Unit+4

What are the fundamental //skills// needed to perform on your instrument? Create a "How to" Pamphlet

1. Playing Mechanics



 The guitar produces its sounds through the vibrations of its strings after being plucked. The vibrations from the strings are sent to the wood of the guitar, which sends out the vibrations in the form of a sound. The strings are made out of metal, which is usually steel., but the four lower strings are rapped tightly in a small coil of nickle or bronze (normally only three strings on an electric guitar). The nut at the top of the neck allows the strings to only vibrate in between the nut and the bridge. The strings create a musical note with a frequency pattern when they are plucked. The thin wood of an acoustic guitar picks of the vibrations easily and the box shape of a guitar lets the wood transfer the vibrations to the air inside a guitar. The sound is then amplified in the air after it is sent out the hole in the top of the guitar. An electric guitar has pickups which turn the vibrations into an electric single, which is then amplified using an amplifier. Different notes and frequencies are created when the frets limit the vibrations from the string.

2. Posture/Grip:



 For the proper hand position while, your fretboard hand should be shaped in a cupped way. Your thumb should put pressure on the back part of the neck nearly opposite your middle finger. In order to apply pressure with all fingers more easily, you can move your thumb a little towards your ring finger. In most cases, your wrist should not bend and remain as straight as possible. You should have a relaxed posture. You should hold your guitar against your stomach. Your bicep should be resting on the back of the body of the guitar. When standing, make sure the strap is not to long and is held at a comfortable level.

3. Breathing/Tone production:



The most significant things that will affect your guitar tone is the switches that switch between your pickups and the tone knobs on your guitar. The knobs on the guitar can adjust how much treble and bass you want. In terms of the pickup position, the closer the position is to the neck, the more soft the sound is and the closer the position is to the bridge, the  more bright the sound is. The type of pickups can also affect the guitar sound and tone. Single-coil pickups tend to give a better clean sound where humbucker pickups tend to give a better distorted sound. You can also adjust your tone using common amp settings such as gain, bass, mid, reverb, and treble. Effects pedals can also change your tone with effects like delay, flanger, wah-wah, phaser, chorus, and pitch shifter.