Electric Guitar Chord

Strumming Along: The Electric Guitar Chord

The electric guitar has introduced several new cords to the guitar; the power cord, the amp cord, and so forth, but it is the sound of the electric guitar itself that sets the electric guitar chord apart.

What is it about the electric guitar chord and its sound that sets it apart from the classic chords of the acoustic guitar? For that we need to look into the fundamental differences between the two instruments, and the differences in their sounds.

Setting the Electric Guitar Chord Apart

One of the oldest instruments is the acoustic guitar as its particular sound has set it apart from other instruments, giving it a special place in music. This stems from the way that it handles the sound. Before the guitar, stringed instruments relied on just the vibration of the strings to create sound, and this meant that for each note you wanted to play, you had to have a string of a specific length. This created either very limited or very large instruments like the lyre or the harp.

With the development of the guitar, the player could now limit the length of the string by pinching it off against the neck. This allowed for a much wider range of notes, and the ability to play a cord by strumming all the strings, and pinching them off making a pleasing set of notes.

This also allowed the body of the guitar to be developed into a resonance chamber to amplify the sound and direct it, allowing more people to hear it at a time. This mellowing resonance chamber makes the smooth sound of the guitar possible.

Now we come to the age of electricity and the electric guitar chord. The thing that sets the electric guitar chord apart from the acoustic one is inherent in the nature of the beast. An electric guitar still uses the string, and the neck, but it is in the way it handles the vibrations of the strings that the difference really begins.

Electric guitars use the pickup to sense the vibrations of the strings, and turn it into a signal that can then run through and electric amplifier to make it louder. This eliminates the need for the acoustic resonance chamber, allowing different bodies to change the way the strings vibrate.

There is also the chance to introduce various distortions and effects on the way to the amp, creating entirely new sounds. This is how the electric guitar chord sets itself apart.

Nowadays, the differences are easier to see, and the next time you hear an electric guitar chord, you can understand the differences behind it.

(c)  Music Instruments - Tyler's Articles 2006