Guitar Parts and Tuning

There are a vast number of guitar manufacturers that produce several different lines of guitars. However, the majority of guitars produced today are based on a few classic designs. Most guitar are based on classic designs invented by the Fender and Gibson companies. The Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul are the two most popular guitar designs.
Mark's guitar is based on the classic design of the Fender Stratocaster. This guitar was built by the Tom Anderson Company.

Headstock:
The anatomy of the guitar is based on a woman's figure. It features a body, neck and a head. The headstock is located at the end of a long, slender piece of wood called the neck. The nut separates the neck from the headstock. Tuning pegs are fastened to the headstock. The strings are wrapped around the tuning pegs to hold them tightly in place.

Tuning Machines:
The tuning machines ensure that the tuning remains stable for as long as possible. Most Stratocaster style guitars feature six tuning machines on one side of the headstock. Turning the tuning machines alters the pitch or tuning of each string. Turning the tuning peg in a counterclockwise motion raises or sharpens the pitch of the string. Turning the peg clockwise lowers or flattens the pitch. Gibson Les Paul style guitars feature three tuning machines on each side of the headstock. In th case, the three tuning machines on the bottom portion of the headstock work in the opposite direction.

The Neck:
The long slender part of the guitar is called the neck. On Strat style guitars, the neck is bolted to the body. Gibson style necks are typically glued to the body. The fretboard is glued on top of the neck. Fretboards are either made out of rosewood, maple, o ebony. Maple produces a brighter tone. Rosewood and ebony sound slightly darker.
Slits are carved into the fretboard for installation of metal strips of wire. These strips of wire ar called frets. Electric guitars typically have 21 or 22 frets. Many guitars designed for hard rock a metal feature 24 frets. Ibanez has recently started to manufacture a guitar that features 27 frets
In later lessons, Mark will use the word "fret" to refer to the space located between the metal fretwire. For example, the space between the headstock and the first metal fret is referred to as the "1st fret."
Most guitars feature position markers on the fretboard to help keep you oriented. Most Strat sty guitars feature pearloid dot inlays. The double dots indicate the 12th fret. As you continue to explore up the neck, these positions markers will become very handy. Position markers are also listed on top of the fretboard. These dots are typically very small. Classical guitars are typically the only type of guitars that do not feature fretboard markers. Guitars manufactured by the Parker Company also do not feature fretboard markers.

... Thus far, Mark has covered the parts of the electric guitar and how it is tuned. In the next lesso he will explain the anatomy of a guitar amplifier. He will also explain how to get the best possible sound out of your equipment. In addition, Mark will demonstrate how to vary your ton to fit the context of the music you are playing. After exploring the amplifier, Mark will dive into some basic exercises that will help develop proper left and right hand playing techniques.