Acoustic Guitar Instruments
Acoustic Guitar Instruments Fast Facts
Modern acoustic guitars come in two forms – those with steel strings and those with nylon strings. Although nylon-strong guitars are always used for classical and flamenco music, and steel-string guitars are more common in folk, blues and even jazz and rock, there are no real rules. It is impossible to say that one kind of guitar must be used only for a certain type of music. From model to model there are, of course, countless variations in design, shape, construction, sound characteristics and usage. Yet the basic idea of the acoustic guitar has remained more or less the same for over a century.
A Brief History of Acoustic Guitar Instruments
The acoustic guitar is forever linked with Spain, so much so that it is often called the Spanish guitar. Flamenco, the folk music of Spain, is famous for its exciting guitar music as well as its energetic dancing. The instrument, with its body shape, probably came to Spain from North Africa and may be descended from lutes. By the 17th century, the guitar was being played all over Europe. Today acoustic and electric guitars have spread throughout the world, and dominate popular music and much folk music in America and Europe.
Making the Soundboard
The most important part of the guitar is the soundboard – the upper part
of the body underneath the strings. It is made of two pieces of pine,
spruce, cedar, or redwood that are glued together and then cut and shaped,
or it may be made from layers of plywood. To strengthen the soundboard,
struts are glued across the inside in a pattern that is crucial to the
tone of the guitar. The sides, or ribs, of the guitar are made of two
strips of rosewood, walnut, mahogany, maple, or sycamore. The strips are
heated and shaped in a mod. Wooden blocks and linings are fixed to the
inside of the ribs to make good joints for the soundboard and other parts.
Completing the Guitar Body
The back of the body is usually made of the same wood as the ribs, but
the quality of the wood need not be as high as that used for the soundboard.
(Torres once built a guitar made entirely of paper-mache, except for the
all-important soundboard, and amazed people with its good sound.) The
neck is then fitted into the top block with its dovetail joint, and the
back glued on. A decorative edging made of strips of wood or plastic is
used to protect the wood on the curved edges of the body.
Guitar Strings
Guitar strings, traditionally made of gut, are now either nylon or steel.
Nylon strings are used for classical guitars, and the flattop guitars
used in popular music are strung with steel strings. The amount of tension
needed to stretch the strings can be varied to suit the player.
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