Types of Guitar
Acoustic
Acoustic guitars are "descendants" of the classical guitar, except that they have steel strings instead of nylon. The standard tuning is (from low to high) E-A-D- G-B-E. They are made from various kinds of wood such as sitka spruce, Brazilian rosewood, American mahogany, maple, sapele, cedar, and basswood. Different woods make different sounds, and many combinations of these woods are used to make certain tones. Acoustic guitars come in the following body shapes: "00" is the smallest, which means it's the quietest, but it's easier to play for young and small people. "Grand Auditorium" is similar to the "00" but it's a little bigger and louder. The "dreadnought" is the most common style of acoustic guitar; it is somewhat wedge-shaped and produces a deep, bass-like sound. Finally, the "jumbo" style is bigger, which makes it a little harder to play, but it has a nice deep tone and a really loud, resonating volume. A very unique kind of acoustic guitar is the 12-string guitar, which has a doubling string for each of the six traditional strings. Acoustic guitars are commonly seen in popular genres of music like rock, blues, country, and folk.
Electric
Electric guitars have six metal strings (with the same standard tuning as acoustic: E-A-D-G-B-E) that don't produce a great sound on their own, so their vibrations are picked up through the pickups, which are located near the strings, and are then converted into electric signals through the amplifier, literally amplifying the sound. Amplifiers can be used to alter the electric signal and add different effects to the sound, such as reverb and distortion. The electric guitar is said to have been invented somewhere in the 1920's to 30's. Electric guitars can come in the following types: "solid body" has no hollow cavity for vibrations like acoustic guitars, so it relies on amplifiers completely for sound. "Semi acoustic" and "electric acoustic" guitars are hollow but also have metal pickups to help increase the sound. They can also have a different number of strings; there are 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 stringed electric guitars. Rock n' roll is the genre that is most popularly associated with electric guitars, but they can also be seen in heavy metal, hard rock, jazz, and even classical music. In bands there are usually two electric guitars- lead, which plays the melody and guitar solos; and rhythm, which plays the chords and keeps the beat.
Bass
Bass guitars are similar to electric guitars; they too require pickups and an amplifier in order to be heard. However, they have longer necks. Standard tuning is E-A-D-G, but an octave lower than the electric guitar's strings. It is tuned the exact same way as a double-bass, which is basically a huge violin. The bass guitar was invented in the 1930's by Paul Tutmarc. Most basses have frets like electric guitars; modern ones have around 20-24. However, there are also fretless basses, which have a very distinct sound. The number of strings on a bass can vary, but the 4-stringed bass is the most common. There can also be 5 and 6- stringed basses. The bass can be played in a unique way that is not seen in other guitars: the "slap and pop" method. This is mostly seen in funk, it involves the player literally slapping the strings with their fingers to make a popping sound. The bass guitar is used in many genres of music; such as rock, metal, pop, funk, punk rock, country, blues, and jazz. It is a popular soloing instrument.
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