Guitar Exam Study Guide Flashcards
Types of Guitar: Classical
Classical guitars are also known as nylon-string acoustic guitars. Three of the strings are clearly nylon, while the other three are nylon wrapped with wire. Classical guitars produce a mellow tone due to the nylon strings.
Types of Guitar: Acoustic
all six strings are made of metal. Four of the strings are wound in wire and the last two strings are a single wire. Steel-string acoustic guitars have a brighter tone when compared to classical guitars.
Types of Guitar: Electric
Electric guitars are a versatile type of guitar that comes in many different shapes and sizes. While acoustic guitars are all similar in tone, electric guitars offer a wide range of tonal options.
Staff
five horizontal lines on which the musical notes are written
Clef
a musical notation written on a staff indicating the pitch of the notes following it
Bar Line
a vertical line that divides one bar from another in a written piece of music.
Measure
musical notation for a repeating pattern of musical beats
Time Signature (ie. 3/4 & 4/4)
a musical notation indicating the number of beats to a measure and kind of note that takes a beat
Whole Note
a musical note having the longest time value
Dotted Half Note
A half note, or minim, has the value of two beats. But, when you make it a dotted half note we extend its duration by half its value.
In the case of a half note it would be:
2 + 1 = 3 beats
So a dotted half note is like adding a half note and a quarter note together:
Half Note
a musical note having the time value of half a whole note
Quarter Note
a musical note having the time value of a quarter of a whole note
Pick Up Note
Lyrics (or notes) that come before the first full measure of music. The formal term for this is anacrusis.
Tie
A tie is a curved line that connects two notes of the same pitch. A tie means to hold the note for the combined rhythmic value of the two notes, as if they were one. Tied notes are placed on two adjacent notes of the same pitch and played as one note.
Phrase
a short musical passage
Chord
a combination of three or more notes that blend harmoniously
Treble Clef Spaces and Lines
a clef that puts the G above middle C on the second line of a staff
Relative Tuning
Relative Guitar Tuning is a technique many guitar players use to quickly tune a string if it goes out of tune. It also is a way for you to “tune” the guitar to be relatively in tune with itself. (Relatively in Tune means you are tuned based off the 6th string, regardless if the 6th string is the correct pitch).
How to Change a String
Step 1: Gather The Tools
Step 2: Loosen the Old Strings
Step 3: Remove the String Ends
Step 4: (Optional) Clean the Fretboard
Step 5: (Optional) Oil the Fretboard
Step 6: Insert a New String
Step 7: Wind the New String
Step 8: Clip off The Loose Ends
Step 9: Tune It Up!
