Try looking up these key words on the internet
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Try looking up these key words on the internet |
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- Guitar
Progress and further opportunities
Applying for lessons and further information |
The guitar is a stringed instrument of which there are three specific types which have their own music and technique.
The classical guitar originated in Spain and was very popular from the 19th century onwards. It is played with the fingers plucking the strings and is usually used for playing solo repertoire. This is the instrument that most young beginners start on because the nylon strings are kinder to the left hand fingers.
The steel-string acoustic guitar has a larger size body with all steel strings. This produces a brassy sound which is popular for accompanying singers and other instruments. It is usually played with a plectrum (pick) and can also be played with the fingers. Players who study this instrument tend to concentrate on learning chords and popular songs.
The electric guitar grew out of a need for the guitar to be heard in a band setting. It was developed in the USA and was used as rhythm accompaniment in a jazz band. There are two distinct types of guitar: the single coil pickup (Fender Stratocaster) produces a bright cutting sound (Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix), the double coil pickup (Gibson) produces a smoother sustained sound (Slash, Santana).
Players at primary school usually begin on the classical guitar and learn the proper techniques for playing solo guitar and reading music. After initial study players can join the Guitar Workshop and at grade three progress to the Croydon Youth Guitar Ensemble at the Centre for Young Guitarists. Players at secondary school usually choose to play one of the three instruments and study either grades or medals for classical, grade for electric. At present there is no grade assessment structure for the steel-string acoustic. |
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Download information sheets about classical, steel-string acoustic and electric guitar purchase here. |