Uprising of Acoustic Guitar Music

The Uprising of Acoustic Music


There is a new sound in music that is rapidly becoming a sensation to our ears as well as an adapting technique in our pop culture. Acoustic music involves the production of sound without the means of electric or electronic equipment, although amplifers may be used to enhance the sound that is being produced through techniques of strumming and plucking. Both local and worldwide known pop and rock artists are incorporating acoustic sound into songs that have already been produced, giving them a new and intriguing sound. In the few upcoming pages of acoustic music, we will focus on a more popular acoustic style, the acoustic guitar.

How the Acoustic Guitar Became Popular
The acoustic guitar took on many forms before entering America. In the medival times, guitars had a different shape and consisted of only two or three strings. As the instrument evolved, more strings were added to create a more complex and variation of sounds. Steel wound strings replaced nylon strings to give the guitar a heavier and stronger sound. It is hard to predict when the acoustic guitar was actually created, but its contribution to pop culture is continuing to grow and evolve.

The Six Different Styles of Acoustic Guitars


Dreadnought Style- These are loud guitars designed to accompany singers. The dreadnought guitar, also known as the Western guitar, is full of sound and bass. These guitars are generally constructed from a full range of guitar tone woods like mahogany and spruce or from more exotic woods like Brazilian rosewood, lacewood, or jacaranda. The dreadnought guitar is the most commonly known acoustic guitar and is played by a variety of performers.

12 String Dreadnought Style-  The twelve string guitar is similar in construction and styling to the six string guitar. Although it has twelve strings rather than the usual six, the strings work in pairs tuned to the same notes; the first two pairs are tuned to exactly the same pitch while rest are tuned to the same notes one octave apart. This means that, although the twelve string has a fuller, richer timbre, the notes and chord shapes are the same as the standard six string. The additional string tension makes this guitar somewhat less than ideal for beginners. It's a great strumming guitar, but note bending is nearly impossible.

Cutaway Dreadnought Style-  Another style of dreadnaught guitar has a cutaway to allow access to the highest register. The cutaway's effect on the guitar's sound is a subjectfor debate but, the reality is that, if you want to play those frets, you have to be able to reach them. The assumption is that there is a loss of bass response due to the decrease in internal volume.

Parlor Style-  The term "parlor guitar" dates back to the days before recorded music where entertainment was conducted live and often in the parlors of those who were lucky enough to have them. Today, the term describes a size and style of guitar. Parlor guitars have smaller bodies than dreadnaughts and often are smaller than even classical guitars. Contrary to popular assumption, their reduced size isn't intended to accommodate smaller players but, rather to provide for a more even frequency response. In other words, bass, treble and all of the frequencies in between are the same volume. In an acoustically near perfect environment like a "parlor" or concert hall, this even frequency response is a must if the music isn't to be overwhelmed with bass.

Classical Style-  Classical guitars are characterized by the use of nylon (in the old days, cat gut) strings. Typically, these instruments have a wide neck and a very flat fingerboard. Some "old school" instructors feel that this is the only guitar a beginning guitarists should consider as the lighter string tension and greater string gauge are easy on the fingers. (These days, even inexpensive instruments can be extremely well made making them easy to play. So, buy a guitar that is appropriate for the style of music you wish to play.) Classical guitars are best suited for classical music so, it's best to stick to steel strings for most popular musical styles.

Jumbo Style-  Jumbo guitars are designed to be loud and full of bass. It's basically similar in function and usage to the dreadnaught. They're great guitars if well made. In some situations, the mid frequencies get lost, overpowered by the bass.

Edited by Zachary Miller

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