Acoustic Guitars and their cousins

Acoustic Guitars and their folky cousins

Other influences on the sound of the guitar

The Truss Rod:

When it comes to the stability and playability of the guitar neck, the guitar truss rod is a critical component of any guitar. Without it, the playability of the instrument cannot be effectively controlled over time as the instrument responds to the changes in its environment and to different sets of strings and playing styles.

The Acoustic Guitar

The size of the soundhole also affects the tone and volume of the guitar. A smaller hole tends to give a richer, lower tone.

A nut made of bone is generally regarded as better for tuning stability than a plastic or ivory alternative.

Scale Length:

Scale length is the mathematical factor that determines the spacing of the frets.

Also, the position of the saddle and the nut are related to the position of the frets.

The scale length of a guitar affects its tone and playability. A shorter scale length means there's less tension on the strings, so the sound is warmer, and easier to bend notes with.

The average acoustic guitar has a scale length of 25 inches.

Acoustic Guitars vary in their sound and quality of consistent resonance, by the wood that is used for its body.

The tone of the guitar is created by the vibration of the wood when the strings are played.

Most acoustic bodies have a bottom of a heavier wood, such as mahogany, and a lighter wood, such as spruce, for the top.

Guitars made from laminates, which are thinner sheets of wood glued together, are cheaper to buy.

...but they can’t match the tone of solid-bodied guitars.

Mandolins, Mandolas, Mandocellos and the Octave Mandolin

There are many many variations of different fretted stringed instruments, from different cultures, such as the early predecessors of the previous instruments like lute and the cittern. There is also the dulcimer, the resonator guitar, the oud, and the harp guitar. All have similar playing styles and relatable properties.

The Mandolin is a very familiar instrument used in many acoustic ensembles like Celtic folk music, traditional European music or American bluegrass.

Standard scale length of a mandolin is 14".

Standard tuning for a mandolin is GDAE from bass to treble.

Note the double strings; this gives the mandolin family the powerful resonant sound.

The mandolin in the diagram to the left is an "f-hole" mandolin. You will either find mandolins with "f" holes, or oval shaped holes.

You will also find variants in the shape of the body; either a pear shape or built with a scroll on one side, like the below.

The scroll is purely decoration and doesn't change the sound of the mandolin.

The Parts of the Guitar

The Mandolin in action

"Genre bending" Chris Thile playing Bach on the mandolin

Acclaimed Mandolin player Mark O'Connor

The Mandola and the Mandocello

The Mandocello is bigger, with a scale length of 24 inches (same as some guitars) and tuned an octave below the mandola (CGDA)

The Mandola is slightly bigger

with a scale length of 16 inches

It is tuned to CGDA - a fifth

lower than the mandolin.

(the relationship between this and the mandolin is similar to that between the viola and the violin.

Renowned mandolin player

talks about the mandocello

Steve Knightley playing the mandocello

As mentioned before, the scale length of the fretboard, the quality of the nut and the types of wood that the guitar is made from all have an influence on the quality of the guitar.

Machine heads also play a part in the consistency of tuning with a guitar. Some players buy new machine heads after the guitar comes from the factory, to give them more tuning stability.

So...just one final slide on tunings and the versatility of the guitar...

Here Andy McKee plays the rhythm, melody and harmony of "Africa"

The Bouzouki

The Irish developed the Greek bouzouki, flattened the back and changed the tuning to suit Irish traditional music.

This variant is tuned to GDAD (and sometimes GDAE). The scale length of the Irish bouzouki is between 25 and 27 inches, so a much longer neck than the mandolin!

Michael Hedges started as a fingerstyle performer, one of the pioneers of touch guitar style, then used a plectrum a lot for his later work...

Placing pick ups inside the body gives more percussive options when playing in this touch guitar style...

Latin American fretted string instruments

The Bouzouki originally

came from Greece, and is

a development from the

European lute. In Greece

it was tuned to CFAD and like

the mandolin family, they are 8

strings in 4 pairs, tuned octaves apart.

(C3, C4, F3, F4 etc)

Its scale length is between 19 and 25 inches.

Strings, capos and playing styles

Strings play an enormous part in the quality of sound.

High quality strings and size of gauge used determine the tension, the volume and the pressure needed by the player for playing them.

Strings referred to in terms of ‘a set of 11s’ or ‘a set of 12s’. This relates to the measurements given to individual strings.

Essentially, the thickness of each string is measured in inches. In a set of 11s, the thinnest ‘E’ string is 0.011 of an inch. This dictates the thickness of the set of strings.

Electric guitars tend to have thinner strings, with '9s' and '10s' more popular than the acoustic guitar's preferred '11s', '12s' and '13' gauge strings.

the subtlety and soul

of a strummed guitar....

Ben Howard using the tuning: C,F,C,G,F,C

Machete de Baja - D,G,C,E

The Cuban Tres - G,C,E

Playing styles:

There are many ways to play a guitar, and these styles require different action and string gauge.

Capos:

Capos are placed on the frets of a guitar to shift the base notes of every string.

Due to intonation limitations of guitar design, fret height variances, capo tension differences (from one capo to another) capo placement (how close to the fret the capo is placed), string gauge, scale length and action the capo can sometimes change more than just the pitch of the note.

Unwanted buzz can occur from a badly placed capo.

Likewise, a capo can expose a guitar with bad intonation.

Mark Knopfler talks through the clawhammer finger style playing technique

Lindsay Buckingham's fingerpicking style

Iron Maiden on the bouzouki

To finish off, instruments that at a distance looks like guitars....the Octave Mandolin and the Tenor Guitar.

Note the use of tapping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, harmonics and open strings. This style of playing is most frequently done in alternative "open" tunings.

Cuatro - A,D,F#,B

Again, it's 8 strings, in 4 pairs, this time tuned to

GDAE, an octave below the mandolin. (hence the name)

Its scale length and style of body shape is the same as the guitar.

The Tenor Guitar was developed by Gibson and Martin to allow banjo players to play the guitar with the same voicings. Its tuned to CGDA, and has the same shape and body as a guitar.

Again, the "open" tunings allow for easy playing of folk melodies.

Tenor guitars were for a long time almost exclusively American, but British artists like Seth Lakeman have been increasing the awareness of the tenor guitar.