The guitar is a musical instrument classified as a string instrument with anywhe

re from four to 18 strings, usually having six. The sound is projected either ac
oustically, using a hollow wooden or plastic and wood box (for an acoustic guita
r), or through electrical amplifier and a speaker (for an electric guitar). It i
s typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers, thumb
and/or fingernails of the right hand or with a pick while fretting (or pressing
against the frets) the strings with the fingers of the left hand. The guitar is
a type of chordophone, traditionally constructed from wood and strung with eithe
r gut, nylon or steel strings and distinguished from other chordophones by its c
onstruction and tuning. The modern guitar was preceded by the gittern, the vihue
la, the four-course Renaissance guitar, and the five-course baroque guitar, all
of which contributed to the development of the modern six-string instrument.
There are three main types of modern acoustic guitar: the classical guitar (nylo
n-string guitar), the steel-string acoustic guitar, and the archtop guitar, whic
h is sometimes called a "jazz guitar". The tone of an acoustic guitar is produce
d by the strings' vibration, amplified by the hollow body of the guitar, which a
cts as a resonating chamber. The classical guitar is often played as a solo inst
rument using a comprehensive finger-picking technique where each string is pluck
ed individually by the player's fingers, as opposed to being strummed. The term
"finger-picking" can also refer to a specific tradition of folk, blues, bluegras
s, and country guitar playing in the United States.
Electric guitars, introduced in the 1930s, use an amplifier and a loudspeaker th
at both makes the sound of the instrument loud enough for the performers and aud
ience to hear, and, given that it produces an electric signal when played, that
can electronically manipulate and shape the tone using an equalizer (e.g., bass
and treble tone controls) and a huge variety of electronic effects units, the mo
st commonly used ones being distortion (or "overdrive") and reverb. Early amplif
ied guitars employed a hollow body, but a solid wood body was eventually found m
ore suitable during the 1960s and 1970s, as it was less prone to unwanted acoust
ic feedback "howls". The loud, amplified sound and sonic power of the electric g
uitar has played a key role in rock music, both as an accompaniment instrument (
playing riffs and chords) and performing guitar solos, and in many rock subgenre
s, notably heavy metal music and punk rock. The electric guitar has had a major
influence on popular culture.