Fingerpicking (f???g?rp??k??) is the technique where a guitar player uses his/her fingers to play, instead of a pick. This is most commonly accomplished by using the thumb to play low notes on the low E, A, and D strings and any combination of the other fingers to play the high notes on the G, B, and high e strings. One popular version of this technique is “Travis Picking” in which the player alternates between thumb and fingers. Another variation is “Hybrid Picking” in which the player uses a pick in place of the thumb but still uses the fingers for the high notes.
The Wah-Wah Pedal (w??- w?? p??d?l) is a guitar effect pedal that mimics the sound of the human voice, and was originally meant to imitate the tone of a muted trumpet. Operated by stepping on the pedal and applying varying degrees of pressure with the toe or heel, pushing the wah-wah pedal forward creates increasingly higher frequencies, resulting in more vivid cry-like tones and allowing guitarists to accent music in a unique way.
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The Volume Knob (v??lyum n??b) is the primary way to electronically adjust the volume on an electric guitar or an amplifier. On the guitar, the Volume Knob will usually have a range of settings from “0”, which will essentially mute the instrument, to “10”, which is for full output. Depending upon the guitar and amp combination, the range of volume settings between 0 and 10 can also affect the tone, especially when using a distortion pedal. Turning the volume knob down may clean up the sound, while turning it up will increase distortion and sustain.
The Twelve (12) String Guitar (tw??lv str??? g?t??r) is a type of guitar with a regular course of 6 strings and an additional set of strings tuned in unison for the 1st and 2nd string and an octave higher for the remaining 3rd to 6th strings which creates a louder, fuller, more harmonic sound. The resulting sound is full of overtones and is popular primarily for ensemble playing.
Gibson, Martin, and later, Guild offered acoustic 12-strings in a range of body sizes. The 12-String guitar first gained prominence in the folk music revival of the 1950’s. The electric 12-string guitar was initially popularized by a Rickenbacker in the 1960’s by the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” and subsequent songs by the Byrds and the Jefferson Airplane. Electric 12-strings are often used for their chimey, chorused sound for effect, but rarely as the primary sound of a group.
A guitar Tuner (tuners) is a device that is used to tell if a certain string has the correct amount of tension to make its desired tone. Tuners come in digital, analog or non-electric forms. Analog guitar tuners use a needle to indicate whether a string is flat or sharp and have a midpoint line that indicates that the string is in tune. Digital guitar tuners use either a digital version of the analog tuner system or a series of lights that move to the left if the string is flat, and to the left if the string is sharply out of tune.
A Truss Rod (tr??s r??d) is a rod that runs under the fret board of a guitar that is used to stabilize the neck of the instrument so that string tension is constant. Truss rods can be made of wood or graphite, but are most frequently made from steel. There is no standard location for a truss on a guitar. On older guitars, the truss tends to be hidden; on newer models, the truss is usually just above the headstock or slightly inset by the point where the tuners are located.
The curvature of a guitar
The Tone Knob (ton n?b) on a guitar is a built-in equalizer that controls the high and low frequencies produced by the guitar
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