Playing the Guitar - Acoustic Stylings
A more intricate method is fingerpicking, a technique which uses the thumb and tips of the fingers to strike individual strings. Fingertips, fingernails (which are usually grown longer for this specific purpose), fingerpicks which are attached to the thumb and fingers can all be used for fingerpick guitar playing.
The acoustic guitar is a very portable instrument. Lightweight and easily transportable it makes the perfect musical companion. The lowest tone string, the string you would strike first in a chord with a downward pick motion, is called the sixth string and each subsequent string is the fifth, fourth, third, second and first, respectively. Standard tuning is as follows:
Sixth string - low E
Fifth string - A
Fourth string - D
Third string - G
Second string - B
First string - E
The neck of an acoustic guitar is made up of the fretboard, frets, tuners and headstock. The neck also contains a truss rod which is a metal rod that runs through the inside of the neck. This rod works to keep the neck from succumbing to the tremendous tension created by the strings. The fretboard (fingerboard), with spacing created by frets, is where a guitarist depresses strings to create notes and chords.
The strings used on acoustic guitars are made of steel, nickel or bronze alloys. One end is ball shaped. This end is dropped into the appropriate hole at the bridge and generally a bridge pin is pushed into the hole to keep the ball end in place. The string is then run up the fretboard and attached to the appropriate machine tuner. The machine tuner is turned to wind the string around the tuner post until all slack is taken up and the proper tone achieved. There's a neat little plastic winder tool you can buy which makes turning the machine heads a lot quicker and easier.
The tone from a new set of strings is beautifully bright. Depending on how much you play and how much finger oil and sweat are transferred to the strings oxidation will inevitably set in and the strings will lose that brightness of tone. When that happens just put on a new set of strings.
Keep in mind that when you first start playing an acoustic steel string guitar your fingers will hurt. You must practice on a regular basis to toughen up your fingertips. There's no shortcut unfortunately. So there you have it, a little bit of information on the steel string acoustic guitar.
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