Essential Question
How can shapes be used to design an electric guitar?
OVERVIEW
The instrument is relatively simple: 6 strings, a fretboard, and some magnetic pickups set into a wooden body. But coupled with an amplifier, the electric guitar has provided musicians with an endless variety of sounds, from the crackling riffs of Chuck Berry to the echoey reverberations of Dick Dale to the fuzzy crunch of Kurt Cobain.
But it’s more than the sound of the electric guitar that has made it the iconic rock instrument: it’s the look as well. The shape of the electric guitar has become the unofficial symbol of Rock and Roll, and various guitar models have become synonymous with rock guitarists, from the lightning bolt shape of James Hetfield’s Gibson Explorer, to Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s iconic Gibson SG, to Albert King’s futuristic Flying V. Today, the shape of electric guitars have become almost as diverse as the sounds they produce.
In this lesson, we will learn how to identify shapes, and examine how different shapes combine to form well-known models of electric guitars. you will then design your own electric guitars, making sure to include all the components essential to the instrument.
But it’s more than the sound of the electric guitar that has made it the iconic rock instrument: it’s the look as well. The shape of the electric guitar has become the unofficial symbol of Rock and Roll, and various guitar models have become synonymous with rock guitarists, from the lightning bolt shape of James Hetfield’s Gibson Explorer, to Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s iconic Gibson SG, to Albert King’s futuristic Flying V. Today, the shape of electric guitars have become almost as diverse as the sounds they produce.
In this lesson, we will learn how to identify shapes, and examine how different shapes combine to form well-known models of electric guitars. you will then design your own electric guitars, making sure to include all the components essential to the instrument.
VIDEOS
|
|
|
|
|
|
SHAPES
You know all these shapes? Where have you seen these shapes in real life?
Shapes are based on the number of sides they have, how long the sides are, and whether the sides are parallel or perpendicular. Shapes are used to create many things, and in this lesson we will be looking at what shapes are used to make a guitar. Most of the shapes of guitar components are similar, but the body of electric guitars come in different shapes, and some electric guitar bodies are combinations of shapes.
Shapes are based on the number of sides they have, how long the sides are, and whether the sides are parallel or perpendicular. Shapes are used to create many things, and in this lesson we will be looking at what shapes are used to make a guitar. Most of the shapes of guitar components are similar, but the body of electric guitars come in different shapes, and some electric guitar bodies are combinations of shapes.
- Are these electric guitar bodies one shape, or a combination of shapes?
- What shapes are combined to make these guitar bodies? What shapes do you see first?
Design your own
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/pdf.png)
handout-1-guitar-templates.pdf | |
File Size: | 536 kb |
File Type: |
Use the handout for the template of the guitar body type they would like to design. Design their own guitar using your iPad making sure that components in the diagram are present in their guitar designs. Be creative with their designs, and use as many shapes as they can in creating their own electric guitar.
HOW IT WORKS
Some examples of types of energy: electric, light, sound, kinetic, heat
- Can you find anything in this room that might be a transducer?
There are three symbols of various signals in the pitcture above. Sound waves are vibrations in the air, which are captured by the ears and translated in the brain. Electricity is created by relocating electrons by mechanical processes, such as turbines or solar panels. Digital signals provide a string of information, usually made up of 1s and 0s, that give instruction to programs created to interpret the signals.
- What type of signal do you think an acoustic guitar sends?
- Do you think an acoustic guitar is a transducer? Why or why not?
- How do the acoustic and electric guitar sound different? How would you describe the sound of an acoustic guitar, and the electric guitar?
|
|
POPULAR GUITARISTS
|
|
|
|