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Topic: what sound does a guitar make (Read 28861 times) previous topic - next topic

what sound does a guitar make

I'm helping my 8 year old with a school project. The project is that he had to pick an instrument to make and he picked the guitar, but now he has to write about it, and it's asking him to also write what it sounds like and I'm kind of stuck on that one, can anyone help?

Thanks,

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #1 –
i guess you could be literal and say it sounds like picked nylon string. if you want to be comparitive you could say it sounds like a gently plucked cello. or you could say it has a gentle meloow humming noise (accustic of cours)

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #2 –
"Twang" ?
I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #3 –
If it's electric, "an awful racket." 

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #4 –
Fred Nachbaur was a master at NWC in addition to being an excellent guitar player.  I've attached one of my favorite pieces of his and is a good definition as to what a guitar (should) sounds like.
Since 1998

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #5 –
I'd say it depends on how it's played:

With the finger, it's more of a 'b' sound.  With the pick, it's definitely a 'd' sound.

Also, I feel it depends on more than that.  If it's done lightly, it's like "duh," if it's done hard, I think it's more of a "deeeeuhhhhhh," and if it's done slap-bass style, plucked perpendicularly to the fingerboard with force, it's like "dee-Tzzzzuuuhhh."  The latter is not recommended for normal use.

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #6 –
I just was thinking, and with an electric guitar there's even more.  Depending on several variables, you could have a "beeorp," "neep," "eueurgh" (with a rough glottal noise), "doo," "wowp," "jang," the list goes on.

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #7 –
Hmm, reminds me of a joke:

What do you call a canary with a machine gun?


Whatever it wants you to!


Soo, what sound does a guitar make?

Whatever you want it to...
I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Lawrie Pardy –
Hmm, reminds me of a joke:

What do you call a canary with a machine gun?


Whatever it wants you to!


Soo, what sound does a guitar make?

Whatever you want it to...

lol... I got more of those...

What do you call a bear with no legs?

A mat!

What do you call a cow with no legs?

Ground beef!

What do you call a dog with no legs?

Doesn't matter, it won't come anyway!

What do you call a deer with no eyes?

No-eye deer!

What do you call a deer with no legs and no eyes?

Still no-eye deer!


Back on topic...

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #10 –
Warren, thank you for Fred's piece.  Very nice.  Creative to replace the miaows with low notes, too.


Christian, I don't even know what  a radiohead is, so I probably am incapable of appreciating that song!  Besides, I prefer tasteful instruments like saxes, playing them myself (grinningly ready to duck the inevitable brickbats).

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #11 –
...not to mention the beautiful lyric quality of a high trombone, or the gutsy growl of a low bass trombone...

(Picture of Lawrie also ducking)     :)
I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #12 –
Q: What's the difference between a chain saw and a baritone sax?

A: If you swing the chain saw from side to side, you can get some tonal variation out of it. <Image Link>
Registered user since 1996

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #13 –
Would like to see the chain saw hit the low A in flying home without a special key. :p

Keith
(former bari sax player)
Illigitimi Non Carborundum
 

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #14 –
Maybe this can help ,these are the words which Sergovia remembers when left
in the care of his uncle one day when he was small in order to comfort him while
in babysitting .His uncle pretended to strum ,singing "To play guitar jum !
You need no "science" jum ! only a strong arm jum! and perseverance jum!

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #15 –
Might I suggest you jum...p! And take that one along?
I'm kidding! Gee, lighten up!

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #16 –
ehrm, somewhere back we were trying to establish what a guitar sounds like.

twanggg (unskilled player)
miaoaoaoao.... (electrical guitar with whammy bar)
dum dum dum dum (bass guitar)
dow dow deedow dow (jamming away)
pling pling pling pling (steel guitar)

anything else?

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #17 –
Why is the viola called a Bratsche in German?
Because that's the noise it makes when you sit on it.

I wonder, what sound does a smashing guitar make?  I don't typically go to full-blown rock concerts.

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #18 –
Quote from: RobdenHeijer –
ehrm, somewhere back we were trying to establish what a guitar sounds like.

twanggg (unskilled player)
miaoaoaoao.... (electrical guitar with whammy bar)
dum dum dum dum (bass guitar)
dow dow deedow dow (jamming away)
pling pling pling pling (steel guitar)

anything else?

yes, Chunk chunk (metal guitar)

nick mccabe was able to use his guitar to immitate bird songs(using feed back) the creaking of trees and some sounds that really pass beyond comparison. Johnny greenwood has imitated whale songs, jazz trumpets and a rhodes piano. and jimmy hendrix has done every sound concievable

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #19 –
Quote from: Christian Grantz –
yes, Chunk chunk (metal guitar)

nick mccabe was able to use his guitar to immitate bird songs(using feed back) the creaking of trees and some sounds that really pass beyond comparison. Johnny greenwood has imitated whale songs, jazz trumpets and a rhodes piano. and jimmy hendrix has done every sound concievable

The violin has many voices, too, in addition to the common arco, pizziccato, spiccato, and col legno--
Once I heard a famous violinist play "Listen to the Mockingbird" and he put in a really long complex mockingbird song that sounded really authentic.
Yesterday I watched a YouTube movie of a 14-year-old girl playing an expert-level piece featuring Spanish-sounding classical music, and one part sounded exactly like a piccolo (although it did come out in tune, making it less piccolo-like).
My brother's old orchestra teacher tells a story on her violin about a mouse and an elephant and makes appropriate sound effects.

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #20 –
Quote
...although it did come out in tune...
LOL!

Re: what sound does a guitar make

Reply #21 –
Quote from: Bob, Deranged Arranger –
Yesterday I watched a YouTube movie of a 14-year-old girl playing an expert-level piece featuring Spanish-sounding classical music, and one part sounded exactly like a piccolo (although it did come out in tune, making it less piccolo-like).

Here's the link: http://www.violinist.com/media/439/
It's pretty scary that a girl so young can do that.  Just imagine the kind of stuff, though, that she can't do because she's devoted her young life already solely to violin...say maybe sports?