guitar

The word “guitar” means a stringed musical instrument with a fretted neck and (usually) six strings, played by plucking or strumming. In plain terms, the six-stringed instrument played by strumming or plucking, common in almost every style of popular music.

“Guitar” is pronounced gih-TAH (/ɡɪˈtɑɹ/ in IPA).

Here is “guitar” used in a sentence: “She learned to play guitar by watching videos online.”

Words with a similar meaning to “guitar” include axe and gat.

“Guitar” is a noun.

The word “guitar” comes from Ancient Greek. From Spanish guitarra, from Arabic qīṯāra, ultimately from Ancient Greek kithara; a doublet of "cithara" and "zither.".

“Guitar” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

The three most common are the classical guitar, with nylon strings and a wide neck; the steel-string acoustic, louder and brighter, favoured in folk and pop; and the electric guitar, which needs an amplifier and drives rock and blues. The bass guitar, with four thicker strings, supplies the low end in a band.

An acoustic guitar has a hollow body that projects sound naturally, so it can be played unplugged. An electric guitar has a solid or semi-hollow body and produces little sound on its own; it relies on pickups and an amplifier. Acoustics suit folk and singer-songwriter styles, while electrics dominate rock, blues, and jazz.

The standard guitar has six strings, tuned from low to high as E, A, D, G, B, E. Variations exist: a bass guitar usually has four strings, and a twelve-string pairs each string with a second for a fuller, chiming sound. Seven- and eight-string models appear in some metal and jazz styles.

The guitar is one of the more approachable instruments to start: a beginner can strum simple chords and play recognisable songs within weeks. Building speed, clean fingering, and barre chords takes longer, and sore fingertips are normal at first. Regular short practice matters far more than natural talent, and many players are self-taught.