How Do Guitars Work?

Significance

Throughout history, people have developed and innovated many varieties of music as well as instruments. In the early stages people used instruments such as violins, pianos, and flute (not yet modernized). However, one of the most popular instruments today is a more modern string instrument designed to amplify vibrations through space. That is the guitar. The guitar is a symbol of modern music as it utilizes many scientific and mathematical concepts.

Design

Acoustic guitars are shaped like a peanut in the front with a long bar attached to it (when put simply). The so-called “peanut-shape” is the body which consists of the sound hole, the sound board, the pic guard, the side and back of the body, the bridge, and the bridge saddle. The long arm that is attached to the body is called the fretboard which consists of the heel, the neck, the machine heads, and the nut. Each of these parts play an important role in the production of sound and changing of pitch in the guitar. However, this is not all.

Another main type of guitar is the electric guitar which does not use the same essential principles as the acoustic guitar. The electric guitar is far more complex starting from the body itself. It consists of the pickups, the strap pegs, the vibrato arm, the strings, the volume and tone controls, the bridge, the input jack, and the pickup switch. The finger board consists of the frets, the headstock, the tuning machines, the neck, and the fret markers. 

Scientific and mathematical concepts

The acoustic guitar utilizes hollow space within its body to amplify sound. When plucking the string, the vibrations travel through the soundhole. After bouncing against the walls it exits the body through the sound hole creating the sound we hear. However, the beauty of the guitar lies with its ability to create multiple sounds at once (chords and changes in pitch). This involves the size of the string as well as the fret-board. The smaller a string the higher its pitch will be. Another important factor has to do with the tuning of the guitar. When tuning, you are essentially increasing the tension of a string which increases the pitch. This is why tuning is important when playing the guitar. Finally, the last most important factor is when you press on a certain area on the fretboard, you are giving only that much room for the string to vibrate, which changes the pitch as well.

The electric guitar works in a different way. Due to the fact that there is no sound hole, an amplifier is needed in order to hear the electric guitar’s sound. While it utilizes the same essential principles with the tuning and fingerboard, the amplification process is vastly different. The electric guitar sends electrical signals indicating different sound which is sent through the wire which is attached to the input jack which finally reaches the amplifiers/speakers. 

Summary

In general, both acoustic and electric guitars are one of the most significant symbols of modernized music. Using many important yet simple concepts, guitars are able to create sound and music for us to enjoy. 

Citations

Nate. (2021, May 11). The Parts of the Acoustic Guitar Diagram. Six String Acoustic. https://sixstringacoustic.com/the-parts-of-the-acoustic-guitar-diagram. 

Electric Guitar Diagram, Parts and other Essentials. Electric Guitar Parts Diagram, String, Finger Numbering and etc… (n.d.). https://f-guitar.com/parts-of-electric-guitar.html. 

How Guitar Strings and Frets Work. dummies. (n.d.). https://www.dummies.com/art-center/music/guitar/how-guitar-strings-and-frets-work/.