Reading Comprehension · Music
The Guitar
A reading lesson about the guitar — its history in Spain, the difference between acoustic and electric guitars, and the main parts of the instrument.
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Subject
Reading Comprehension
Grade Level
Grades 5–8
Format
Lesson + Printable PDF
Access
Full Member
History and Types of Guitars
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument and is possibly the most popular instrument in the world today. It is played by plucking or strumming the strings with the right hand while the left hand presses the strings against the neck to create different notes. Sound is produced by the vibration of the strings, which resonate inside the body of the instrument. People who build and repair guitars professionally are called luthiers.
The guitar as we know it today is believed to have originated in Spain in the 1400s. However, instruments very similar to the guitar existed thousands of years earlier in ancient Egypt and Greece. The guitar spread throughout Europe over the following centuries, eventually becoming the most widely played instrument in both classical and popular music.
All guitars fall into one of two main categories: acoustic and electric. Acoustic guitars have a hollow body that amplifies the vibration of the strings naturally, without any electronic help. Because acoustic guitars are relatively quiet, they work best when played alone or with other quiet instruments. They are used in classical, flamenco, folk, country, and Hawaiian music, among others.
Electric Guitars and Parts of the Instrument
The electric guitar was invented in the 1930s. Unlike acoustic guitars, electric guitars have a solid or semi-hollow body and must be plugged into an amplifier — an electronic speaker — to produce sound. The amplifier makes the guitar loud enough to compete with drums and brass instruments in a band or orchestra. Electric guitars are used in rock, blues, jazz, and many other modern styles of music.
A guitar has several main parts. The neck runs from the body to the headstock at the top, and includes the frets — the metal bars that divide the neck into sections. Pressing a string down against a fret shortens the vibrating length of the string and produces a higher pitch. The neck must be made of strong, rigid wood to withstand the constant tension of the strings.
The body of the guitar is where the sound develops. On acoustic guitars, the hollow body has a large round opening called the sound hole, which allows the vibrating air inside the body to amplify the sound. Guitars typically have six strings, though some styles have four, seven, or twelve. Each string is tuned to a specific pitch, and together they give the guitar its wide range of tones.
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