Guitar glossary

General Guitar Glossary

Parts of the Guitar:

Tuning machine/Tuning Pegs: You turn these to tune the strings to the correct pitch

Headstock: The ‘head’ of the guitar, tuning machines or pegs are fitted on the headstock

Nut: The strings ride over this. It holds them tight and in the proper location, also called top nut (near the headstock)

Saddle: a piece of bone attached to the bridge that lifts the strings to the desired height and transfers vibration through the bridge to the soundboard. The height of the saddle raises or lowers “action”—the distance between your strings and the fingerboard.

Body: The sound-producing chamber to which the neck and bridge are attached

Fingerboard and Neck: Where you place your left hand and play different notes

Frets: small metal bars that you press the string against to create a note

Sound Hole: The sound of the guitar is created within the body and emanates from here

Rosette: A decorative pattern around the sound hole

Face: The flat top surface of the guitar

Bridge base: the strings are attached to this

Sound board:– The top surface of the guitar or face. The sound hole is in this.

Accent: Special stress given to a musical note within a phrase.

Adagio: Indication that the music should be played at a speed not as slow as larghetto. 66 – 75 ticks per minute.

Allegro: Lively, or happy. Often used to indicate a fast piece, but not as fast as presto. 120 – 167 ticks per minute.

Andante: Indication of tempo (at a walking pace). 76 – 107 ticks per minute.

Bend: A guitar technique popular in blues and rock where the string is “bent” by pushing it across the fret (parallel to it) with your finger.

Capo: A device that acts like a barre going across a fret. It is used so that you can play open guitar chords in different keys.

Chika: The sound of a muted chord.

Chord: A combination of three or more tones sounded simultaneously.

Chord chart: Sometimes called a chord diagram, this is the standard notation used to represent chord fingerings on the fretboard of a guitar.

Gauge: The term used to describe a wire’s diameter, and in music to describe the thickness of an instrument string. String gauges are measured in thousandths of an inch. For example, the high E string used on many electric guitars is .009 gauge, or “9 thousandths of an inch”.

Half step: The smallest interval (see Interval below).

Interval: An interval is the distance between two pitches. In western music this is expressed numerically based on their distance from one another in a diatonic scale. For example, from the first note of the major scale to the third note the interval would be expressed as a major third as it is the third note of the scale. The smallest interval step is the semitone (or half step), which is the interval between two adjacent note in a chromatic scale. A whole tone (or whole step) is comprised of two semitones.

Larghetto: Indication that the music should be played at a tempo not quite so slow as largo. 60 – 65 ticks per minute.

Largo: Indication that the music should be played slowly, in a broad manner. 40 – 59 ticks per minute.

Major Chord: A chord with three notes called a triad  (see definition below), that combines the first, third, and fifth notes of a major scale. Major chords have a happy or cheerful sound.

Measures: Sections of music organized with a certain number of beats determined by the time signature. For example, one measure in 4/4 time might be made up of four quarter (1/4) notes, or 8 eighth (1/8th) notes.

Melody: A rhythmically organized sequence of single tones so related to one another as to make up a particular musical phrase or idea.

 Metronome: A device that marks time at a steady beat in adjustable intervals, to help keep a steady beat while playing music.

Minor chord: A chord with three notes called a triad (see definition below), that combines the first, flatted third, and fifth notes of a major scale. Minor chords have a darker, melancholy sound.

Moderato: Moderate, as in a moderate speed. 108 – 119 ticks per minute.

Muting: Touching played strings lightly to deaden their sound.

Note: A single sound, or its representation in music notation.

Open string: A string that is sounded without being held down with the left hand.

Palm muting: A technique in which the palm of the right hand is laid on the strings just above the bridge, so that the strings are slightly muffled; this is different from muting, where the strings are deadened.

Pick guard/ Golpeador: A plate located on the body of the guitar to protect it from getting scraped by the pick.

Pickups: Electrical apparatus on the body of electric guitars which converts sound into electrical signals.

Pitch: A distinct musical note.

Prestissimo: Very fast indeed. Faster than presto. 181 – 208 ticks per minute.

Presto: Fast. Indication that the music be played at a fast tempo. 168 – 180 ticks per minute.

Reference notes: Properly tuned notes used to tune another instrument by comparison.

Rhythm: A regular pattern formed by a series of notes of differing duration and stress.

Riff: A short musical phrase that a song is based on.

Root: The note from which a chord is built. For example, the root of the A minor chord is the A note.

Sound hole: An opening cut into the body of the guitar to allow sound to project.

Syncopation: Stressing a beat which is normally weak.

Guitar Tabs or Tablature: A system of notation using letters, numbers and symbols to indicate finger placement and notes sequences for playing a musical piece on a specific instrument (guitar, bass, etc.).

Tempo: Rate of speed at which music is played, usually expressed in beats per minute (BPM).

Tie: A curved line connecting two identically-pitched notes, implying that only the first note is to be plucked, and the note is sustained for the entire duration of the two notes combined.

Triad: A chord made of three notes usually spaced as every other note in a scale.