The Guitar

The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments in the world. It has a wooden body and a long neck with strings. Most guitars have six strings. You play it by using your fingers or a small pick. Guitars can make soft, sweet sounds or loud, rocking sounds.

Parts of a Guitar

A guitar has three main parts. The body is the big, round part that makes the sound louder. The neck is the long part you hold with one hand. The head is at the top and holds the tuning pegs. You turn the pegs to make the strings tight or loose. This changes how they sound.

An old book drawing of an early guitar-like instrument being played.
An old book drawing of an early guitar-like instrument being played. (People in the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés near Paris, France, scan from Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart, Germany, cleaned/colours adjusted by u3001 / Wikimedia Commons)

Types of Guitars

There are two main kinds of guitars. An acoustic guitar has a hollow body and does not need a plug. An electric guitar has a solid body and plugs into an amp to sound loud. People play guitars in many kinds of music. You can hear guitars in rock, country, pop, and classical songs.

Fun Facts

  • The guitar is over 4,000 years old and came from very old string instruments.
  • The longest guitar ever made was more than 43 feet long.
  • Most guitars have six strings, but some have seven, eight, or even twelve.

Did You Know?

The word guitar comes from an old Spanish word, guitarra, which came from even older words in Greek and Persian.