Guitars
Along with keyboards, guitars are usually responsible for playing chord progressions (rhythm guitar) and providing instrumental solos (lead guitar). The guitars also fill out the sound and punctuate the rhythms over the foundation laid by the rhythm section.
The role of a guitarist can vary widely depending on the style of music and the context. In Folk and World music, for example, acoustic guitars are more commonly used and there may be no drums involved. In this situation, the guitarist plays a percussive role as well as a harmonic one. In small intimate settings, the guitarist may even use fingerpicking and play intricate lines behind the singers.
In a Jazz group, the guitarist will improvise even when playing chord progressions. In fact, all the members of a Jazz band will improvise their parts, except for specific sections such as an intro or ending. Both acoustic and electric guitars are used in Jazz.
In a Rock band, electric guitars are by far the most common. In this situation there are usually clearly defined roles for rhythm and lead guitar. The rhythm guitarist locks in with the rhythm section and helps drive the momentum of the band, while the lead guitarist plays riffs (repeated patterns) and melodies in between lyrics, as well as improvising solos and playing responses to the singer. If you have a good lead guitarist, you can have lots of fun with call and response. Audiences like this too.
Electric guitars contain pickups which are like built in microphones that send the signal to the amplifier. The volume can be adjusted on both the guitar and the amplifier. When singing with a band using electric instruments, you may want to protect your hearing by using ear plugs, unless the band plays quietly. You could try using the old joke: How do you get a guitarist to turn down their Amp? (Put a sheet of music in front of them). But be prepared for the guitarist to retort: And how do you know when a singer is at your door? (They can’t find the key and they don’t know when to come in) – which is all the more reason to work on your theory and ear training.
Solid Body Electric
Hollow Body Electric
(semi acoustic)
Guitar Notation
Guitar music is written on a treble staff in standard notation. It also uses tablature, consisting of six lines representing the six strings of the guitar.
The Left Hand
The left hand fingers are numbered as such:
As in bass notation, a number placed on a lines indicates the fret location of a note.
This indicates the open (unfretted) 3rd string (a G note).
This indicates the 3rd fret of the 5th string (a C note).
This indicates the 1st fret of the 1st string (an F note).
Here is an example of guitar music written in both standard notation and tablature.
