The guitar is one of the most beloved and versatile musical instruments in the world, transcending genres and cultures. But have you ever wondered about its origins? The journey of the guitar is rich and complex, tracing back thousands of years to ancient civilizations. This blog post delves into the history of the first guitar, exploring how it evolved from simple stringed instruments into the modern marvel we know today.
The history of the guitar can be traced back to ancient stringed instruments like the lute and the oud, which emerged around 3000 BCE in regions such as Mesopotamia and Egypt. These early instruments had varying numbers of strings and were played by plucking, strumming, or bowing.
The word “guitar” itself is believed to have originated from the Spanish word “guitarra,” which has its roots in the Latin term “cithara.” The cithara was a type of lyre used in ancient Greece and Rome, and it greatly influenced the development of stringed instruments throughout history.
By the Middle Ages, stringed instruments began to take on more recognizable forms. The guitarra moresca, a Moorish instrument, featured a rounded back and a fretted neck, setting the stage for the modern guitar. As trade and cultural exchange flourished across Europe, the design of the guitar continued to evolve.
During the Renaissance period, the guitar gained popularity in Spain. The introduction of six strings and a wider body helped create a more resonant sound. This era saw the emergence of the baroque guitar, which had a richer tone and was widely used by composers and musicians.
The 19th century marked a pivotal moment in the history of the guitar with the development of the classical guitar. Spanish luthier Antonio Torres is often credited with revolutionizing the guitar’s design, creating a larger body and introducing fan bracing, which enhanced the instrument’s volume and projection.
Today, the guitar continues to evolve, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. From acoustic to electric, from classical to flamenco, the guitar remains a versatile instrument that can adapt to any style or genre.
The legacy of the first guitar lives on, inspiring musicians around the world. Its journey from ancient strings to modern melodies showcases the enduring power of music to connect us across time and cultures.
The story of the guitar is one of innovation, adaptation, and artistic expression. From its ancient roots to its contemporary forms, the guitar has played a pivotal role in shaping the musical landscape. As we strum our favorite chords or listen to our beloved songs, let us appreciate the rich history behind this remarkable instrument and the countless musicians who have contributed to its evolution. The guitar is not just an instrument; it is a vessel of creativity and a testament to the universal language of music.
Why are guitars shaped the way they are? Guitars are shaped the way they are in order to maximize structural integrity, acoustic quality, ergonomics, and balance while playing. Guitars also used to be primarily marketed towards men, so they were built to feel similar to a lady’s figure when cradled on one’s lap!
Structural Integrity and Tension Resistance
“Form follows function,” as the saying goes–and this holds as true for musical instruments as it does for architecture! So, one of the most important aspects of the reasoning behind the average range of guitar shapes is structural resilience.
Anyone who’s stretched a guitar string just a bit too far and seen it snap knows that the guitar strings are under a surprising amount of stress: And that stress is constant, unless you’re removing the guitar’s strings for a cleaning or replacement. For this reason, the guitar’s neck must be crafted from solid wood, with its rounded back serving to increase tension resistance and avoid an instrument’s tragic end. This is especially crucial for guitars that sport more than the usual 6 strings, since each extra string adds a new layer of tension.
The graceful curves of the guitar’s body also help to distribute tension and increase structural integrity. This holds true in terms of string tension and the natural effects that varying humidity and temperature levels will have on the wooden body of the guitar.
Acoustics and Sound Quality
So, the strong neck and arches in a guitar’s shape help to ensure that the instrument won’t break under pressure when subjected to string tension or changing environments–but what about the way it sounds?
The curves of a hollow acoustic guitar body (especially if the guitar features an arched back) absolutely do play a crucial part in shaping the instrument’s unique sound and tone. Each difference in form, curve, body depth, and size will affect how a guitar sounds. Some differences may be highly noticeable, while others are subtle enough that only more experienced musicians recognize them: But rest assured that each unique nuance in the guitar’s shape is there for a reason!
Many people instinctively assume that the tone, projection, and resonance of a guitar are more a result of the instrument’s tonewoods than of its shape. But the shape of a guitar still plays against the effects of different tonewoods, meaning that, for example, you could still get all kinds of varying sounds from differently-shaped mahogany guitars.
Any well-made guitar is bound to balance itself well when you hold it properly. This reduces the work that you have to do to keep the instrument in place, freeing your body and mind to get expressive and form complex handshapes with ease. Some people claim that the idea of balance playing an important part in the evolution of the guitar’s shape is just speculation, but most experts agree that balance has always been a huge determining factor in guitar craftsmanship.
For acoustic guitars, it’s important for the instrument to balance well on your lap while you hold it–ideally just as well with or without a strap. Balance might seem less critical for solid-body electric guitars, since these are usually played while standing with a shoulder strap–but this isn’t so. Balance is still crucial to a quality electric guitar since you don’t want to constantly readjust your shoulder strap because the headstock’s weight has shifted everything out of place. Ever wonder why your Stratocaster is such a go-to for guitarists? That’s right: Its balance is considered to be among the best! Other delightfully well-crafted guitars include Ibanez guitars, which are known for delighting metalheads and hard-rock guitarists with their slim “fast necks” without throwing off the overall balance of the instrument.
Ergonomics and Accessibility While Playing
Just as balance is important in your ability to hold and play a guitar with ease, so is–you guessed it–the shape itself! The guitar’s graceful shape is designed with comfort in mind, crafted to naturally conform to the musician’s lap, body, and ability to reach the controls of the instrument.
As you might expect, it’s crucial for the average guitar player to be able to reach key components like the tuning pegs so that they can sweeten the sound, and to reach the strings above the sound hole with little trouble so that they can strum and pick effectively.
The width and depth of the guitar’s body affect how easy it is to pick and strum, making it highly important for any guitarist to try out an instrument before purchasing whenever possible to make sure that it’s a good match for their stature. And the length of the guitar’s neck is carefully calculated to strike the ideal blend of balance against the weight of the body, and the ideal proportions for a musician to reach the highest frets and adjust the tuning pegs with ease.
Aesthetics and Visual Appeal
As previously mentioned, guitars used to be almost exclusively geared towards men, and the assumption of the time was that no man would turn down an opportunity to cradle a lady’s figure in their arms! So, the guitar was built partially to mimic the curves of a woman’s waist and hips in order to boost marketability and visual appeal.
Things have diversified since then, so the aesthetic focus of a guitar’s shape usually revolves more around the target audience that would most appreciate its sound style. Most acoustic and classical guitars are built with traditional shapes for a timeless, warm feeling. On the other hand, electric guitars are often built with more angular shapes that may be accentuated to increase visual appeal for many rock and metal fans.
A Skillful Design:
No matter what aspect of a guitar’s design you consider to be the most important, they all come together to make a truly beautiful instrument! The predominant features in why a guitar is shaped the way it is are structural strength, acoustics and sound quality, balance, ergonomics, and aesthetics.
Of course, there’s a complex level of interconnectedness between these traits that makes every guitar unique and allows for all kinds of delicately-nuanced musical styles. Each individual guitarist must try out a variety of models before finding the right fit, but understanding why guitars are shaped the way they are can give a great starting point for which qualities to consider in each one!
Classical and acoustic guitars may be strikingly similar; but to the trained eye, these two differ in physical as well as key features aspects.
Close your eyes and try painting an image of an acoustic guitar.
Now, do it again, but this time try picturing a classical guitar. Do you see two drastically different instruments?
If you’ve got little to no experience with guitars, chances are you’ll find it challenging to distinguish a classical guitar from an acoustic one. If you thought they look pretty much the same, you’re not alone!
Just like the way many of us believe that jam and jelly, highways and freeways, and emoji and emoticon are all the same thing, classical and acoustic guitars sometimes confuse some people as well. And it’s easy to see why—the two do share a handful of similarities at first glance.
In this article, we’ll be giving you a quick (but definitely informative) walkthrough of what sets the two guitar types apart—and of course, ultimately help you see which better suits the guitarist in you!
Classical and Acoustic Guitar Profile
Before anything else, we need to get our basics right.
Let’s first talk about classical guitars. Guitarists that are used to this type would tend to disregard picks. They’d prefer to use their fingers as classical guitar strings are based on soft and highly flexible nylon known for producing warm and raw tones.
Acoustic guitars, on the other hand, may be the most familiar to novice guitarists. It is, in fact, one of the best-selling guitar types globally. They are known to produce a crisp and clear sound as produced by their (sometimes coated) steel strings.
So what makes the two seemingly similar?
Of course, just like any guitar that you’ll encounter, the two would have six strings, a fretboard, and a set of tuning pegs. What makes them appear as “cousins” is their round, wooden bodies that are hollow. This hollow body (for the resonance of string vibrations) has a soundhole that is also present in both guitar types.
Moreover, the two are usually set to the same standard tuning of EADGBE (which you can learn more about in this article).
Physical Differences
On the surface level (that is the construction of a guitar), you can readily spot some differences – and these have bigger implications on your possible experience with the instrument.
So what are the physical differences between a classical and an acoustic guitar?
● Guitar Neck Size
Compared to classical guitars, acoustic guitars have narrower necks. Hence, you would also observe that acoustic guitar strings have smaller spaces in between. Needless to say, an acoustic guitar’s fretboard would also be slimmer compared to that of a classical one.
This would entail some impact on your guitar-playing experience (which we’d detail later in the article). But to provide a glimpse, you might find it more difficult to switch from chord to chord on a classical guitar’s wider fretboard – especially when you have small hands!
An upside for classical guitars, though, is that bigger spaces in-between strings make it less likely that you’ll mute your strings by accident.
● Truss Rod
Truss rods are generally absent in classical guitars and would be present in all acoustic ones.
But wait, what are truss rods? Well, they are rods (of course, can’t it be more obvious than that) that run along the bridge of the guitar. As you can imagine, steel strings can apply a significant amount of force to your guitar’s neck when strummed. A truss rod counters this stress, making sure that you’ll have your bridge intact.
How do you spot one? If you have an acoustic guitar, try viewing the soundhole longitudinally with the bridge facing away from you. You’ll spot a bolt!
As we know, classical guitars do not use steel strings and thus would not need such reinforcement.
● Body Size and Shape
On average, an acoustic guitar would be relatively larger compared to a classical one. Moreover, acoustic guitars tend to have a more curved back and thicker sides. This renders acoustic guitars to be slightly heavier.
● Fretboard Markers
If you’re on your first couple of weeks learning the guitar, you may be well-versed in this. Acoustic guitars generally have fretboard markers (typically at the center of the fretboard) to guide you. Classical guitars usually lack these markers, but a few have them.
● Guitar Bridge
A typical classical guitar’s bridge has a traditional wrap around it. Basically, threads are tied in a knot around the bridge to hold them in place. Conversely, strings are kept in place by pegs on the bridge of an acoustic guitar.
● Headstock and Tuning Pegs
A classical guitar’s tuning peg is made of metal and plastic, whereas a standard acoustic guitar’s entire tuning peg is made up of steel.
Differences in Key Features
Of course, the differences do not end solely on the guitar structure. The aforementioned differences have bigger implications on the individual guitar type’s key features.
Let’s see how these seemingly simple structural differences would mold your playing experience:
● The Strings
The strings on the classical guitar appear to be somewhat more transparent when seen, which is due to the use of nylon as the primary material. Acoustic guitar strings, on the other hand, are composed of steel. These acoustic strings are occasionally coated with stronger material to improve sound or durability (depending on the manufacturer).
Nylon, as compared to steel, implores lower tensile stress and is easier on the fingers. Finger soreness is more common among beginners who start with acoustic guitars.
● The Sound
Classical guitars have a more evocative, pleasant, and soothing tone than many modern guitars (and often times sound more resonant). When compared to the other type, acoustic guitars sound more robust, strong, and piercing as steel strings sound twangy and rich when strummed.
● The Volume
When comparing their loudness, classical guitars tend to sound softer. Acoustic guitars are louder as attributed to their string type and construction. With the sound and volume, classical guitars seem more romantic, while acoustic guitars seem more captivating.
● Playing Techniques
As said, classical and acoustic guitars can be different structurally – which can affect the manner by which you’d use your strumming hand.
Rather than using a pick, a classical guitar is frequently played with the fingers. Several classical guitarists grow their fingernails for strumming to generate a stronger and more accurate tone. Due to higher tensile tension, a pick is preferred by acoustic guitarists.
Here is a short, sweet, and straightforward comparison between the two guitars:
Picking the Right Guitar for You: Final Words
In this article, we glimpsed over individual profiles of acoustic and classical guitars – giving the limelight on what makes them similar and different. Ultimately, we’ve put these edges and dents head-to-head and see how they’ll make your playing experience unique.
“So what’s the right guitar for me?”
After going through everything, you should now know that there is no “right” answer. A more accurate term would be “better-suited.”
Weighing pros and cons, we’ve come into a full balance. And that little weight needed depends on your situation – who you are as an artist, your experience level, your budget, and the genre you play.
Just like for a painter, there is no correct brush – all there is to do is choose the best-suited one for the picture you’d want on your canvas.
How long should a guitar stay in tune? Generally, guitars will only stay in tune for a day or two on average after settling in. However, new strings will probably only stay in tune for a few minutes. There are various factors that affect a guitar’s tuning stability, so there’s not really a definitive answer to this.
New guitar-owners often wonder if they’re doing something wrong to their instruments because the strings regularly go out of tune. Some say their guitars stay in tune for just a few hours. On the other hand, there are also those who say their guitars are in tune for almost a week.
Is there a trick to prolong a guitar’s tuning stability? How long should a guitar stay in tune? What factors affect the string’s tuning? In this article, we’ll teach you the most important things you need to know about your guitar’s tuning stability.
How Long Should a Guitar Stay in Tune?
On average, a guitar should stay in tune for at least a day. That is, of course, if the strings have settled in. It is important to note, however, that this is not a definite answer. Each guitar is different, and their sensitivity to tension and a lot of other factors vary as well. This means that some guitars may stay in tune for longer than a day, while others may require you to retune them after a couple of hours or so of playing.
Factors that Affect a Guitar’s Tuning Stability
To give you an idea of why guitars have such a short period of tuning stability, we need to look at the factors that influence the strings. This will help you understand your guitar better and learn how long it should stay in tune.
Type of Guitar
The first major factor that affects the strings’ tuning stability is the type of guitar you own in the first place. Electric guitars, when it comes to design and build, are by far the most stable. That’s because of their solid-body construction. The truss rod inside the neck also keeps the fretboard stable. All of these prevent the string from loosening, which in turn keeps the guitar in tune.
On the other hand, acoustic and classical guitars have hollow wood bodies. These are susceptible to changes in temperature, which cause the wood to expand or shrink. While the change in size is not very noticeable, it still somehow affects the strings’ distance from the bridge to the headstock, which then causes them to go out of tune.
Additionally, acoustic and classical guitars don’t have truss rods in the neck. This means the constant pull of the strings will affect the levelness of the fretboard in the long run. This is particularly true for poorly-built guitars. When the fretboard or neck bends a little, the strings go out of tune, not to mention the higher string action that makes them uncomfortable to play.
Type of Strings
The next factor affecting a guitar’s tuning stability is the type of strings. Generally, we have two types of strings; nylon and steel. Nylon strings are used in classical guitars and are made out of plastic. Plastic is elastic, which means they are prone to temperature changes. This causes classical guitars to go out of tune more frequently than acoustic and electric guitars.
On the other hand, steel strings are often used in acoustic and electric guitars. They are more rigid than nylon, which means they stay in tune longer. However, electric guitars have thinner string gauges, which means they are more fragile. By that merit, acoustic guitars will probably stay in tune longer when it comes to the type of strings.
There is another type of guitar we failed to mention earlier; the lute. This instrument uses 15 to 24 strings nylon strings. Because of this, they are by far the least tuning-stable guitars.
There is a joke within the guitarist community that says, “you spend half your life learning/playing the classical guitar, and the other half tuning it.”
It goes further by saying, “you spend half your life tuning the lute, and the other half playing it out of tune.”
Age of Strings
Moving forward, the strings’ age itself can also affect your guitar’s tuning stability. Strings, whether they be nylon or steel, will stretch after you purchase and install them. This can cause guitars to go out of tune mere minutes after installing the strings.
It’s completely normal. It usually takes one to two weeks before the strings settle in. This means you might have to tune your guitar more frequently during the first few days after restringing. By “frequently,” we mean every half an hour or so.
How frequently or seldomly you use your guitar will also affect its tuning stability. You see, when you pluck or strum a string, its tension increases. This means that the more you play your guitar, the more frequently you subject the strings to tension, which then stretches them.
This can cause the strings to go out of tune more often, but that’s not a bad thing! Don’t stop yourself from playing the guitar just because you’re afraid the strings will go out of tune. Guitars are meant to be played in the first place. After all, it will go out of tune eventually because of the other factors we’ve mentioned here, so you might as well just play the instrument regularly.
Mode of Playing
This is contrary to what we said earlier. We mentioned that electric guitars stay in tune longer, but that’s only because of their design and solid body construction. How they’re played will also affect a guitar’s tuning stability. For instance, if you play them hard and bend the strings frequently, as is often the case with electric guitars, they will go out of tune quicker.
Conclusion
We can’t get a definitive answer on how long a guitar should stay in tune simply because every guitar is different. Besides, it’s a guitar’s nature to go out of tune once in a while. The best thing we can do is to try different methods to prolong its tuning stability.
Nonetheless, it’s also important that you know how to tune the instrument because you are likely to do so every time you play it.
Classical guitar won’t stay in tune: If you’ve just recently changed your strings, your classical guitar not staying in tune is normal. On the other hand, if your guitar doesn’t stay in tune for days, you might not have prepared or tied the strings properly.
One of the most common problems we see among classical guitar players is that the strings don’t stay in tune as long as a steel-string guitar. If you own a classical guitar, you might have experienced this yourself a number of times before.
Why does this problem seem isolated to classical guitars? What is it with this type of guitar that detunes the strings? Is there a way to solve this problem? Well, there are multiple factors we have to consider before we can answer your question.
So, without further ado, let’s begin our investigation.
What Causes Classical Guitars to Go Out of Tune?
Strings going out of tune is one of the many things classical guitarists share, aside from fingerpicking playing style, of course. Before we can solve this problem, we have to troubleshoot or diagnose what causes it. Here are some possible reasons.
Nylon Strings
The most prominent culprit of detuning strings in classical guitars is the string itself! Contrary to acoustic guitars that use steel strings, classical guitars use nylon strings. Nylon belongs to a group of plastics known as polyamides. Plastic is elastic.
This means that from the time you purchase your nylon strings to when you’re playing them already, they will continue to stretch to a certain point. When they stretch, they become looser, which then causes them to have a lower pitch.
Heat and Humidity
The next possible reasons why your classical guitar goes out of tune are heat and humidity. Aside from being elastic, nylon strings are sensitive. So much so that warm temperatures cause them to expand, and cool temperatures cause them to shrink. This affects the strings’ tension on the nut, which causes them to go out of tune.
Additionally, and this is also somewhat applicable to steel-string guitars, your instrument’s body is made out of wood. This means that when you pull your guitar from a slightly colder place and hold it close to you, your body heat causes the wood to expand.
While the change is not noticeable, it causes the distance between the saddle and the nut to change, albeit just a little. Nonetheless, the change in the distance still affects the tension on the strings, causing them to take a higher or lower pitch.
Improper Tie
Unlike acoustic guitars that have pegs to keep the strings attached to the saddle, classical guitars need to be tied. It takes a little bit of practice restringing a classical guitar because you need to tie the strings tightly.
Loose ties will cause the strings to slip incrementally while you wind the tuning pegs. Ergo, even if you have tuned your classical guitar properly, the constant tension from the pegs pulling the strings will cause them to go out of tune.
Loose Pegs
Another possible reason why your guitar goes out of tune is loose pegs. The string tension from the bridge to the nut and eventually to the pegs is not something trivial. If the pegs are rather loose, the strings will gradually pull on them, causing them to twist. It’s as if your classical guitar is detuning itself. Check the screws in your tuning pegs and ensure that they’re tightened.
How to Fix Frequent Detuning in Classical Guitars
Now that we know the factors that contribute to the constant detuning of the strings, it’s time to take action. Luckily, there are various methods for you to fix this problem. Below are the easiest and most common options you have.
Frequent Tuning
You always have the option of retuning your classical guitar frequently to keep it in the right pitch. If you notice that it’s out of tune, then just adjust the tension on the strings. Eventually, the strings will settle and reach their maximum stretch, allowing them to stay in tune for longer.
If you’re not a huge fan of tuning your guitar by ear, as most beginners are, you can use various tools to make tuning more convenient. There are numerous guitar tuners you can purchase from your local music store. All you have to do is to clip them to the headstock and adjust the strings accordingly.
On the other hand, your smartphone could do it for you! There are multiple smartphone applications that incorporate this technology. You just have to place your smartphone’s microphone close to your guitar’s soundhole and adjust the strings.
String Stretching
This is a very common technique used by classical guitarists when restring their guitar. If the strings stretch gradually and continuously when you install them to your guitar, then why not stretch them before tuning?
To do this, install the strings like you would when restring the guitar, but don’t tune them yet. When they reach a considerable level of tension, pull one string or all of them manually. You can either use your index finger or thumb to pull one string or place your hand under all the strings with your palm facing upward and pull them all together once or twice.
This should stretch them enough that they don’t have more room to expand after you tune the guitar.
Semi-Tone Higher Tuning
If you play your guitar every day, this method is for you. The driving principle of this technique is to give the strings room to stretch before you play them the next day. To do this, tune your guitar to the standard tuning before playing it.
However, when you’re done, make sure that you tune all the strings semi-tone higher or half-step up. All of them would be half a pitch higher, but after leaving them for several hours, they should be in the right tune when you play them the next day. Continue the process until the strings have settled.
Conclusion
Strings going out of tune are very common in classical guitars. Gladly, there are various ways to solve this problem. No, we’re not saying that you should just switch to steel-string guitars. After all, classical guitars have their own unique sound.
What we’re saying is that you follow the various methods we’ve listed here so that you don’t encounter this problem with your classical guitar.
How hard do you press on guitar strings? Some guitar newbies make the mistake of pressing too hard on the string, which can result in a wayward tone and worn-out fretboard. How much pressure to put on the strings can vary on the guitar and the note, but in most cases, you don’t need to apply bone-crushing pressure!
Playing the guitar requires a lot of practice and skill that even something very specific such as the pressure you apply to the strings matters. Beginners rarely consider this, and just press the way they believe is right.
When you press too light, you may not be able to produce a successful tone. Meanwhile, when you press too hard than what is necessary, you might wear both your guitar and your hands.
So, what is the right amount of pressure to apply on the strings?
The answer is a sweet spot that lies somewhere in between the two.
Pressing Too Hard: The Beginners’ Common Mistake
Beginners know that pressure should be applied to the strings to produce a tune. But what some of them eventually find out is that it’s just not any pressure.
When they press the stings very lightly, the tune would sound incomplete. To solve this, they will eventually add more and more pressure to the strings until it begins to sound so much better. Most newbies tend to press on the strings too hard than necessary, and they naively believe that putting too much pressure is the right way.
This incorrect practice would lead to problems over time—blisters and callouses may form in their fingers, their hands and wrists might get crampy, and their guitars might wear out faster than they should.
Apart from getting your hand hurt when you apply too much pressure, your performance becomes shaky and harsh rather than fluid and smooth. Placing your hand on the fretboard too tight would retard your pace of moving in between chords.
Guitar players that start with acoustic guitars are those who tend to press too hard and experience these distresses. The strings of acoustic guitars are thick which leads to its new users having a notion that they must press more than usual to counter the high tension these strings possess. On the other hand, those who start with electric guitars differ, they are accustomed to pressing lightly due to the material (which is nylon, by the way) of its strings.
How Hard is Hard?
So, if the “will turn my fingers red” hard is not the appropriate hard, how hard is hard, then? In reality, there is no well-defined standard of “hard” since it varies from one person to another. Yet, some exercises are created to find the right amount of hardness that suits you.
To help you discover the right pressure that suits you, follow these steps:
First, on your fretting hand, press any note at the fifth fret on any string that you are comfortable with. Ensure that the note is located to the fifth fret and not in the middle of the space between the fourth and fifth fret.
With your picking hand, pluck the note. At this point, no solid tone should be produced since the string is not positioned against the fret yet. Increase the pressure you apply on the string in very small amounts. As you add pressure, continuously pluck the string. There will come a point when you actually play the correct tone. Remember to take note of how hard you pressed to produce this sound.
Now, if you add more pressure beyond this point, you will notice that it will not change how the tone sounds, which proves that putting extra pressure does not come with any benefit but only with disadvantages.
Repeat this process with your middle finger, ring finger, and pinky finger on any of the strings on the sixth, seventh, and eighth fret, respectively. Once completed, repeat this process, but now with chords.
Start with playing the chords lightly, build up pressure until you are able to create a clean tone across all the guitar strings.
Now you know the feel of how much pressure you should exert on your strings. The next objective is to be familiar with the amount of pressure until it becomes muscle memory. You can achieve this by doing the exercise earlier as a warmup before every session. Before you know it, your fingers are recalibrated to press that way.
Here is a helpful video on this topic:
When the Guitar is the Problem
You’ve done all the necessary steps, but still, you can’t seem to find a comfortable way to press your strings.
It could be that the problem is not with the user, but with the instrument he is using. One way to figure out if this is the case is to check your guitar for possible defects, and there are two common areas to this:
The Strings. Check if the strings are old or rusted. Having rust on your strings due to the oil and salts from your fingers will compromise the sound of your guitar, resulting in dull or muffled notes.
If this is so, you will have to replace your strings immediately. There are many inexpensive but good-quality guitar strings available in the market. Brands such as Ernie Ball and D’Addario sell great affordable strings that would make your guitar sound a hundred times better.
Strings vary in thickness; some provide stronger tension than others. If you feel like you need to press too hard, just to produce a full note, you should consider buying light gauge strings such as 0.9s or 0.10s. With these, pressing is a lot easier.
Don’t know how to attach your strings? Worry not, setting up these strings on your own is not a problem since there are loads of tutorial videos, such as this:
The Nut Board. Apart from the strings, the nut board can also be an issue. The guitar action is highly reliant on the height of the nut. If it is placed too high, you need loads of effort to be able to produce the right sound; if it is placed too low, the guitar will produce a buzzing sound almost all the time. Having the nut board fixed by a guitar technician is very affordable and is highly recommended.
If problems still persist, you can have your guitar checked by a guitar expert. He will then adjust the neck, action, bridge, or any parts necessary to make your guitar playable to the way it was intended. However, a guitar setup is quite expensive. If you are using a low-end guitar, it is more practical to replace it with something better instead.
Final Thoughts
In the quest of finding the right pressure, don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself!
Don’t be too hard (no pun intended) on yourself. Finding the right amount of pressure is one thing and practicing it on every single song is another. With dedicated practice, and a number of callouses along the way, playing the guitar wouldn’t be that hard anymore.
Can a lefty play a right-handed guitar? It’s possible for a lefty to play a right-handed guitar, but it will take some effort to get accustomed to the instrument built for the right-handed players. One workaround is to rearrange the strings in reverse. Or better, just go get a left-handed guitar!
Okay, let’s play a short game. Swiftly think of these five iconic guitarists:
Jimi Hendrix, Tony Iommi, Paul McCartney, Kurt Cobain, and Courtney Barnett.
What’s common among them? Well, aside from being part of the most talented guitarists of all time, all of these legends are left-handed.
As seen, despite the adversities in traversing a career designed for right-handers, left-handed musicians were still able to make a name for themselves.
In this article, we’ll be hovering over the day-to-day struggles of being a left-handed guitarist, their chances in playing right-handed guitar, and the conveniences of a left-handed guitar.
To the Left, To the Left
On a scale of 1 to 100, lefties assessed themselves as more artistically adept in a 2019 study of greater than 20,000 participants. This might be attributed to the fact that left-handed people have to acclimatize to a right-handed milieu on a regular basis.
We can’t dispute, though, that left-handed artists have it tough. When a lefty has no other choice but to flip the strings on a conventional, run-of-a-mill of a mill guitar and perform it that fashion, you (right-handers) would soon realize that you had it better!
“Why do lefties feel the need to adjust in the first place, given left-handed instruments exist” a typical right-handed musician would wonder.
Well, it all boils down to some key reasons: left-handed guitars are rare and expensive, there are fewer teachers who are experienced in playing left-handed instruments, and, of course, personal preference and aesthetics.
So what are some common day-to-day struggles for lefty guitarists?
Ergonomics. Let’s pretend our left-handed musician is forced to play a right-handed guitar. This option has several faults.
Because of the manner by which the left arm rubs across the knobs, they’ll notice the tone and loudness to start tinkering as soon as they start playing. Furthermore, their left elbow would clash with the output jack cable, thereby ruining the welding.
Some string intonation issues may also arise due to the counter-conventionally slanted bridge. Finally, because all six tuning pegs are on the opposing side of the headstock, they would be difficult to access.
Chord Charts. Because what you see on paper a chord chart is essentially what you catch when you pass a glance at your guitar’s fretboard and your chord hand, the ordinary right-handed individual has minimal difficulty reading chord charts.
For lefties, things become a lot worse. Consider the low E string: they see the low E string on the chart where the high E string is based on their fretboard’s layout. Are there any left-handed chord charts? Yes, but they’re exceedingly difficult to come by. Later on, left-handed artists would develop a second nature of consciously swapping up strings to adjust.
Playing Live. If a musician plays a left-handed guitar and is arranging a live show, they might want to consider standing on the stage right (with the headstock facing center stage).
If they fail to do this, their guitar’s headstock is more likely to clash with the headstock of another player’s guitar. Mind you, headstocks are exceedingly delicate, and breaking one would be a pain in your wallet.
Furthermore, few stage technicians are left-handed or have experience working with left-handed instruments. Unless you have someone who is well-versed with how lefties prefer to play, the most typical practice is to learn how to set it up on your own.
The Lefty with a Right-Handed Guitar
As mentioned earlier (as stressed in the ergonomics section), playing a right-hand guitar could be messy for novice left-handed guitarists.
But is it possible?
Of course, with some extra elbow grease and patience.
To reiterate from earlier, there’s an actual logic on why many lefties opt to play a right-handed guitar. Left-handed guitars are just difficult to come by and would cost some extra bucks. Not to mention, you’ll never know when an opportunity demands that you play someone else’s guitar (which would most probably be right-handed).
The guitar is a delicate instrument that demands finesse and accuracy. In order to play the guitar properly in the first place, you will be required to practice with both of your hands. Individuals who have spent their entire life doing things with one hand may find it difficult to do so with the other.
Some left-handed musicians play right-handed, but with the neck turned to the right so that the lowest string is closest to the ground. They are taught the chord forms backward.
Here’s a tip from an actual left-handed guitarist:
“To avoid spending money on a lefty guitar, you could try him out on a right-handed guitar restrung with the strings the other way around.”
If it proves to be more than a one-time trial, you’ll want to have your right-handed guitar established for that arrangement. However, when it becomes an annoyance, it’s time to get a left-handed guitar. It sure is a lot easier than trying to play the guitar upside down like Jimi Hendrix did!
Left-Handed Guitar: The Lefty’s Best Bet
Okay, probably our trick did not work you hoped. What now? Probably, it’s time for you to resort to the more logical (and expensive option): get a left-handed guitar.
So, what’s so special about them?
As the name suggests, left-handed guitars are designed specifically for left-handed players.
Basically, the thickest string on this guitar (your Low E in standard tuning) is the one farthest to the right. Conversely, that Low E (again, if you’re in standard tuning) will be the initial string on the left on a conventional, right-handed guitar. Moreover, the left-handed guitar is constructed so that a lefty would be able to utilize their right hand to grasp the instrument’s neck and their left one as a strumming hand.
Similarly, components such as tone knobs, switches, vibrato bars, and volume knobs are reversed on a left-handed guitar – giving lefties the opportunity to add that extra kick during their jamming sessions.
Check out this video of a guitar teacher discussing the challenges of being a lefty guitarist, her tips for the lefties, and why getting a left-handed guitar is worth it:
A Lefty in a Right-Handed Dominated World: Final Words
According to a study by experts, only 10 percent of the world’s seven billion (plus) population is left-handed. It must always be a hustle to adjust for the overwhelming majority of right-handers.
It’s also no secret that the world of music is not necessarily designed for left-handers. But this won’t stop you, will it?
In this article, we gave you a brief rundown on the typical struggles of lefty guitarists from the underlooked ergonomics to the additional stress during live sessions. We’ve also talked about some tips when trying to play a run-of-a-mill right-handed guitar as a lefty.
Lastly, we delved into understanding what makes a left-handed guitar a lefty’s best bet.
As we always say, the choice would always be up to you—your playing style, your time, and of course, your resources.
If you have spent any amount of time in the music world, you may have heard the term “key” used at some point. For example, someone may have told you that The Beatles’ song Eleanor Rigby is in the key of G-major.
Every song has a key associated with it. However, you might not know that instruments also have keys associated with their tunings. The clarinet is in the key of B-flat, while the horn is usually in the key of F. This may lead you to wonder, “What key is a guitar in?”
Today we will examine what key the standard guitar tuning is in. We will also discuss alternate tunings and how you can change the key of your guitar.
What Key is the Standard Guitar Tuning In?
Beginner guitarists are usually taught how to tune their instrument during their first batch of lessons. They quickly pick up on the fact that the standard tuning on a six-string guitar is E, A, D, G, B, E from top to bottom.
As a guitarist, you may have devised memory aids such as Elephants And Dogs Give Biology Exams to remember the aforementioned string tuning pattern. However, knowing this tuning alone doesn’t tell you what key your instrument is in. So what key is the standard guitar tuning in?
One might assume that the guitar is in the key of E, as this is the lowest note it can play in the E, A, D, G, B, E tuning. However, it is actually in E phrygian mode, which is also the key of C major. This makes sense as each of the aforementioned open string notes are in the key of C.
Why is C Major Considered the Standard Key?
There are many possible reasons why C major is the standard key for guitar tunings. The most obvious one is that C major does not contain sharps or flats, which makes playing easier.
This tuning also aids with chord shapes, as open strings strummed in a chord all fit neatly into the key of C.
Understanding the C Major Scale
In music, a major scale is generally made up of different interval patterns consisting of “steps” and “half steps”. A semitone is considered one half step. If we were to ascend from C on a guitar, we would go from C through C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B and then back to C.
A major scale general moves in the following pattern: Step – Step – Half Step – Step – Step – Step – Half Step. Applying this pattern when you start at C gives you D, E, F, G, A, B, C. Notice how none of these notes contain flats or sharps.
You can apply the above pattern to any note to figure out the other notes in its scale. For example, notes in the key of G would be G, A, B, C, D, E, and F#.
What Key is the Piano In?
After learning that the guitar is in the C-major key, you may be wondering what key the piano is in. You may be surprised to learn that the concept of instrument keys only exists for diatonic instruments.
A piano is a chromatic instrument capable of playing all twelve tones in the chromatic scale. Therefore it does not have any particular key associated with it.
Can You Change Your Guitar’s Key?
It is certainly possible to change your guitar’s key. Many guitarists do this to achieve a certain sound or feel in their playing. There are two ways to do this.
Changing Key By Retuning
The first method is to re-tune your guitar. You can tune it down or up by a few semitones. This process can be time-consuming, so you should ideally take out some time to find your ideal tuning.
Many guitarists also experiment with alternate tunings such as drop-D, DADGAD, DADF#AD, and DGDGBD. Such tunings allow guitarists to harmonize between the different strings easily and create a fuller sounding tone.
Changing Key With a Capo
The easiest way to change your guitar’s key is using a capo. A capo is a small tool that attaches onto your guitar’s neck and presses the strings against the fret. This tool essentially repositions where the open string note occurs. Setting a capo at the second fret of your guitar would increase the pitch by two semitones.
Many guitarists prefer using a capo than re-tuning their guitar to a higher key. This is because setting a capo takes only a few seconds. You can then undo your key change by removing the capo after your performance.
Using a capo is also advantageous if you want your guitar to be in a much higher key. For example, setting the capo at the fifth fret would increase the tuning by five semitones. You wouldn’t be able to re-tune your guitar to this pitch using the tuning knobs, as many of the strings would likely snap from the high tension.
Is It Worth Playing in Keys Other than C-Major?
If you have started playing the guitar only recently, you may be satisfied with learning and performing songs using the standard tuning and C major key. However, you may be interested in expanding your compositional capabilities over time using different tunings and keys.
Many guitarists also prefer to transpose certain songs because it makes them easier to sing. For example, some female vocalists set a capo at the third fret position on their guitars to sing a song comfortably at this higher pitch.
Guitarists can also experiment with different keys and discover which ones produce interesting sounding note harmonies or chords. The possibilities are endless given the wide number of harmonic scales out there. So consider investing in a capo or trying out alternate tunings to find your signature sound.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the guitar’s default key is important as it allows you to compose songs in different ways. The C-major key is one of the easiest scales to compose in, but don’t be scared to pick up a music theory guidebook and venture out a little. Happy composing!
Do electric guitars need amps? You can play an electric guitar without an amplifier. However, the sound would be extremely quiet, even quieter than an acoustic guitar. If you really want to maximize your electric guitar’s potential and bring out its oomph factor, plugging it into an amplifier is essential.
The electric guitar is one of the best instruments you can learn to expand your musical skills. However, it requires quite a few additional pieces of equipment and accessories to play and enjoy.
One question beginners often ask is whether or not electric guitars actually need an amplifier. Well, we’re here to answer that, along with some other questions that might be bugging you. Should you get an amplifier? Can you play your instrument without one? How does an amplifier affect your experience of the electric guitar?
Allow us to tell you the most important things about electric guitar amps in this article.
How an Electric Guitar Works
An acoustic guitar creates sounds by resonating the vibrations from the strings through its hollow body. However, if you look at an electric guitar, the body is completely solid. So, how is it supposed to make sounds?
Technically, the strings would still make a sound because they will vibrate when you pluck them. The problem is, the sound is extremely quiet for other people to even hear. To solve that, you will see one or more pickups on the electric guitar’s body.
When you pluck or strum the strings, the pickups pick up the vibrations, hence the name. They would then convert these vibrations into an electric signal, which is why it’s called the electric guitar.
The electric signal would then travel from the pickups to the output jack of the guitar, where a shielded cable is plugged in. This shielded cable delivers these signals to the amplifier.
The Role of Amplifiers
So, what does the amplifier do to the electric signal from the pickups? Well, there are a lot of things that come into play when talking about an amplifier’s role in all of this. However, all these inner workings can be simplified into three parts; the preamp, power amp, and speaker.
The Preamp
The preamp is the first “gate” that the signals pass through. Preamps often have four knobs. One is for the volume, and the other three are for the equalizer, which are treble, mid, and bass. The primary function of the preamp is to shape and modify the signal that comes from the guitar.
For instance, you can enhance the lower frequencies by increasing the bass through the equalizer. Basically, the preamp screens the signals and delivers them to the power amp in its optimal form.
The Power Amp
The signals that come from the guitar and through the preamp are not yet strong enough at this point. This is where the power amp comes into play. The power amp uses the electricity from an electrical outlet and magnifies the charge or voltage of the signal before sending it to the speaker.
The Speaker
Once the signal has enough voltage, the speaker begins to do its work. The speaker inside an amplifier is an entire system that converts the electrical energy into sound. To do this, the electrical energy should be strong enough to drive the speaker, which is why we need the power amp.
The electrical energy is converted to mechanical energy that causes the voice coil inside the speaker to pulsate or to move back and forth. This movement creates pressure waves, which are basically what sound is.
Can You Use an Electric Guitar Without an Amplifier?
Using an amplifier is the most common and most efficient way to use your electric guitar. If you want to use it without an amplifier or any other equipment, you might as well just use an acoustic guitar.
Thankfully, there are other ways to use your electric guitar without an amplifier. Here are some of them.
Headphones and Effects Pedal
Unfortunately, you can’t just plug your headphones into the electric guitar’s output jack to hear it play. First of all, the input jack of a traditional headphone and the output jack of the electric guitar are of different sizes. Furthermore, even if you use adapters or converters to make them compatible, you still have no power source to amplify the signals from the pickups.
What you need is an effects pedal. This is a piece of equipment that you can connect to your guitar to adjust the shape of the sounds. It’s kind of like a preamp but with more versatile effects modification. Most effects pedals have a headphone output, so all you have to do is plug the effects pedal into an electrical outlet, connect it to your guitar, and plug the headphones into the corresponding socket.
If you like to travel a lot, using a computer or a laptop is a great option for you to play your electric guitar. After all, amplifiers can sometimes be too big for traveling. Additionally, a lot of us already have computers at home, so this method is also very common and convenient.
Just like with headphones, you can’t directly plug your electric guitar into your computer. The problem with that is the signal from the guitar isn’t immediately readable for a computer. What you can do is use an audio interface.
Basically, an audio interface converts electric signals from the guitar to digital signals so that your computer can interpret them. The best part about this method is that you can further modify and enhance the sounds from your electric guitar by using DAW.
DAWs, which is the abbreviation for digital audio workstation, are software programs you can install on your computer. They are capable of receiving the digital signals from the audio interface and input them into the program.
Through DAWs, you can record, edit, and produce music all on your own!
Conclusion
If you ask any musician out there whether or not you can use an electric guitar without an amplifier, the quick answer would be no. It’s simply just the traditional and most common way to play the instrument.
However, if you dig deeper, you can use other pieces of equipment to have fun with your electric guitar. Headphones, effects pedals, audio interfaces, and DAWs are just some of them.
