Podcast 4
In Tune: The Many Voices of The Guitar
Objectives:
- Explore historical developments of the guitar as seen in the design changes, playing styles, and recording techniques of modern guitar music.
- Learn about guitar sounds and textures that are associated with blues, country, jazz, and heavy metal music
National Music Education Standards Addressed:
- Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
- Standard 7: Evaluating music and music performances.
- Standard 9: Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
Time/Materials Required:
- 15-20 minutes
- Digital media player or computer access to the Internet
Activity Summary:
Like many popular instruments, the guitar has evolved and experienced many design developments over the years. These changes emphasize the versatility of the guitar and explain why it has become such an important instrument in today's musical compositions. In this activity, students will hear examples from a wide variety of guitar types, playing styles, and digital processing effects that are associated with popular musical genres, such as jazz, country, punk rock, heavy metal, and blues. Students will also be asked to listen critically to various guitar arrangements and describe compositional techniques use in their production.
Download Audio Activity and Worksheet:
Click on the links below to download and listen to this activity. Print the worksheet to input your answers.
Click here to download this podcast
Click here to download Student Worksheet
Vocabulary:
acoustic guitar: a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but generally strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound.
blues: a genre of African American music that often expresses sadness, frustration, or longing
distortion: a deformation of an audio waveform which can create a desired effect in electrical guitar music.
electric guitar: a guitar whose sound is amplified by electrical means.
phrase: a musical thought-a series of pitches that make sense.
pitch: the highness or lowness of a sound determined by its frequency of vibration.
register: the high, middle, or low section of the vocal or instrumental range.
slide guitar: a technique for playing the guitar in which a slide is placed upon the string to vary its vibrating length, and pitch.
texture: the way sounds are woven together.
waveform: a graphic representation of the shape of a sound wave. |
