The Versatility of the Guitar

The guitar is a fretted string instrument that typically has six strings that are commonly tuned to E – A – D – G – B – A. It was developed in the 13th century in Europe and falls under the category of chordophone, which are instruments that produce sounds by vibrating strings stretched between two points. Its ancestors include the gittern, vihuela and the baroque guitar.

Generally speaking, there are four types of guitars: the classical guitar; the steel-string guitar; the electric guitar; and the slide guitar, which is also known as the Hawaiian guitar.

The guitar is probably the most popular instrument in the world. It’s the instrument that everyone wishes to play. Why? Because it’s a very versatile instrument and present in almost every genre of music. Seriously, whatever the genre, it’s almost guaranteed that there will be a guitar in it and more often than not, it will be the star of the show.

What makes it so versatile?

The guitar is capable of playing many genres and producing many different kinds of sounds – all depending on the guitar itself and how it is being played.

Below I will list attributes of the guitar that make it so versatile. Starting with…

The Shape

The guitar being a box with a fretboard and strings really broadens the idea of what a guitar can be. Adding to the versatility of this instrument, unlike others, is the fact that a guitar can come in various different shapes and sizes.

You’ve heard people say – when seeing a master play an instrument – that they play it as if it was an extension of their bodies. Well, the guitar is the perfect example of being truly capable of that, as you can custom-make a guitar to fit a person’s body like no other instrument.

If you’re small, you can buy a small guitar; if you’re big, buy a bigger one; if you have small hands, you can even find guitars with thinner necks.

There’s so many different shapes and sizes when it comes to guitars that there’s even a guitar with two necks.

# of Strings

Although guitars typically only have six strings, it’s not uncommon for them to waver from that number. Depending on the style of music, a player might want a guitar with more than the standard array.

Having more strings opens up the ability to play different tones and/or create different sounds.

A couple of examples include the 12-string guitar, which contain two sets of the same gauge string, side-by-side. The 12-string guitar is commonly used in country and folk music as it produces a fuller, richer sound that pairs better with organic vocals. Generally speaking, 12-string guitars are usually acoustic, but electric ones do exist.

Another configuration is the 8-string guitar. Unlike the 12-string guitar that has multiple of the same-sized strings, the 8-string guitar has two thicker strings, which allows players to produce deeper sounds, similar to that of a bass. This guitar is popular in metal music, as having a couple guitars with 8-strings eliminates the need for a bass player while providing double the guitar power.

Alternative Tuning

The way you tune your guitar has a lot to do with the way it sounds. For instance, if it is out of tune, then it will sound horribly. Kidding.

Jokes aside, players change the turning of their guitars to make it sound unique or to moer easily play certain genres of music.

For example, they might drop their tuning to “drop D” to play metal music, as that tuning sounds heavier. Tuning to Eb could help to play funk music.

Changing the tuning of a guitar can make it sound completely different or simply just change the key.

Playing Methods

Just as there are many different sounds that a guitar can make so there’s different methods of getting those sounds. Here are some methods of playing the guitar.

Strumming

This is probably the most common way of playing the guitar. This is when you use your fingers or a pick to gently (in a sweeping motion) brush over the strings to produce vibrations. In an acoustic guitar, the vibrations resonate inside the soundhole in the body and are amplified. In an electric guitar, the vibrations are picked up by the “pickups” and amplified through an amp.

Plucking (also known as Finger-Picking)

You can also pluck a guitar like a lute, bass, banjo, mandolin or sitar. This involves pulling and releasing the strings to produce vibrations. Many acoustic musicians use this method because they can break chords down note-by-note, like an arpeggio, making really intricate sounding music.

Tapping

This is a more technical skill and can really only be done on electric guitars. This involves using your fingers to hit or tap the strings on the neck of the guitar, banging them against the fretboard to produce a tapping sound. This is commonly used in rock music, specifically progressive metal, where oftentimes entire songs are performed using this technique. Tapping allows players to play faster as essentially they’re playing two notes in the time it takes to strum or pluck one.

One musician that is a great example of someone who has mastered the art of tapping, is Tosin Abasi, who leads the band Animals as Leaders.

Slides

A slide is typically a smooth tube-like object that you either hold with your left hand (playing hand) or wear on a playing finger that you slide on top of the strings to produce a twangy glissando effect.

A notable example of slide guitar playing is in the classic song by Santo & Johnny called “Sleepwalk.”

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the guitar is like the jack of all trades of instruments. Depending on many different factors, you can create an unimaginable array of sounds from one instrument. It’s no

wonder the guitar is so popular. If you wanted to dedicate blood, sweat and tears into learning an instrument, why not pick the most popular and widely used of them all?