Key factors that affect guitar timbre: Advice for the musician

Guitars have been used for centuries, but their increased versatility due to technical developments have made them very popular in most genres of music. There is a myriad of ways in which the guitarist can alter the timbre, depending upon the sound they wish to convey to their audience. The objective of this study is to investigate how the timbre of an acoustic guitar depends on the type of strings used, where the string is excited, and where a capo is placed, if used. The main goal was to determine how these factors play a role in creating sounds for different genres of music, where guitars are one of the main instruments. Specific adjustments can be made by the guitarist that correspond to stylistic distinctions between different styles of music. Using our results, the musicians can create specific effects that enhance the effect of the music on the audience. This paper focuses on how the results justify guitarist’s artistic decisions in flamenco, Irish traditional, and country/folk music.