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Arpeggio: When the notes of the chord are played one after the other, in sequence. (From the Italian word "arpeggiare", play the harp.)
Body: (can be either solid, hollow or semi-hollow) this is where the sound of the guitar is principally achieved. In a hollow-body acoustic guitar, the body is constructed from several pieces of very thin wood. In a solid body guitar, the only cavities in the body are to allow for the placement of electronics. In a semi-hollow body, acoustic chambers are strategically placed in the guitar to allow for greater resonation and a somewhat "bolder" tone. Popular woods for solid-body guitars include alder, ash and mahogany.
Bridge: this connects the ball ends of the strings to the body of the guitar.
Chord: More than one note played together at the same time.
Chromatic scale: The scale that uses only half-steps when ascending or descending, as opposed to diatonic, which follows the regular steps of the major or minor scales. For example: C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, etc.
Finger vibrato: A key lead guitar technique involving mainly the left hand where, after the note is played with the first (index) finger, the side of the knuckle of the finger is pressed against the bottom edge of the fretboard, and the hand is pivoted at the wrist, so as to produce a series of quick higher and lower pitches (called "vibrato") of the note and give it better sustain.
Half step: In guitar, an interval of one fret, while a full step is an interval of two frets.
Fretboard: A piece of maple, rosewood or ebony that is glued to the shaft of the neck. Frets are attached to the fretboard. The choice of wood affects the overall sound of the guitar. The darker the wood, the mellower the tone.
Hammer-on technique: (See also "pull-off technique.") Learn it by action: Play the 3rd fret, 3rd string with your index finger. Then, hammer with your ring finger down on the 5th fret (same string) without picking.
Headstock: the upper part of the neck. This is where the plain end of the strings are attached. Most headstock shapes are considered trademarks of their respective makers and helps distinguish one guitar from another.
Interval: The distance between two notes, the difference in pitch between them.
Lick: A term used to describe the rock and metal lead guitar phrases that generally involve string bending or other guitar techniques. It's a general term and licks are sometimes called riffs.
Muting (Palm muting): A right-hand technique where you lay the fleshy part of your right hand palm over the bridge saddles, so as to "muffle" the vibration of the strings and give a very interesting, percussive sound when playing cleanly or with distortion.
Neck: consists of three pieces: the shaft, the headstock and the fretboard. The fretting hand wraps around the neck to press strings down onto the fretboard in order to play various notes.
Neck Plate: (found on bolt-on neck instruments only) helps to secure the neck to the body by evenly distributing pressure among the screws used to attach the neck.
Note: A particular pitch, a certain sound specified by a letter. For example, C, A, G#.
Nut: a grooved piece of plastic, bone, graphite or brass that serves to separate the headstock from the neck.
Pentatonic scale: a five-tone minor scale. The pentatonic scale is the most common scale in blues, rock and metal lead guitar. (The word "pentatonic" means "five-tone" from "pente", greek word for "five").
Pickguard: generally only found on electric guitars, this is what connects the pickups and wiring assembly to the body of the guitar.
Pickups: these amplify the sound. At their simplest, magnetic pickups are basically electromagnets that will increase the volume of a string when an electrical current is passed through them. Magnetic pickups can be found on both electric and acoustic guitars. Acoustic guitars can employ two other pickup systems, piezo crystal undersaddle transducers and condenser microphones.
Preamp: only found on guitars with active electronics, a preamp shapes the sound of the pickup through volume, gain and equalization controls.
Pull-off: (See also "hammer-on technique.") The opposite of hammer-on. Learn it by action: Place your ring finger on the 5th fret, 3rd string, and your index finger on the 3rd fret (same string.) Pick the string, then pull your finger off the string to sound the 3rd fret. That's it!
Riff: A short, self-contained musical phrase which is repeated and is a basic building block of the song. Used mainly in rock and metal music.
Saddle: a piece of either steel, brass, bone or graphite that the strings pass over from the bridge to the rest of the guitar.
Scale: a sequence of notes that are played in an upward or downward order, and form a basic blueprint from which to build a melody, solo, or a song. A scale has a root, which is the primary note in it. Some examples are, the minor scale, or the major scale, and the pentatonic scale.
Shaft: this is the largest piece of wood in the neck. The main stability of the neck lies here, and it is also the surface which the fretboard is attached to and the truss rod runs through.
Slide: After you play the note, rapidly slide your finger down and off the neck. The emphasis is on the original pich, but you add a nice, indefinable decsending pitch to it. You can also use this in the opposite way, to slide UP to a note. Just pick the string as you touch the fretboard, and then slide your left finger up to that note. The emphasis here is on the target note, but you've added a nice effect by sliding TOWARDS it.
Strap Buttons: small metal pegs screwed into either side of the guitars body to allow for the attachment of a guitar strap.
String Trees: thin metal bars attached to the headstock halfway between the tuners and the nut. This helps to make sure that the string is at the proper height by the time it reaches the nut.
Truss Rod: a long curved piece of metal which has an allen key attachment at one end and secures to the base of the neck at the other. This rod runs lengthwise through the shaft of the neck. By turning the truss rod either clockwise or counterclockwise, the curvature of the neck can be properly adjusted.
Whole-step: In guitar, an interval of two frets, while a half step is an interval of one fret.
Tuners (also: tuning keys, tuning pegs): metal geared keys attached to the headstock of the guitar. The plain end of the guitar strings is wrapped around the tuners and tightened to regulate tuning and tension.
Wiring Harness: this consists of everything between the pickup and the output jack. This can take several forms, but generally consists of a pickup selector and one or two volume and or tone controls.
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