Guitar Lingo

Everyone has been fascinated by the guitar at some point in their lives. So whether it is just for fun or to be a professional guitarist, learning to play the guitar is something most people want to do. But before you go out there and sign up with some guitar lessons, it would be wise to learn some of guitar lingo.

Parts of the Guitar:

• Headstock is the top of the guitar where the tuners are attached.
• Tuners, also called the pegs are the little knobs on the guitar that adjust the pitch of the strings.
• Nut is the small section with grooves in it between the headstock and the neck of the guitar.
• Neck is the fingerboard or is also called the fret board of the guitar. It is the long section between the nut and the body of the guitar.
• Body is the sound box of the guitar. It is the largest part of the guitar and can vary in density. For classical and acoustic guitars the body is hollow and for electric guitars it is solid.
• Bridge is attached to the body of the guitar and is the part where the other ends of the strings of the guitar are attached.
• Pick-up is a small piece that picks up sounds in electric guitars and is attached to the body of the electric guitar.
• Fret can be two things in a guitar. It can be the space between the horizontal metal strips on the neck of the guitar or the strips themselves.

Accessories of an Electric Guitar

• Processor is the device that electronically alters the sound of the guitar. It replaces the traditional distortion pedal. The processor can be operated by foot and can give appealing effects.
• Amplifier is like a speaker; it emits sound for the electric guitar. Some models have the ability to make multiple adjustments and distortion.
• Pedal is also called the distortion pedal, effects pedal or the pedal board. The pedal can be turned on and off by the foot of the guitarist and it works great to make changes to the sounds of the guitar.
• Cable is what connects the guitar to the amp, processor and distortion pedal.
• Capo is used when you need to hold down all the strings to shorten their length to get different sound changes.

Other Lingo

Gig bag is a kind of carrying case for the guitar and is less bulky than the traditional hard guitar case. Pick is the small triangular nylon piece you use between your thumb and index finger to stroke the strings of the guitar.