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The Electric Guitar
Introduction
The electric guitar is fast becoming one of the most popular instruments of all time due to its rock star reputation with connotations of the “sex, drugs and rock n’ roll” culture. There’s no doubt about it – the electric guitar is one of the coolest instruments around and, if played well, it can make the girls come flocking and the guys look twice.
The electric guitar is a fascinating and surprisingly versatile instrument – it can be utilized in scores of different styles from reggae to pop to rock. It has a solid body, and so has little in the way of projecting its sound naturally – so it needs amp. Once plugged in it has the potential to become incredibly loud! Its sound can be changed instantly with various settings from the amp and maybe the aid of a few effects pedals. It can be played ‘clean’ using a crisp tone for punchy, fuck-style riffs – alternatively, it can be played with excess distortion & overdrive, and swimming in reverb for that ‘heavy metal’ contrasy.
Playing techniques include finger picking, tapping, tremolo bar effects, sweep picking, bends, vibrato, pull-offs & hammer-ons, dive-bombs and slides – so the electric guitar is never short of interesting repertoire! Many virtuosos of the instrument, such as Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani have really pushed the limits of guitar technique, utilizing increasingly outrageous ways of their own to create different effects and incorporating them into their acts.
The electric guitar can be used as a rhythm instrument, providing the chords in an ensemble, or it can be played as a lead instrument, playing intricate riffs and florid solo passages. It is a key instrument as part of a rock group setting and has become widely used in other genres. The electric guitar is occasionally used in Art music and a lot of the time in Jazz, but it’s the Popular music scene where the electric guitar really dominates.
