Wiktionary
n. (context musical instruments English) A guitar which requires electronic amplification to produce sufficient sound.
WordNet
n. a guitar whose sound is amplified by electrical means
Wikipedia
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses a pickup to convert the vibration of its strings—which are typically made of metal, and which occurs when a guitarist strums, plucks or fingerpicks the strings—into electrical impulses. The vibrations of the strings are sensed by a pickup, of which the most common type is the magnetic pickup, which uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is plugged into a guitar amplifier before being sent to a loudspeaker, which makes a sound loud enough to hear. The output of an electric guitar is an electric signal, and the signal can easily be altered by electronic circuits to add "color" to the sound or change the sound. Often the signal is modified using effects such as reverb and distortion and "overdrive", with the latter being a key element of the sound of the electric guitar as it is used in blues and rock music.
Invented in 1931, the amplified electric guitar was adopted by jazz guitarists, who sought to be able to be heard in large big band ensembles. Early proponents of the electric guitar on record included Les Paul, Lonnie Johnson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, T-Bone Walker, and Charlie Christian. During the 1950s and 1960s, the electric guitar became the most important instrument in pop music. It has evolved into an instrument that is capable of a multitude of sounds and styles. It served as a major component in the development of electric blues, rock and roll, rock music, heavy metal music and many other genres of music.
Electric guitar design and construction vary greatly in the shape of the body and the configuration of the neck, bridge, and pickups. Guitars have a fixed bridge or a spring-loaded hinged bridge that lets players bend notes or chords up or down in pitch or perform vibrato effects. The sound of a guitar can be modified by new playing techniques such as string bending, tapping, hammering on, using audio feedback, or slide guitar playing. There are several types of electric guitar, including the solid-body guitar, various types of hollow-body guitars, the seven-string guitar, which typically adds a low B string below the low E, and the twelve-string electric guitar, which has six pairs of strings.
Popular music and rock groups often use the electric guitar in two roles: as a rhythm guitar, which provides the chord sequence or progression and sets the beat (as part of a rhythm section), and as a lead guitar, which is used to perform melody lines, melodic instrumental fill passages, and solos. In a small group, such as a power trio, one guitarist switches between both roles. In larger rock and metal bands, there is often a rhythm guitarist and a lead guitarist.
"Electric Guitar" is the seventh single by the English electronic music band Fluke. Taken from the album, Six Wheels on My Wagon the track was released in many formats but did not generate the same amount of interest as the previous single, Slid.
Electric guitar may refer to:
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Electric guitar, a musical instrument
- Electric twelve-string guitar
- Electric acoustic guitar
- Electric bass guitar
- "Electric Guitar" (song), a song by the English electronic music band Fluke
- "Electric Guitar", a song by Talking Heads from their album Fear of Music
- Electric Guitars, an English band
- "Electric Guitars", a song by Prefab Sprout from the album Andromeda Heights
Usage examples of "electric guitar".
He was carrying an electric guitar case that looked as if it had just come from the store.
In the smiling photos two of them had Spanish guitars like mine, one held an electric guitar and the remaining member peeped out from behind a bass.
Suddenly an electric guitar screamed out of the fog, wailing like a tortured ghost of Chicago Blues.
Standing on a stage, facing a mic, hands on an electric guitar, singing a song you'd written - even with three numpties backing you up and a hundred fucking yahoos out front - was way better than the best sex he'd ever had.
Even in the relative quiet of the back room, he could barely hear the trill of the unamplified electric guitar, but caught the touch of bluesy ornamentation that Beth tossed in with the run.
He sat there on the floor playing his electric guitar under this drawing of Jeff Beck near the Woody Allen poster.
An electric guitar lay across the chest, like an Aztec maiden readied for sacrifice.
Behind her, a backup band consisting of an amplified electric guitar and a simple trap drum kit provided accompaniment.
By Andrews's lights it had, like so much other music of the past thirty years, started with the Beatles with their blend of orchestra and electric guitar, their fiddling with electronics and phasing.
That got him a third-hand electric guitar (the make long forgotten) and a bad amp and cabinet.
Tom Paine and Johnny Goldberg, wearing tricorner hats over powdered hair, play electric guitar.
As he played it seemed to him that he could hear the friendly prickling music of his own old electric guitar.