National Guitar Day: Know the hallowed stringed instrument

Each year on February 11, the National Guitar Day strikes a chord with music lovers and musicians alike. This musical day honours one of the most iconic and versatile instruments in the world —the guitar. Whether you’re a beginner strumming your first chords or a seasoned professional shredding on stage, today is the perfect time to appreciate the instrument that has shaped countless music genres and inspired generations.

 The National Guitar Day has been celebrated since the early 1990s when it was created to honour the beloved instrument that’s been a part of our lives for centuries.

 The guitar’s roots trace back over 4,000 years. Records show stringed instruments appeared in ancient civilisations, such as Mesopotamia and Egypt. It wasn’t until the 16^th century the modern guitar evolved in Spain, later gaining popularity worldwide.

 From the classical guitar to the electric and bass guitars, its influence spans across folk, rock, jazz, blues, and pop music. The oldest preserved guitar is believed to be from around 1581 and was built by Belchior Dias in Portugal, whereas the longest guitar solo on record lasted over 100 hours.

 And here are the different types of guitars:

 Acoustic

This is the most popular type that comes to mind when someone mentions the word guitar. Although there are some variations regarding the shape, all acoustic guitars work in the same way. Once one of the strings is plucked, the string vibration goes through the bridge to the top, side, and back wood of the body, and then resonates through the air inside the body, making the sound. There are different types of acoustic guitars, regarding body shape. Some of the most common are dreadnought, double-O and grand auditorium.

 Classic

Classic guitar features a few significant differences compared to acoustic guitars. The first thing you’ll heed is the string material. While acoustic guitars are steel string guitars, a modern classical guitar features nylon strings (natural materials were used in the past). As a result, the tone is notably different. While acoustic guitars sound bright and sharp, classical guitars sound soft and mellow. The other notable difference is in the fretboard design. Classical guitars feature wider fretboards, which work better for techniques like fingerpicking. On the other hand, an acoustic guitar is more about strumming and playing with a pick.

 Electric

Compared to acoustic and classical guitars, electric guitars can’t produce a sound that’s loud enough to be played without an amplifier. Initially, electric guitars were designed for jazz players. The body is made from a solid piece of wood, so there is no resonator box. Instead, string vibrations are picked up by pickups, which turn the sound into an electrical signal, which is reproduced as sound by loudspeakers. Electric guitars are also characterised by thin and comfortable necks, which allow unparalleled playability, especially for single-note soloing. The most typical thing about an electric guitar is the tone, which can be altered in so many ways. That can be done by preamps, pedals, digital processors, and many other ways.

 Bass

A bass guitar can be either electric or acoustic, though the electric bass guitar is more popular. Compared to other guitar types, it usually features four strings, though we can find five or six-string bass models. This guitar is notably bigger and features a longer scale, which allows the use of thicker strings that can be tuned in a much lower, bass tonal range.

 Electroacoustic

Commonly known as acoustic-electric guitars, this guitar type is somewhere halfway between acoustic and electric guitars. The overall design is pretty much the same as on acoustic guitars. However, they also feature pickups, which allows them to be much louder. The general idea of an electro-acoustic guitar is to sound like an acoustic guitar but louder.