Jargon Busters

Jargon Buster: Guitar

Do you find all the terminology associated with various musical equipment and processes confusing? Hopefully the following will help you understand some of the commonly used jargon.

Action: This term refers to the degree of force needed to sound a note. It is a combination of two factors, the tension of the strings and the distance the strings are from the frets. Actions are generally either "High" or "Low". On average a low action is preferred, but if it is too low there is a larger change of string rattle.

Acoustic Guitar: Not enhanced electronically and typically with a hollow body.

Alternating Bass: A style of playing where the right hand alternates between two or more strings.

Altered / Open Tunings: Changing the tuning of one or more strings from standard tuning of EADGBE

Alternate Picking: Picking in an up and down motion.

Amp or Amplifier: A device for amplifying the signal of a guitar’s pickup.
Two Main Types:
Tube or Valve use vacuum-tubes as part of their electronics, and so have a unique reaction to the sound signal.
Solid State have no valves and usually use printed circuit boards.

Archtop: A type of acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar, with an arched soundboard, often played by jazz guitarists

Arpeggio: A chord broken down and played evenly one note at a time. Usually low to high and back again so is to play the notes of a chord individually rather than together as a chord.

Arrangement: The setting of an original or standard tune for a given solo instrument or group of instruments.

Augmented: The quality of a chord having its intervals as the 1st, 3rd and sharp 5th notes of the major scale.