Electric guitar

Question 1

Describe the construction of the electric guitar

Answer 1

• began as an amplified acoustic guitar with a hollow body
• this lead to feedback issues when it was amplified
  so the solid-bodied guitar was introduced

Question 2

what is a pickup?

Answer 2

a transducer - caused by turning the string into an electrical signal

Question 3

what are the features of a single-coil pickup?

Answer 3

they are susceptible to interference and hum but produce a brighter, more cutting sound

Question 4

what is a humbucker pickup?

Answer 4

they reduce interference and hum and use two coils of opposite polarity so noise cancels itself out

Question 5

what is a tremolo arm?

Answer 5

• allows the player to adjust pitch of strings so vibrato can be added

Question 6

what are guitar harmonics?

Answer 6

• harmonics occur naturally when a note is played and is accompanied by many other quieter frequencies to form parts of the sounds timbre
• higher harmonics can be isolated on stringed and wind instruments which create a thinner timbre