Learning the parts of the guitar is very important as we will be referring to them throughout this lesson series. Acoustic guitars and electric guitars have basically the same parts, although there are some differences. In the video lesson, we walk through and highlight all the parts found on a typical guitar.
Starting at the top, we have:
- Headstock. This is where your strings typically end and attach to the tuning pegs.
- Tuners. These allows you to change the pitch of each string
- Nut. The strip of material (typically bone, graphite, or plastic) that the strings cross over before they reach the neck.
- Neck. The long skinny part of the guitar that connects the body to the headstock.
- Frets. The long metal pieces on the neck. You press strings down on the frets to change the note of the string.
- Strings. These go up and down from the bridge to the headstock.
- Sound hole (acoustic guitars): The hole in the body of the guitar – sound projects from the sound hole.
- Saddle. The strip of material that the strings pass over before they reach the bridge. Kind of like the opposite of the nut.
- Bridge. The part of the guitar that holds the strings in place in the body.
- Controls (found on electric and some acoustic guitars). Various knobs/controls that allow you to change things like volume and tone.
For a more entertaining look at the parts of the guitar, here is my son Seth learning them (at the age of 2).