Parts of the Guitar – Acoustic Guitar Basics
Parts of the Guitar – Acoustic Guitar Basics, There a few basic components of the guitar that you will need to know throughout your guitar playing. It is quite important for you to know the names and the terms about the structure of the guitar, so you know what discussed throughout these lessons. So, let’s get right into it. Looking at the acoustic guitar pictured to your right we will go through every component:
Headstock
This is the part of the guitar where the strings are wound around the tuning pegs and where you control the tuning of your guitar.
Tuners
The tuners (also called Machine Heads) located at the top of the headstock. By turning the tuners one way or another, you are tightening or loosening the strings. This will give you different sounds making the string pitch higher or lower. You want either use an online tuner available or you can purchase an electronic tuner. Electronic tuners are simpler since you do not need to use your ear to tune the guitar.
Nut
This is located at the top of the guitar neck and used to hold and distance the strings apart from one another.
Neck
The neck harnesses the fingerboard where you will be pushing down on the strings to make different chords or notes. This is a critical piece to the guitar. If the neck is bent or warped, the guitar will not be able to hold a tune.
purchasing a guitar you should hold the guitar to the side and look down the neck. If you see any “bows” in the neck? Put it down and move on. Most new guitars, however, have necks that very well built.
Sound Hole
This is where the acoustic guitar gets its sound. When the strings vibrate through the hollow part of the guitar, it amplifies the sound. Different guitar bodies will give you different sounds depending on how they’re built.
Body
This is the overall base of the guitar and is its main construction. Body sizes and dimensions will give you different sounds. These sounds range from higher to deeper tones. The size and shape of the body are what you should be looking at for the sound you are trying to get.
Bridge
The bridge is where the strings connected at the bottom of the guitar right below the soundhole. The bridge is very important. If the bridge is too high off the guitar creating a high action(the distance between the fretboard and strings)…. You will have to place a lot more pressure on the strings to get them to connect with the frets. A low action is what you are looking for. This will relieve your hands and fingers with the least amount of stress. In addition, you can play a lot faster with a lowered action. action that is too low though will give you a buzzing sound as the strings hit the frets. Different actions can achieve by adjusting the neck and bridge.
Saddle
The saddle is a bone or plastic piece that inserted in the bridge. This is what the strings lay on and can cut and adjusted to give you better intonation and action.
