a low C-tuning. ^[1]

Some performers prefer the richness of an open tuning due to its near-orchestral sound. For a very complex plucked-string sound, the 12-string can be set to standard tuning (or possibly an octave lower), then the top one and low two string pairs can be tuned to whole-tone intervals. The usual gamut of guitar tunings are also available. Many performers who play the twelve-string guitar use an ordinary six-string guitar as their primary instrument, switching to the twelve-string guitar for certain songs that seem to call for a brighter sound.

Because it is substantially more difficult to pluck individual strings on the twelve-string guitar, and almost impossible to bend notes tunefully, the instrument is rarely used for lead musical parts. 12-string guitar is however primarily suited to a rhythm or accompaniment role and is often used in folk songs and some popular music. Some hard rock and progressive rock musicians use double-necked guitars, which have both six-string and twelve-string components, allowing the guitarist easy transition between different sounds.

The greater number of strings complicates playing, particularly for the plucking (or picking) hand. The gap between the dual-string courses is usually narrower than that between the single-string courses of a conventional six-string guitar, so more precision is required with pick or fingertip when not simply strumming chords. The pairing of thin, easily broken octave strings with larger, stiffer bass strings presents difficulties to the player also, and only a very skilled player can reliably pluck single strings from within a course at any speed (notably the very high octave G string, which is the highest-pitched string on the instrument). Nevertheless, with practice, the twelve-string guitar is not unduly difficult to play. It is, however, generally used in a fairly restricted role which emphasizes its strengths: rich ringing, full-bodied chords, and fast, rippling single plucked notes on the twinned strings. Twelve-string guitars are made in both acoustic and electric form. However, it is the acoustic type that is most common.

[edit]Chorus effect

The double ranks of strings of the 12-string guitar produce a shimmering chorus effect. To produce this effect individual string sounds with roughly the same timbre and nearly (but never exactly) the same pitch converge and are perceived as one. When the effect is produced successfully, none of the constituent sounds is perceived as being out of tune. Rather, this amalgam of sounds has a rich, shimmering quality which would be absent if the sound came from a single source. The effect is more apparent when listening to sounds that sustain for longer periods of time, such as a long guitar chord.

[edit]Usage

Use of twelve-string electric guitar almost appears to be cyclical: beginning with Blind Willie McTell in the '20s and '30s, Lead Belly in the '40s, and continuing with Bob Gibson in the '50s and early '60s, performers and Gibson acolytes such as Mike Pender of The Searchers and Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, brought it to the fore for a decade, until it fell out of favor and was largely limited to niche use by progressive rockers in the 1970s. The instrument was revived in the 1980s by alternative rockers such as Robert Smith of The Cure, Slash of Guns N' Roses, Dave Gregory of XTC, Peter Buck of R.E.M., Marty Willson-Piper of The Church, and Johnny Marr of The Smiths. During the 1990s, its popularity waned again, although it plays a key part in the sound of indie rock acts such as Low and The Decemberists. The most popular electric twelve-string model since the 1960s has been the Rickenbacker 360/12, first popularized by George Harrison. Many double-neck guitars have a twelve-string neck, in order for guitarists to switch between tones during live performances, for example, when playing Stairway to Heaven,Hotel California or Xanadu.

[edit]Notable performers

Two electric 12 strings, a Shergold Modulator 12 (top) and a Maton Magnetone TB36/12 (bottom); the latter is a copy of the Rickenbacker 360/12

Performers who use acoustic 12-string guitars span a range of genres, from folk (Arlo Guthrie, Gordon Lightfoot and Pete Seeger) and traditional blues (Lead Belly) to folk rock (Paul Simon, Neil Young, John Allan Cameron), country (Pinmonkey's Michael Reynolds) and rock bands (Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, George Harrison ^[2] of The Beatles, David Bowie for his Space Oddity live performances, Pete Townshend of The Who, Tom Petty and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Brian Mayof Queen, and Nick Valensi of The Strokes).^[3] Numerous other musicians, includingLeo Kottke, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, Matt Nathanson and John Butler, use it as their main instrument.

Electric Rickenbacker 12-string users include a range of jangle pop guitarists, ranging from McGuinn to Peter Buck (R.E.M.). The Gibson EDS-1275 electric 12-string was used by blues rock/early heavy metal guitarist

Lap steel guitar

"Roger" Lap Steel Gitarre

Lap steel guitar
Related instruments
Classification	String instrument (Usually played with a slide and guitar pick.)
Bowed and plucked string instruments

The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, from which other types developed.

There are three main types of lap steel guitar:

Lap slide guitars, the first developed, which use a similar sound box to a Spanish guitar. These were originally called Hawaiian guitars and included versions that had a factory raised nut, but also included Spanish guitars with a nut extender.
Resonator guitars, particularly those with square necks, but would include round neck versions with a raised nut.
Electric lap steel guitars, which include the first commercially successful solid bodyinstruments. These were originally marketed as Electric Hawaiian guitars. There are two types: one that sits on the musician's lap and a second version that has legs and was called a console version, but did not include pedals or knee levers. Electric lap steels are typically made with six to ten strings.

Lap slide and resonator guitars may also be fitted with pickups, but do not depend on electrical amplification to produce their sound.

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[edit]Description

The distinguishing feature of a lap steel guitar is that the strings are raised at both the nut and bridge ends of the fingerboard, typically to about half an inch. This makes the frets unusable, and they may be replaced by markers on some guitars. Other lap steel guitars are designed to be adapted between lap and conventional playing, or are modified versions of conventional guitars, and the only difference may be the action height. Round-necked resonator guitars set up for steel playing fall into this category.

Guitars designed exclusively for lap playing typically have modified necks that make conventional playing impossible. The hollow neck acoustic lap steel, developed by Chris Knutsen and popularized by Weissenborn, extends the body cavity behind the neck all the way to the head. The square-necked resonator guitar has a strengthened square profile neck, allowing heavier string gauges and/or higher tunings that would normally be considered impossible (or certainly ill-advised) on a conventional guitar. The electric lap steel guitar typically incorporates the entire neck into the solid body of the guitar, again providing extra strength to allow a greater variety of string gauges and tunings.

Steel guitars with more than six strings and/or with multiple necks are rarely played in lap steel fashion, but are also referred to as lap steel guitars by many makers and authorities. See table steel guitar.

[edit]Playing

The lap steel guitar is typically placed on the player's lap, or on a stool in front of the seated player.

Unlike a conventional guitar, the strings are not pressed to a fret when sounding a note; rather, the player holds a metal slide called steel (ortone bar) in the left hand, which is moved along the strings to change the instrument's pitch while the right hand plucks or picks the strings. This method of playing greatly restricts the number of chords available, so lap steel music often features melodies, a restricted set of harmonies (such as in blues), or another single part.

The steel guitar, when played in Hawaiian, Country, Bluegrass, or Western Swing styles, is almost always plucked using a plastic thumbpick affixed to the right hand's thumb, and metal or plastic "fingerpicks" fitted to the first 2, 3, or even all 4 fingers of the right hand. This allows the player greater control when picking sets of notes on non-adjacent strings. Some Blues players, especially those who use a round-neck resonator guitar played upright, conventional-guitar-style, with a bottleneck or hollow metal slide on one left-hand finger, forgo the fingerpicks and thumbpicks, and use their bare fingers and thumb instead. On the other hand, a minority of Blues players, and many Rock players, use a conventional flatpick. Tut Taylor is one of the extremely few Dobro players that uses a flatpick.

[edit]History

It is widely reported that the lap steel guitar was invented by a man named Joseph Kekuku in 1885. It is said, at the age of 7, Joseph was walking along a railroad track and picked up a metal bolt, slid the metal along the strings of his guitar and was intrigued by the sound. From there he taught himself to play using this method with the back of a knife blade. Still various other people have been credited with the innovation. [1]. The instrument was hugely popular - a major fad - in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. It was electrified in the early 1930s. In 1932, the first production electric guitar was introduced, the aluminum Ro-Pat-In (later Rickenbacker) A22 "Frying Pan" lap steel. This made the so-called "Hawaiian" guitar the first electric stringed instrument (just a few years before Les Paul and Charlie Christian modified their instruments and after the theremin was patented in 1928). The first electric instrument on a commercial recording was made and played in 1935 by Bob Dunn, a musician in Houston, Texas who played in the Western swing band Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies; Dunn had his own self-titled music store in the Houston area.

The lap steel, dobro and pedal steel guitar are associated most closely with Hawaiian music, country music and bluegrass, though some players have used them in rock music, jazz, blues, and other musical genres. The round neck, metal-bodied resonator guitar, on the other hand, is used almost exclusively by blues, rock, or blues-rock musicians.

[edit]Notable players

[edit]Tunings

The Lap steel guitar is not tuned in standard guitar tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E, low to high). Rather, it is usually tuned to an open chord, often an extended chord like a 6th, 7th, or 9th.

[all tunings are shown low-to-high; that is, thickest string to thinnest, or 6th string to 1st string].

Blues and Rock players tend to favor one of two tuning families: open G/open A, or open D/open E.

Open G is tuned D-G-D-G-B-D; open A raises each of those notes a whole-step (2 frets) to E-A-E-A-C#-E. During the 1920s and 1930s, much of the sheet music written for lap steel utilized open A tuning as the de facto standard tuning for the instrument.

Open D is tuned D-A-D-F#-A-D, and open E is a whole-step higher: E-B-E-G#-B-E. Joe Perry of Aerosmith uses Open E on his electric lap steel. David Lindley is another player who uses enharmonic variations of these tunings.

Bluegrass and Country Dobro players using a square-neck instrument tend to favor an altered G tuning, often called "High-G", where the 6th string is tuned up to "G" instead of down to "D", and the 5th string is also tuned up, to B: G-B-D-G-B-D. They also sometimes raise it up to "High-A": A-C#-E-A-C#-E. These are examples of tunings possible on a lap steel that would cause serious damage if attempted on a round-neck resonator or standard guitar.

Dobro players also generally use a set of strings with different gauges than those used on standard electric or acoustic guitars to help them to project more sound and to achieve their higher tunings.

Many Western Swing steel players, and some Old-Time Country steel players, use a C6 tuning. There is no "standard" C6 tuning; one popular one is C-E-G-A-C-E. This tuning is a good one for copping Don Helms' steel licks off old Hank Williams records, although Helms used a steel with legs (a "console steel"), with two necks having 8 strings each; Helms actually used an E13 tuning, which adds the 7th (D) and the 13th (C#) to the E tuning, making it B-D-E-G#-B-C#-E-G#, low to high. An extended C6/FMaj7 is used by Western Swing pedal steel guitarists on their 10-string pedal steels. This tuning, "C-F-A-C-E-G-A-C-E-G", is difficult to achieve on the 6-string steel but a subset thereof is achieved as previously mentioned. A6 is a commonly-used alternate for C6.

The E7 tuning is used by many players, especially those who starting learning with the Mel Bay Steel Guitar Method instructional books. The E7 tuning in those books is spelled either B-D-E-G#-B-E or with the 6th string lowered to the tonic E: E-D-E-G#-B-E. Note the similarity of this second tuning to the open E tuning above: the only difference is the 5th string, which is lowered from the tonic E to the 7th note in the key of E, which is D.

There are many other tunings used by players. Pedal Steel guitarists switching over to lap steel often bring over a modified version of the 10-string E9 tuning that is the standard for Country pedal steel; pedal steels, and a few non-pedal "console steels" actually have multiple necks, each in a different tuning, and very often on a pedal steel the 2 main necks will b

Steel-string acoustic guitar

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:22:55 +0100

Steel-string acoustic guitar

Steel-string acoustic guitar
String instrument
An Aria AW series steel-string acoustic guitar
Classification	String instrument (plucked)
Hornbostel-Sachs classification	321.322-6 (Composite chordophonesounded by a plectrum)
Playing range

Related instruments
Guitar family (Classical guitar, Electric guitar,Flamenco guitar, Bass guitar) Lute (distantly related)

Playing a steel-string guitar without a pick (fingerpicking).

A steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound. They are often referred to simply asacoustic guitars, although strictly speaking the nylon-strung classical guitar is acoustic as well. The most common type can be called a flat-top guitar to distinguish it from the more specialized archtop guitar and other variations.

The standard tuning for an acoustic guitar is E-A-D-G-B-E (low to high), although many players, particularly fingerpickers, use alternate tunings (scordatura), such as "open G" (D-G-D-G-B-D), "open D tuning" (D-A-D-F♯-A-D), or "drop D" (D-A-D-G-B-E).

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[edit]Construction

There are many different variations on the construction of, and materials used in, steel-string guitars. The various combinations of the different woods and their quality, along with design and construction elements (for example, how the top is braced), are among the factors affecting the timbre or "tone" of the guitar. Many players and builders feel a well-made guitar's tone improves over time.

[edit]Styles

Acoustic guitars are commonly constructed in several different body shapes. In general, the guitar's soundbox can be thought of as being composed of two connected chambers; the "upper bout" and "lower bout", which meet at the "waist", or the narrowest part of the body face near the soundhole. The proportion and overall size of these two parts helps determine the overall tonal balance and "native sound" of a particular body style, the larger the body, the louder the volume.

A "00", "Double-Oh" or "Grand Concert" body style is the major body style most directly derived from the classical guitar. It has the thinnest soundbox and the smallest overall size of the major styles, making it very comfortable to play but also one of the quietest. Their smaller size makes them suitable for younger or smaller-framed players. These guitars are commonly called "parlor steels" as they are well-suited to smaller rooms. Martin's 00-xxx series, and Taylor's GC series, are common examples.
A "Grand Auditorium" guitar, sometimes called a "000" or "Triple-Oh", is very similar in design to the Grand Concert, but slightly wider and deeper. Many GA-style guitars also have a convex back panel to increase the volume of space in the soundbox without making the soundbox deeper at the edges, which would affect comfort and playability. The end result is a very balanced tone, comparable to the 00, but having greater volume and dynamic range, with slightly more low-end response, without sacrificing the ergonomics of the classical style, making these body styles very popular. Eric Clapton's signature Martin guitar, for example, is of this style. Taylor's GA and x14 series and Martin's 000-xxx series are well-known examples of the Grand Auditorium style.
A "Dreadnought", arguably the most common body style, incorporates a deeper soundbox, but a smaller and less-pronounced upper bout (the area of the soundbox between the waist and neck) than most other styles, giving a somewhat wedge-shaped appearance, hence its name, relating to a class of warship. The dreadnought style was designed by Martin Guitars ^[1] to produce a deeper sound than "classic"-style guitars, with very present bass fundamentals. The body style's combination of small profile with deep sound has made it immensely popular, and it has since become widely copied by virtually every major steel-string luthier. Martin's "D" series such as the D-28 are classic examples of the dreadnought.
A "Jumbo" body style is bigger again than a Grand Auditorium but similarly proportioned, and is generally designed to provide a deeper tone similar to a dreadnought (the body style was designed by Gibson to compete with the dreadnought^[1]) but with maximum resonant space for greater volume and sustain. This comes at the expense of being oversized, with a very deep sounding box, and thus somewhat more difficult to play. The foremost example of this style would be the Gibson J-200, but like the dreadnought, most guitar manufacturers have at least one jumbo model.

Any of these body styles can optionally incorporate a "cutaway". A cutaway guitar has a redesigned upper bout that removes a section of the soundbox on the underside of the neck, hence, "cutaway". This allows for easier access to the frets that are located on top of the soundbox past the heel of the neck. The tradeoff is reduced soundbox volume, and often a change in bracing, which can change the resonant qualities and hence the tone of the instrument.

Another variation on the standard acoustic guitar is the 12-string guitar, which sports an additional doubling string for each of the traditional six strings. This guitar was made famous by artists such as Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, and Leo Kottke.

All of the above guitars are relatively traditional in looks and construction, and are all commonly referred to as "flattop" guitars. Virtually all of these are commonly seen and heard in popular music genres including rock, blues, country, and folk. However, other styles of guitar have been introduced and enjoy moderate popularity, generally in more specific genres:

The archtop guitar incorporates a top, either carved out of solid wood or heat-pressed using laminations, that is arched like instruments in the violin family, usually with f-holes rather than a round sound hole. These guitars are most commonly used by swing and jazz players and often incorporate electronics in the form of a pickup. However, many other kinds of acoustic guitars may incorporate these kinds of electronics as well.
The "Selmer-Maccaferri guitar" is usually played by those who follow the style of Django Reinhardt. It is an unusual-looking instrument, distinguished by a fairly large body with squarish bouts, and either a "D"-shaped or longitudinal oval soundhole. The strings are gathered at the tail like an archtop guitar, but the top is flatter. It also has a wide fingerboard and slotted head like a nylon-string guitar. The loud volume and penetrating tone make it suitable for single-note soloing and it is frequently employed as a lead instrument in gypsy swing.
The resonator guitar or resophonic guitar produces sound with one or more metal cones (resonators) instead of the wooden soundboard (guitar top/face). Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion instruments in dance orchestras. They became prized for their distinctive sound, however, and found life with several musical styles (most notably bluegrass and also blues) well after electric amplification solved the issue of inadequate guitar sound levels.

[edit]Tonewoods

Traditionally, steel-string guitars have been made of a combination of various "tonewoods", or woods that have pleasing resonant qualities when used in instrument-making. Foremost is Sitka spruce, the most common and sought-after wood for the making of guitar tops. The same wood is generally used for the back and sides of a particular guitar; Brazilian rosewood and American mahogany are traditional choices, howevermaple has been prized for the figuring that can be seen when it is cut in a certain way (such as "flame" and "quilt" patterns). A common non-traditional wood gaining popularity is sapele, which is tonally similar to mahogany but slightly lighter in color and possessing a deep grain structure that is visually appealing.

Due to decreasing availability and rising prices of premium-quality traditional tonewoods, many manufacturers have begun experimenting with alternate species of woods or more commonly available variations on the standard species. For example, some makers have begun producing models with redcedar or mahogany tops, or with spruce variants other than Sitka. Cedar is also common in the back and sides, as isbasswood. Entry-level models, especially those made in East Asia, often use nato wood, which is again tonally similar to mahogany but is cheap to acquire. Some have also begun using non-wood materials, such as plastic or graphite. Carbon-fiber and phenolic composite materials have become desirable for building necks, and at least one high-end luthier (Composite Acoustics) produces a line of all-carbon-fiber guitars, prized for their high stability in changing climates that would cause wood instrument panels to swell and shrink.

Taylor steel-string guitar.

[edit]Assembly

The steel-string acoustic guitar evolved from the nylon- or gut-string classical guitar, and since steel strings have higher tension, heavier construction is required overall. One innovation is a metal bar called a truss rod, which is incorporated into the neck to strengthen it and provide adjustable counter-tension to the stress of the strings. Typically, a steel-string acoustic guitar is built with a larger soundbox than a standard classical guitar. A critical structural and tonal component of an acoustic guitar is the bracing, a systems of struts glued to the inside of the back and top. Steel-string guitars use different bracing systems from classical guitars, typically using X-bracing instead of fan bracing. (Another simpler system, called ladder bracing, where the braces are all placed across the width of the instrument, is used on all types of flat-top guitars on the back.) Innovations in bracing design have emerged, most notably the A-brace developed by British luthier Roger Bucknall of Fylde Guitars.

Most luthiers and experienced players agree that a good solid top (as opposed to laminated or plywood) is the most important factor in the tone of the guitar. Solid backs and sides can also contribute to a pleasant sound, although laminated sides and backs are acceptable alternatives, commonly found in mid-level guitars (in the range of US$300–$1000).

A unique construction method is that of Ovation Guitar Company, which uses a rounded one-piece composite plastic bowl for the back and sides of virtually all of their guitars (the top and neck are usually still wood, though newer models have introduced

Classical guitar

Classical guitar
String instrument
A modern classical guitar from the front and side
Hornbostel-Sachs classification	321.322-5 (Composite chordophonesounded by the bare fingersor fingernails)
Developed	modern classical guitar was developed in the late 19th century
Playing range

Related instruments
Guitar family (Steel-string acoustic guitar,Electric guitar, Flamenco guitar, Bass guitar) Lute (distantly related)
Musicians
List of classical guitarists

The classical guitar, also known as the "nylon string guitar" — is a plucked string instrumentfrom the family of instruments called chordophones. It typically has 6 nylon strings (the 3 bass-strings additionally being wound with a thin metal thread). The classical guitar is well known for its comprehensive fingerpicking technique, which enables the solo rendition of melody, multi-voiced harmony and polyphony (in much the same manner as the piano can).

The classical guitar is characterized by:

its strings — today primarily nylon; the bass-strings additionally being wound with a thin metal thread (traditionally they were made of gut - gut strings are still available today^[1])
the instrumental technique — the individual strings are usually plucked with the fingers or the fingernails — plectra are rarely used
its historic repertoire, though this is of lesser importance, since any repertoire can (and is) played on the classical guitar (additionally: classical guitarists are known to borrow from the repertoires of a wide variety of instruments)
its shape, construction and material — modern classical guitar shape, or historic classical guitar shapes (e.g. early romantic guitars from France and Italy). A guitar family tree can be identified.^[2]. The flamenco guitar is derived from the modern classical, but has differences in material, construction and sound.^[3].

The name classical guitar does not mean that only classical repertoire is performed on it, althoughclassical music is a part of the instrument's core repertoire (due to the guitar's long history); instead all kinds of music (folk, alternative, jazz, flamenco, etc.) can be and are performed on it.

The term modern classical guitar is sometimes used to distinguish the classical guitar from older forms of guitar, that are in their broadest sense also called classical, or more descriptively: early guitars. Many luthiers today, also build these older forms of "classical" guitars (e.g. replicas ofromantic guitars, etc). and guitarists interested in historically informed performance often prefer early historical guitars (or replicas) and their specific sound aesthetic when performing traditional classical repertoire.

Today's modern classical guitar is regarded as having been established from the designs of the nineteenth century Spanish luthier Antonio Torres Jurado. Hence the modern classical guitar is sometimes called the "Spanish guitar" - based on its Spanish origin.

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[edit]Classical Guitar viewed from various contexts

The classical guitar has a long history and one is able to distinguish various:

instruments
repertoire (composers and their compositions, arrangements, improvisations)

Both instrument and repertoire can be viewed from a combination of various contexts:

historical (chronological period of time)
- baroque guitar — 17th to mid 18th century
- early romantic guitars — 19th century (for music from the Classical and Romantic periods)
- modern classical guitars
geographical
- e.g. in the 19th century: Spanish guitars (Torres), and French guitars (René Lacôte, ...), etc.
cultural/stylistic and social aspects
- e.g. baroque court music, 19th century opera and its influences, 19th century folk songs, Latin American music, etc.

Brief examples using the above classifications (historical, cultural/stylistic, social etc.), to show the colourful diversity of the classical guitar:

Robert de Visée (ca. 1650 – 1725) with French Court music for baroque guitar and lute. He was the guitar player (maître de guitare du Roy) of Louis XIV of France at the court of Versailles. His works are influenced by hearing Jean-Baptiste de Lully (1632 – 1687) who was also engaged at the court of Louis XIV.
Mauro Giuliani (1781 – 1829) with Italian/Viennese classical music for the 19th century so-called early romantic guitar. He was chamber-virtuoso of Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria ^[4]. Some of his works include strong influences from his visits to 19th century opera performances.
Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909) of Spain. His intimate salon-style music, is both romantic in character and includes charming character-pieces such as polkas and walzes. He even played for the Queen of Spain, Isabel II. From 1869, Tárrega used a guitar by Antonio de Torres (1817-1892); an instrument whose design is somewhat similar to today's modern classical guitar.
Agustín Barrios (1885 – 1944) from Paraguay, towards the end of his life using a modern classical guitar (his last instrument was a gift fromQueen Eugenia of Spain in 1935^[5]). His music is romantic in style, with some works showing strong folkloric Paraguayan influences, shaped from his cultural background.
Sergei Orekhov (Сергей Орехов) (1935 – 1998) with music for Russian 7-string guitar. In his compositions and arrangements he pulls inspiration from his intimate knowledge of traditional Russian folk music and folk songs.

Interpretation of works of a specific composer in a specific style, requires an understanding of the historical cultural/stylistic and social aspects/influences, considering music an expressive art. This is often called the study of performance practice, with attempts at historically informed performance (sometimes abbreviated HIP).

[edit]Background information

The evolution of the classical guitar and its repertoire spans more than four centuries. It has a history that was shaped by contributions from earlier instruments, such as the renaissance period four course guitar types, the vihuela, and the

Acoustic Guitar

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:14:07 +0100

Acoustic guitar
A modern acoustic guitar.
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. The term is a retronym, coined after the advent of electric guitars, which rely on electronic amplification to make their sound audible.
Contents
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1 Sound production
1.1 Amplification
2 Types
3 References
4 External links
[edit]Sound production
In all types of guitars the sound is produced by the vibration of the strings. However, because the string can only displace a small amount of air, the volume of the sound needs to be increased in order to be heard. In an acoustic guitar, this is accomplished by using a soundboard and a resonant cavity, the sound box. The body of the guitar is hollow. The vibrating strings drive the soundboard through the bridge, making it vibrate. The soundboard has a larger surface area and thus displaces a larger volume of air, producing a much louder sound than the strings alone.
As the soundboard vibrates, sound waves are produced from both the front and back faces. The sound box provides both a support for the sound board and a resonant cavity and reflector for the sound waves produced on the back face of the soundboard. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string (see Helmholtz resonance), increasing the volume of the sound again. The back of the guitar will also vibrate to a lesser extent, driven by the air in the cavity. Some sound is ultimately projected through the sound hole^[1] (some variants of the acoustic guitar omit this hole, or have $f$ holes, like a violin family instrument). This sound mixes with the sound produced by the front face of the soundboard. The resultant sound is a complex mixture of harmonics that give the guitar its distinctive sound.
Acoustic Guitar Sample
An example of the sounds which an Acoustic Guitar can create through vibration of its strings. This guitar uses steel strings.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.
No amplification actually occurs in this process, in the sense that no energy is externally added to increase the loudness of the sound (as would be the case with an electronic amplifier). All the energy is provided by the plucking of the string. The function of the entire acoustic system is to maximize intensity of sound, but since total energy remains constant, this comes at the expense of decay time. An unamplified guitar (one with no soundboard at all) would have a low volume, but the strings would vibrate much longer, like a tuning fork. This is because a damped harmonic oscillator decays exponentially, with a mean life inversely proportional to the damping, i.e. the more the volume is increased by the soundboard, the shorter the resulting sound will last.

[edit]Amplification
Many acoustic guitars incorporate rosettesaround the sound hole.
An acoustic guitar can be amplified by using various types of pickups or microphones. The most common type of pickups used for acoustic guitar amplification are piezo and magnetic pickups. Piezo pickups are generally mounted under the bridge saddle of the acoustic guitar and can be plugged into a mixer or amplifier. Magnetic pickups are generally mounted in the sound hole of the acoustic guitar and are very similar to those found in electric guitars.
Instruments with larger areas for the guitar top were introduced by Martin in an attempt to create louder volume levels. The popularity of the larger "dreadnought" body size amongst acoustic performers is related to the greater sound volume produced.

[edit]Types
Historical and modern acoustic guitars are extremely varied in their design and construction, far more so than electric guitars. Some of the most important varieties are the classical guitar (nylon-stringed), steel-string acoustic guitar and lap steel guitar. A more complete list is given below, refer to the individual articles for more specific detail.
Nylon/gut stringed guitars:
Renaissance guitar
Baroque guitar
Romantic guitar
Classical guitar, the modern version of the original guitar, with nylon strings
Flamenco guitar
Extended-range classical guitar
A steel strung Yamaha APX700 electric-acoustic guitar
Steel stringed guitars:
Steel-string acoustic guitar, also known as western, folk or country guitar
Twelve string guitar
Resonator guitar (such as the Dobro)
Archtop guitar
Battente guitar
Lap steel guitar
Lyre guitar
Manouche guitar
Acoustic bass guitar
Russian guitar
Novelty instruments:
Pikasso guitar
Harp guitar
Banjo guitar
Guitar lute
[edit]References
^ How a guitar works
[edit]External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Acoustic guitars
Categories: Acoustic guitars