Aspiring artist are always trying to expand their learning to become more versatile musicians. Having several skills makes these young artists more desirable to large music publishing companies. If you're one such artist trying to expand your skills as a musician, you might need a little help.
There are several ways you can expand your learning abilities, including learning different songs, learning to dance, or learning how to play a new type of instrument. There are several instruments that you could learn to play, some of which include the following:
· Violin
· Piano
· Organ
· Drums
· Guitars
While there is a wide range of options to choose from, most young artists opt for the guitar.
A guitar is a very popular musical instrument and has a diverse range that you can choose from. Guitars range in sizes, types, sound, shape, and more. Guitars are a great way to enhance your skills. Once you learn to play the guitar, you can perform in a group, go for auditions, or entertain your friends at a private campfire.
Once you learn to play the guitar, there are a number of advantages that you can take out from this skill. Before we move forward with more information about the types of guitars, let's first take a look at all the benefits you can get from playing the guitar – let's begin!
Benefits of Playing the Guitar
As an aspiring artist, taking on some extra skills will only help enhance your overall profile. Here are some of the benefits that you can gain from learning to play the guitar:
· It helps improve your memory.
· Makes you a more versatile musician
· Develops social skills and teamwork.
· Helps you improve your coordination.
· Enhances your self-confidence.
· It helps improve your concentration.
Moreover, the benefits of learning to play the guitar are not limited to the ones mentioned above, but these are some of the most common benefits of learning how to play the instrument. Moving on, let's discuss some of the things you should know if you're thinking about exploring the guitar skills.
Everything a Guitarist Needs to Know
Music theory is one of the many things that a musician should know before stepping into their career. However, there are several things that a guitarist needs to know, including the following:
· The ability to read standard sheet music.
· How open position notes work.
· The basics of music theory.
· Basic open position chords.
· Strumming patterns.
· Tune their guitar by ear.
· They should be aware of the pentatonic, minor, and major scales.
Now that you're aware of the basics of guitars let's dive into the types of guitars and their sizes to help you pick out one that suits you best. Let's begin!
Different Types of Guitars
We know how exciting beginner artists can get about buying a new guitar – so, if you have ever been to a musical instrument shop, you know there are tons of guitars that you can choose from. There are several types of guitars; each has a different purpose, different size, and therefore different prices. Let's take a look at some of the most common types of guitars that you can choose from!
Classical Guitars
We all know the age-old wooden acoustic guitar that we've seen some of the dreamiest movie stars carry around in rom-coms. Classical guitars, or Spanish guitars, are among the most popular and common types of guitars available in the market.
These are used to play classical music or Spanish-style music – they are extremely easy to use and have an attractive exterior. Unlike other types of guitars that use steel strings, classical guitars use nylon strings to give a more comfortable and easy way to play the instrument. These guitars are also comparatively smaller than other guitars, which gives you ease of use.
The sound quality of these guitars is considered soft, warm, and welcoming. If you're out to buy a classical guitar, you need to make sure you're buying the one that sounds similar to what you need for your music. You must like the feel of these guitars to work with them long-term.
Mini Guitars
Children want guitars just as much as adults do, right? Mini guitars are built especially for children to experience and enjoy the feel of an actual adult guitar. These half and three fourth-sized guitars are easy to carry, smaller in size, and have a duller sound than a full-sized adult guitar. These guitars are often found at more affordable prices.
If you've got a toddler around the house that is learning to play the guitar, then these types of guitars are perfect for them. Since their sizes are so compact and small, you can travel easily with these guitars and let your little one enjoy music wherever you go!
Travel Guitars
We love a dedicated musician, and we're not the only ones. Big music distributing companies are always looking for aspiring artists who are passionate about their music. So if you're someone who travels a lot but always needs their instruments by their side, then we have the perfect guitar for you.
Travel guitars are possibly the smallest and most affordable acoustic guitars you will find in the market. These are small, easy to carry, and can be great travel partners. These guitars have a total weight of 3 pounds, and their sound quality is thin and soft as opposed to other full-sized acoustic guitars.
These are great for artists who need to keep their instruments close to continue practicing without stopping during travel. These don't produce the grand sound your usual instruments would, but they let you practice wherever you are. It is also great for entertaining small gatherings!
Jumbo Guitars
If you're looking for a full-sized guitar for your musical career, then jumbo guitars are the ones you want to explore. These guitars are as large as a guitar can get. They have a loud, empowering, and ideal sound for people who enjoy grand strumming styles. If we talk about how large these guitars are, they have a 17-inch lower bout width, and therefore they are considered more expensive than regular-sized guitars in the market.
They have a modern shape, with a defined waist but a considerably large body.
Dreadnought Guitars
One of the most common guitars available in the market includes Dreadnought guitars. These are available in large sizes, which produce loud, deep, and strong bass notes. These guitars are ideal for larger, taller, and stronger people since they weigh more than usual guitars.
If you're someone who enjoys the finger style for their strumming, then this isn't meant for you. Guitarists who are more inclined towards strum and flat-picks are more likely to enjoy using dreadnought guitars. These guitars are not made for slow and soft sounds. However, if you try to play a soft sound, the guitar will only produce an unpleasant sound.
Parlor Sized Guitar
Some guitarists aren't children and don't like to travel, but they would still enjoy a reasonably sized instrument and don't overpower the player. If you're one of those people, then getting a parlor-sized guitar might be the perfect option for you. Parlor-sized guitars are one of the smallest steel-string guitars available in the market.
Their shape is considerably old-school, but many people in the music industry still look for these guitars because of the sound they produce. These guitars have a traditional and unique sound that other guitars cannot produce. These guitars are more commonly known to have a 12-fret model.
Concert Guitars
With the world moving ahead, you can buy music merchandise online, but when it comes to buying a concert guitar – it's always best to go look for one in a physical shop. This guitar belongs to the acoustic group but has 6 steel strings to produce more versatile notes and rhythms. These strings provide a much brighter, chirpier, and loud sound for the guitarist. So, if you're looking for an instrument that produces bright, loud noises, this is the guitar you are looking for.
A concert guitar is usually considered a "0"—however, the value changes based on the thickness of the guitar model.
Grand Concert Guitars
When we use travel guitars for a smaller gathering, we just need a bigger equipment to cater to a grander concert. If you're looking for an instrument that produces large, grand sounds, a grand concert guitar would be the perfect fit for you.
These guitars are larger than acoustic and regular-sized concert guitars. Owing to their larger size, the prices of these guitars are also more expensive than other guitars. The guitars use very little exertion on the guitarist's part to create good volume, whereas other guitars might require more effort. These guitars have a lower volume ceiling, so no matter how low and slow you strike the strings, the sound will be loud regardless.
However, these guitars are good news for anyone who enjoys fingerstyle strumming. Their size and body is perfect for this particular type of strumming. These guitars are available in 12-fret or a standard 14-fret model.
Grand Auditorium Guitars
By now, if you're wondering what's so special about a grand auditorium guitar, then we're here to help you out. Grand auditorium guitars are of the same size as a dreadnought when we speak about the lower bout width and the length of the guitar's body. However, the shape of this guitar is no different from the ones we have discussed earlier in this blog.
The Grand Auditorium guitars and their shapes are great to work with – they have a large, loud, and strong sound. However, unlike other guitars, they respond fairly well to softer touches as well. Their notes are well balanced between high, mid, and low tones. Their size, sound, and overall properties are great for musicians that enjoy using finger-style strumming instead of flat-picks.
Grand Orchestra Guitars
If you're looking for large-sized guitars, then a great orchestra guitar could be the perfect find for you. These guitars have a significant lower bout width of 16 and three-quarter inches. They produce a well-balanced sound, especially for a bigger guitar. The guitar is built so that it responds to soft touches just as well as it does to a hard strum.
Whether you want to play for a large event, use a light touch, or practice alone – these grand orchestra guitars are a great pick if what you're looking for is a great volume, large size, and a high volume ceiling.
Common Guitar Categories
We have gone over some of the most common types of guitars available to you. You can decide which one you want the most based on the kind of music you want to produce or the type of sound you need your instrument to create. All of these guitars are further divided into three-guitar categories; these include the following:
· There are nylon-stringed classical guitars that are great for soft, low, and classical music.
· There are steel-stringed acoustic guitars; these guitars produce larger sounds and are often larger.
· Electric guitars with pick-ups are great for larger events.
The category, the shape, the size, and the type of guitar you opt for will mostly depend on the music you want to create.
Now that you have gone over various types of guitars, you can start online music lessons at Jasberger Music. Jasberger is large music distributing company for young artists. They also offer services such as selling music merchandise, solo sheet music, and often act as a record label for aspiring talent. For more information, visit their website