This page will help you to understand some of the words used by guitar players.
This will help you understand the lessons better and you can impress people at parties.
Strings
Steel strings – for acoustic and electric guitars. The thicker strings are wound with bronze.
Nylon strings – for classical guitars. This is softer and doesn’t hurt your fingers so much, but nylon strings are not really for rock and blues.
Order – E A D G B E
E string – The thick one with the low note is called the “Bottom E” or “Bottom string” The thin one with the high sound is called the “Top E” or “Top string”
Plectrum – a plastic tool for strumming or picking the strings. You can get different shapes and different thicknesses for different sounds (I use my fingers).
Chords
Open chord –that includes one or more open strings.
Bar chord - a chord shape that requires a finger to bar all the strings behind the shape.
Capo – a tool that attaches to the neck to adjust the key of the played chords.
About the Guitar
Parts of the guitar
Body – the large part of a guitar. The part you have on your lap.
Neck – the long thin part which the strings traverse.
Head – at the top of the neck. It is where the strings are wound up.
Machine head – on the head. These are turning machines for tuning the guitar.
Bridge – on the body of the guitar. This is the part where the strings start to live.
Frets – these are thin metal struts that run across the fingerboard. They allow notes to emerge.
Fretboard or fingerboard – the part where you put you fingers. Often made from rosewood or maple.
Pickup – this is the part of the electric guitar that picks up the vibration of the strings.
Tremelo - this is part of an electric guitar that lets you adjust the pictch of the notes as you are playing (sometimes called a whammy bar).
