The Acoustic Guitar

About

The steel string acoustic guitar is an instrument typically consisting of six metal strings suspended over a hollow acoustic amplifier ‘box’. Therefore the acoustic guitar is a type of chordophone instrument.

The steel string acoustic guitar is usually referred to as an ‘acoustic guitar’. This gives it a separate identity to the nylon string classical and flamenco guitar.

Design

The acoustic guitar consists of three main parts. The body supports one end of the strings and acts as an acoustic amplifier. The head is attached to the body by the neck which has metal ‘frets’ embedded in it’s front ‘fretboard’. This allows different pitches to be played on each string. The head supports the other end of the strings which are wrapped around tuners. This allows the pitch of the strings to be individually adjusted.

The design of the guitar is such to allow the vibration of the strings to be amplified acoustically by a sound box, and as such there is a trade off; the soundboard needs to be thin and flexible enough to allow the strings to vibrate in a pleasing way that enhances sustain, while being rigid enough to support six strings at tens of pounds of tension each. To this end, a luthier will attach bracing underneath the soundboard to reinforce the underside. The form of the bracing used can differ from company to company, the most common being the ‘X’ type bracing used by C.F. Martin. However, there have been other forms of bracing used, such as the newer patterns used by Taylor guitars, and some makers have instead used a support ‘lattice’ attached to the soundboard by wooden pillars as support.

Tuning

As with other instruments of the guitar family the tuning of the classical guitar is typically (from the thickest, lowest pitched string to it’s thinnest/highest) E, A, D, G, B and E, indicated on the treble clef as:

This is the instruments most common tuning. However, others are in frequent use and are typically detailed in the score. When the score doesn’t indicate a different tuning, the above so called ‘standard tuning’ applies.

Examples of types of tuning used are DADGAD, Dropped D, Eb Standard etc.

Playing

The body rests on the thigh of the picking side, supported by the fretting hand and picking arm. The classical position isn’t common mostly due to the larger size of the typical guitar body. The performer can also play the guitar standing up, using a strap.

The fretting hand presses the strings to the frets to change the pitches of the strings. The material of the strings means that the fingertips can get sore, especially for beginners, and more so than with the softer nylon strings. This aspect of learning the guitar is unfortunate but over time callouses develop which reduce the discomfort.

The typical acoustic guitar string exerts a higher tension than the classical guitar string due to the nature of the materials used. This means that you can lower the ‘action’ (distance of string to fret) without the string rattling against the fretboard. The string doesn’t need to vibrate as much for a successful note. The trade off is the initial discomfort in the fingertips, as detailed above.

Acoustic guitarists also commonly use plectrums. These are of widely varying shapes and materials that facilitate strumming of chords and melodies, ad can affect the tone of the note produced. This is not to imply that the acoustic guitar cannot be played with the fingers. On the contrary some of the most highly accomplished guitarists are nearly exclusively fingerstyle players, and a hybrid of picking with the plectrum and fingers is also possible.

Learning Resources

The acoustic guitar is a very popular instrument and is in widespread common useage. Millions of people play the guitar. This is probably why it’s music tends to be more contemporary in nature with the resulting styles of playing ranging from traditional folk tunes through to the modern, boundary pushing pieces.

Formal grade systems do exist and provide a well-rounded education in the same manner of classical guitar grades. However the focus tends to be on the needs of a more contemporary player. As such, the contents of the grade system will differ. For example, the London College of Music Acoustic Guitar grades feature an ‘Accompaniment’ section which encourages playing with others instead of a more formal staff notation sight-reading component, whilst still providing all of the ear training, theory and technique foundational skills necessary to become highly proficient and versatile on the instrument.

On the internet there are recourses such as this website which provides educational resources free of charge and a quick google search will reveal a plethora of other websites varying in quality.

In printed form ‘The Acoustic Guitar Bible’ by Eric Roche, ‘The Guitar Handbook’ by Ralph Denyer are noteable volumes.

Performers Of Note

Instrumentalists are not the only type of musician to play the acoustic guitar. Singer-songwriters use it as their means of accompaniment also; therefore I have provided two lists. The first details some instrumental performers.

Tommy Emmanuel

Andy McKee

Eric Roche

Bert Jansch

Gordon Giltrap

Stuart Ryan

The following list is of guitarists who have combined virtuoso acoustic playing with singing and songwriting.

Jon Gomm

Damien Rice

Mark Knopfler

James Taylor

Ani DiFranco

Tracy Chapman

Kaki King

Muriel Anderson

As always, the list is not exhaustive and I will add more to in the future.

Does learning the acoustic guitar interest you?