http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/ 2010-04-20T00:40:00+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/ http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/lib/images/favicon.ico text/html 2009-08-13T00:35:34+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/alternating_bass?rev=1250120134&do=diff A style of fingerpicking guitar usually played with the thumb and one, two or three fingers. The thumb alternates between the bass strings on the beat, while the fingers play the melody on the beat in a pinching motion with the thumb or syncopated. text/html 2009-08-13T01:04:45+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/augmented?rev=1250121885&do=diff A chord consisting of the root, a major third, and another major third on top of that. A C augmented chord would contain the notes C, E, and G# text/html 2009-08-13T00:38:34+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/boom_chuck?rev=1250120314&do=diff A style of rhythm playing on guitar, usually done with a flatpick. The player hits the bass string of a chord on beat 1 with a downstroke, then the rest of the strings of that chord on beat 2. This pattern repeats for beats 3 and 4. Alternating bass is often used to accompany bluegrass, old time, and folk music. text/html 2009-08-14T01:03:56+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/bridge?rev=1250208236&do=diff The piece of wood that is glued to the guitar top behind the soundhole. It has a slot that the saddle sits in, and provides a hard surface for the bridge pins. The bridge is usually rosewood or ebony. The bridge is the black strip of wood in the picture below. text/html 2009-08-18T18:50:25+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/bridge_pin?rev=1250617825&do=diff A tapered pin that sits in the holes in the bridge. It is usually made of wood, bone, or some sort of modern composite material. The bridge pin keeps the ball end of the strings anchored against the underside of the bridge. There is one bridge pin per string. text/html 2009-08-10T23:15:43+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/comping?rev=1249942543&do=diff A term usually used in jazz. If a player is comping they are playing the chords while another player takes a melodic solo. text/html 2009-08-10T23:19:23+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/cross_picking?rev=1249942763&do=diff To pick individual consecutive strings on the guitar. Usually done with a Down, Down, Up or Down, Up, Up motion of the flatpick. So for example if crosspicking on the first, second, and third strings you would execute a down stroke with the pick on the third string, a down stroke on the second string, and then an upstroke on the first string. text/html 2009-08-18T22:07:19+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/cutaway?rev=1250629639&do=diff A feature of the guitar body that allows access to the higher frets. photo byB Rosen text/html 2009-08-13T01:03:54+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/diminished?rev=1250121834&do=diff A chord containing the root, a flat third, and a flat fifth. A C diminished chord would contain the notes C, Eb, and Gb text/html 2009-08-13T01:01:42+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/dominant7?rev=1250121702&do=diff A chord containing the root, a major third, a perfect fifth, and a minor seventh. A C dominant 7th chord would contain the notes C, E, G and Bb text/html 2009-08-19T16:48:09+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/dreadnought?rev=1250696889&do=diff Probably the most common type of acoustic guitar. Invented by the Martin Guitar Co in the early 1900's. They take their name from the stout battleships of that time. photo by Ozone Ferd text/html 2009-08-18T20:40:54+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/fingerboard?rev=1250624454&do=diff The strip of wood that is glued on top of the neck. Slots are filed into the fingerboard and the frets are mounted in them. This wood is usually ebony on higher end guitars, rosewood on lower end models. A dense wood works best for tone. photo by Anton Emery text/html 2009-08-06T18:42:35+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/fingerpick?rev=1249580555&do=diff an implement worn on the finger text/html 2009-08-13T00:21:43+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/fingerpicking?rev=1250119303&do=diff Playing the guitar using ones fingers on the picking hand. This allows one to play multiple parts at once. Some examples are Travis picking, modern fingerstyle guitar, solo jazz guitar, and Brazilian samba. text/html 2009-08-06T18:43:58+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/flatpick?rev=1249580638&do=diff test text/html 2009-08-13T00:25:37+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/flatpicking?rev=1250119537&do=diff Playing the guitar with a flatpick, a triangular implement that can be made of plastic, delrin, bone, or a number of other materials. The term Flatpicking guitar often refers to playing leads and fiddle tunes on guitar. text/html 2009-08-10T23:40:20+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/frailing?rev=1249944020&do=diff A style of playing that originated on banjo, and has recently started to be done on guitar. Also called clawhammer. It involves playing melody notes with down strokes on the back of the index or middle finger nail. The unique part of this style is that the thumb does not play on the downbeat, rather it plays on the And of two. So its One and Two And. This gives it the sound that is often referred to as bum-diddy, bum-diddy. text/html 2009-08-13T00:41:37+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/hammer_on?rev=1250120497&do=diff A fretting hand technique. Playing a note with your picking hand, and then bringing your left hand finger down forcefully to sound another note. The term hammer on was coined by Pete Seeger. text/html 2009-08-18T21:53:55+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/headstock?rev=1250628835&do=diff The top part of the neck that holds the tuners. The headstock and the neck are usually one solid piece of wood, but they can also be two parts that are grafted together. photo by tawalker text/html 2009-08-19T16:54:25+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/jumbo?rev=1250697265&do=diff A jumbo size guitar is usually larger than a dreadnought across the lower bout but has a tighter waist, giving it a curvier ship. This model sounds great when strummed, and is popular among singer songwriters. To me the proverbial jumbo guitar is the Gibson J-200. text/html 2009-08-18T20:27:02+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/lower_bout?rev=1250623622&do=diff The widest part of the guitar body. It is located between the waist and lower end of the guitar. photo by Anton Emery text/html 2009-08-13T00:48:36+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/maj7?rev=1250120916&do=diff A chord containing the root, a major third, a perfect fifth, and a major seventh. A C major 7th chord would contain the notes C, E, G, and B. text/html 2009-08-13T00:47:13+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/major?rev=1250120833&do=diff A chord containing the root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. A C major chord would contain the notes C, E, and G. text/html 2009-08-13T01:05:16+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/major6?rev=1250121916&do=diff A chord consisting of the root, a major third, a perfect fifth, and a major sixth above the root. A C major 6 chord would contain the notes C, E, G, and A. text/html 2009-08-13T00:57:29+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/min7?rev=1250121449&do=diff A chord containing the root, a minor third, a perfect fifth, and a minor seventh. A C Minor 7th chord would contain the notes C, Eb, G, and Bb. text/html 2009-08-13T01:03:12+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/min7b5?rev=1250121792&do=diff A chord containing the root, a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a minor seventh. A C minor 7 flat 5 chord would contain the notes C, Eb, Gb, and Bb text/html 2009-08-19T17:06:38+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/mini_jumbo?rev=1250697998&do=diff A mini jumbo is usually one step down from a dreadnought in size. They sometimes will have the same width across the lower bout, but a mini jumbo has a tighter waist, making it somewhat more comfortable to hold. They combine the bass and volume of a larger guitar with comfort of a smaller body guitar like an OM. text/html 2009-08-13T00:47:57+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/minor?rev=1250120877&do=diff A chord containing the root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. A C minor chord would contain the notes C, Eb, and G. text/html 2009-08-13T01:08:06+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/minor6?rev=1250122086&do=diff A chord containing the root, a minor third, a perfect fifth, and major sixth. A C minor 6 would contain the notes C, Eb, G, and A. text/html 2009-08-18T20:34:30+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/neck_body_joint?rev=1250624070&do=diff Where the neck joins the body. On most acoustic guitars this is at the 14th fret, though on some guitar it is at the 12th fret. photo Anton Emery text/html 2009-08-18T20:57:50+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/nut?rev=1250625470&do=diff A dense piece of material, usually plastic, bone, or some sort of synthetic. It is mounted in a slot between the fingerboard and the headstock. The nut has a groove filed in it for each string, this keeps them properly spaced. photo byninja 4 life text/html 2009-08-19T17:18:00+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/om?rev=1250698680&do=diff OM stands for Orchestra Model guitar. This guitar was developed by the Martin Guitar Co. in the early 1930's. It is a smaller body guitar, usually 15” across the lower bout, and a very balanced responsive sound. This body size is very popular among fingerstyle players. text/html 2009-08-19T17:24:36+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/ooo?rev=1250699076&do=diff A tad smaller than an OM guitar, and usually with a shorter scale length of 24.9” They sometimes have 12 frets to the body instead of 14. text/html 2009-08-19T17:31:40+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/parlor?rev=1250699500&do=diff Parlor guitars are smaller than OOO's. They are named because originally they were kept in people's parlors and played for oneself or when folks were visiting. They have an intimate sound, well suited for instrumental music. The scale length is shorter than an OOO, around 24”. text/html 2009-08-14T00:42:11+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/peghead?rev=1250206931&do=diff The top part of the guitar where the fingerboard starts. The tuners are installed on the headstock. This can either be a solid piece as part of the neck or grafted on seperately photo by terryansimon text/html 2009-08-13T00:43:20+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/pull_off?rev=1250120600&do=diff The opposite of a hammer on Sounding a note by fretting above it and then pulling that finger off in a downward motion. This allows the next lowest note to sound, whether it is fretted or an open string. The term pull off was also coined by Pete Seeger. text/html 2009-08-14T01:15:15+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/saddle?rev=1250208915&do=diff A white piece of plastic or bone that still in a slot in the bridge. The strings pass over the edge of the saddle. It is in the thin white piece in the picture below. photo by matsuyuki text/html 2009-08-18T18:47:45+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/soundhole?rev=1250617665&do=diff The hole cut into the top of the guitar that the sound emits from. photo by Dieter Drescher text/html 2010-04-16T23:30:51+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/start?rev=1271457051&do=diff Welcome to the official wiki of RhythmStrummer.com, a place where you can view, edit, and create definitions for musical terms. The power of a wiki is that you, the average strummer, can pitch in and help build a great resource for others like you. To start you might want to browse our existing definitions. When you're ready dive right in and register to begin contributing! text/html 2009-08-13T00:33:49+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/strumming?rev=1250120029&do=diff Sounding multiple strings with an up or downward motion of the picking. This is usually done with a pick, but some players strum with their thumb or backs of the fingernails. Rhythm strumming is often used to accompany vocals or backup a lead player. text/html 2009-08-10T23:52:07+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/sweep_picking?rev=1249944727&do=diff Playing one note per string scross the strings with a downward sweeping motion of the pick. text/html 2009-08-11T00:04:00+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/tapping?rev=1249945440&do=diff Tapping is a newer breed of guitar technique. It involves sounding a note by hammering on the fingerboard with the picking hand, creating a note and also a percussive effect. text/html 2009-08-18T21:14:42+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/tuners?rev=1250626482&do=diff The tuners mounted on the headstock. By turning them you can raise or lower the pitch of each individual string. photo by tawalker text/html 2009-08-18T19:13:27+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/upper_bout?rev=1250619207&do=diff The part of the guitar body roughly between the waist and where the neck joins the body. photo by Anton Emery text/html 2009-08-18T20:10:01+01:00 http://www.rhythmstrummer.com/wiki/waist?rev=1250622601&do=diff The narrowest part of the guitar body, it rests against the players right or left leg. photo by Anton Emery