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