| An acoustic guitar is one that relies solely | | | | evolve according to the popular music of the |
| on acoustic methods to project the sound | | | | day |
| produced by its strings. Interestingly, the | | | | |
| term "acoustic guitar" was not coined until | | | | Today, acoustic guitars actually fall into |
| the invention of the electric guitar made it | | | | two categories, those with steel strings and |
| necessary to differentiate between the two. | | | | those with nylon strings; and within these |
| Most people are familiar with the appearance | | | | two categories, there are a variety of |
| of an acoustic guitar. Made of wood, hollow, | | | | subcategories. Those guitars with nylon |
| and usually possessing six strings stretched | | | | strings include the Renaissance, Baroque, |
| over a "sound hole" on its face, an acoustic | | | | Romantic, Classical (considered the modern |
| guitar is the image that many people | | | | version of the original guitar), and Flamenco |
| associate with the word "guitar." | | | | guitars. Those with steel strings include the |
| | | | Resonator, Archtop, Battente, Lap steel, |
| Instruments related to what we would call a | | | | Lyre, twelve string, and basic steel-string |
| guitar have been in existence for at least | | | | guitars. Not surprisingly, considering the |
| 5,000 years. As best we can tell, the guitar | | | | variety of instruments within each category, |
| seems to have evolved from an instrument | | | | acoustic guitars can be used in many |
| called the cithara (lat.), which was used in | | | | different kinds of music, from country, to |
| ancient central Asia. While it may have been | | | | rock, to jazz. Indeed, both historically and |
| widely used for thousands of years, there is | | | | in modern times, acoustic guitars are much |
| little hard evidence of its use until the | | | | more varied in their design and construction |
| Middle Ages. At that time, guitars with | | | | than their electric cousins. |
| three, four, and five strings are known to | | | | |
| have existed and been popular. | | | | No matter the category, all acoustic guitars |
| | | | rely on a soundboard and a resonant cavity to |
| By the time of the Renaissance, which began | | | | produce a discernable sound. The body of a |
| in the 14th century, the instrument was | | | | guitar is hollow. When the strings stretched |
| firmly established enough to warrant its own | | | | over the sound hole are caused to vibrate, |
| name, this being the Renaissance guitar. This | | | | they pass that vibration on to the |
| guitar, sometimes called a gittern, was | | | | soundboard. Because the soundboard possesses |
| carved from a single piece of wood, had four | | | | a larger surface area, it displaces a larger |
| strings, and was noticeably smaller than the | | | | volume of air. The result is a louder sound |
| guitars of today. After the end of the | | | | than can be produced by the strings alone. |
| Renaissance, the guitar continued to be a | | | | This sound is then increased once again by |
| popular musical instrument. The classic | | | | the resonant cavity, or the hollow space |
| appearance with which we are familiar was | | | | within the guitar. At no time is any external |
| created by Antonio Torres Jurado in the | | | | energy or equipment used to increase the |
| middle of the 19th century. However, as | | | | sound produced by an acoustic guitar, which |
| evinced by the plethora of instrument styles | | | | is, of course, what makes it fundamentally |
| available today, the guitar continues to | | | | different from an electric guitar. |