Guitars - One For Each Style
By Michael Russell

Guitar players cover a number of styles of music, from blues to jazz to rock to pop to speed metal and on and on. And since every style of music is different and every guitar is different, it would then seem a natural conclusion that each style of music is going to have a guitar that is more suited for that style. So, the question, for those who are considering taking up the guitar and getting their first one is, what guitar do you get? If you're interested in jazz do you get the same kind of guitar as somebody who wants to play speed metal? Well, it might be an interesting experiment, but most likely the answer would be, no. So, what guitar should each person get, depending on what kind of music they want to play? Hopefully this article will try to answer that question.

Music is very diverse to say the least. Even within each style there are variations. For example, in rock there is hard rock, soft rock, metal, acid and a host of other sub categories. The sounds and more specifically, the dynamics of each are quite different. While The Eagles and the Allman Brothers might both be considered country or southern rock, depending on which side of the fence you're on, their sounds are quite different. So without nitpicking we're going to take the broad approach over the specific.

If you're going to play music that is relatively soft such as folk music, you probably don't want to get yourself a Rickenbacker electric guitar. Most likely you'll want an acoustic guitar with a nice mellow and round tone. Why acoustic? Well, by the nature of the guitar itself it's a lot softer. Sure, you can turn down an electric guitar's volume but it's more than just that. Acoustic guitars are much easier to control dynamics on. The reason is because the sound is not artificially amplified. If you pluck the string softly you're going to get a soft tone. If you pluck it harder, you'll get a louder tone. Of course an acoustic guitar is never going to get up to the volume of an electric unless you mic it.

On the other side of the spectrum, if you're going to be playing in a heavy metal band, your acoustic guitar, with all the other instruments playing, such as keyboards, bass and drums, won't even be heard. Plus the tone quality of the guitar itself just won't fit into that kind of music. By their nature, electric guitars have a sharper and harder sound. Add distortion effects to them, which are hard to do with acoustics and you've got a sound that is quite unique. That's why there are so many different electric guitar sounds.

Obviously, this is a very general overview of style to guitar choice. You can get a lot more specific, such as what type of acoustic do you get if you're a country guitar player as opposed to somebody who plays jazz? John Denver based on lot of his patented sound on 12 string guitars while Harry Chapin stayed more with the traditional 6 strong acoustic.

Maybe for a future article we'll dive more deeply into the finer points of picking a guitar based on the style of music you play.

Various Types of Guitars
By Steve Krenz

When it comes to guitars there is no one size fits all. There are several types and varieties of guitars to choose from and each have their own genres and sound. This is why so many people who sell guitars do not ask what type you want. Rather, they ask what kind of music you play. The answer you give is what is going to help you decide whether you want to play acoustic guitar, classical guitar, electric guitar or any of the other variety of guitars that you can choose from.

The acoustic guitar is one of the most popular. Made of thin wood they are used in all types of music but are best known in folk, country, and acoustic rock. It is hollow bodied which means that it doesn't need amplification, although it can be added to an amplifier to send the sound out further. It is not considered to be an electric guitar however because you can play it without amplifying it and get the same exact sound. If you do not amplify an electric guitar it sounds very different and ends up with a twang type of sound. An electric guitar has a solid body although some are semi-hollow which gives it a warmer sound then the solid body guitar. An electric guitar is known for its harder sound such as what you find in rock and roll. Both acoustic and electric guitars also have varieties within the genre itself.

The classic guitar, also known as a nylon-string guitar is used for classical style music. This simply means that it is great for folk songs, flamenco style playing as well as ballads. They have a warm, full bodied sound which make them great for chord plucking and nail strumming. They are slightly smaller than a traditional acoustic guitar with wider necks and strings made of nylon rather than steel.

The hollow body guitar is a form of an electric guitar. Simply put, they are electric guitars with chambers that are cut into the body which gives a more resonating sound. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes just as the electric guitars do. They are perfect for playing jazz and blues music because of the deep, loud sound that comes from them when played.

Another great variety of guitar is the steel guitar. Furthest from the traditional guitars, it takes the most training to learn how to play and is one of the hardest guitars to play in general. It is played flat on its back rather than holding it up, and the strings stand about half of an inch above the fretboard. This gives it a sound that is quite different. In fact, it is more of a crying sound then it is a warm sound. The steel guitar is used a lot in the old style of country music but can still be found in some of the country music bands that are playing today.

Again, the variety within these groups is vast. You can play a steel acoustic guitar with either 6 or 12 strings. Then there is the acoustic bass guitar, the electric bass guitar and so many more. When choosing any guitar, the music you want to play will lead you in the right direction to choosing the best guitar for you.