What
is a 12 String Guitar and Should
You Buy an Acoustic or
Electric?
A 12
String Guitar - What's the
Definition?
The guitar
is perhaps the world's most
popular instrument. You can find
it in nearly any country in one
way or another. And while the six
string guitar is the most common,
there's another major guitar that
is often overlooked: the 12
string. This amazing guitar, as
you might expect, has 12 strings.
But, it is not just a musical
instrument with some extra
strings. It's a different playing
field with different tonal
properties.
The
History
As long as
there have been guitars, there's
been variations on the number of
strings and, therefore, no one is
quite sure when the one with
twelve strings was first played.
The 12 strings are paired up in
what are called "courses".
This means
that, rarely, one string in a
course is played without the
other. In other words, whereas on
a traditional 6 string guitar one
string usually means one sound,
the two are played together in an
electric or acoustic, since the
two strings in one course are so
close together, they play
together and it creates a chorus
effect.
For the
most part, being able to play a 6
string allows a guitarist to play
a 12 string instrument. In terms
of functionality and usage, the
two are virtually the same. The
difference is that the latter,
with the coursing and chorus
effect can produce a brighter
sound.
One
disadvantage to these guitars is
they is not generally well-suited
for solo or lead roles. This is
because the plucking of
individual strings is very
difficult. However, it is an
excellent choice for rich and
full rhythm or accompaniment
roles.
There is no
genre of music that doesn't
utilize the 12 string guitar at
one point or another. From Jimi
Hendrix to Billy Corgan, Arlo
Guthrie to George Harrison,
Melissa Etheridge to David Bowie,
any number of recording artists
have at times used the instrument
to achieve a slightly different
sound. Whether it's blues, folk,
jazz, or stadium rock, it can
certainly fit in any
band.
The
Neck
The only
other consideration that needs to
be paid when dealing with twelve
strings is the neck. Having twice
the number of strings places
additional stress on the neck.
This can sometimes lead to
warping in even a few short
years.
Some 12
string guitars have unsightly and
additional support systems for
the neck, but the majority of
players will simply tune down to
reduce the tension on the
neck.
The
Electric Versions - The Who Plays
Them
The 12
string electric guitar is
somewhat different than its
acoustic cousin. It's more often
used, for one thing, but it also
is used differently. While the
acoustic tends to be melancholy,
the other merges towards the
power and precision of a RATM, or
The Who.
Pete
Townsend of The Who was one of
the first to make good use of the
12 string electric guitar. He did
so on everything from "The Kids
are Alright" to "Who's Next?",
two of the masterpieces of that
great era of music. The
Who’s live shows were
particularly powerful exhibitions
for Townsend, who once contended
that “We may not write songs
that are as good as the Beatles,
but we’d blow them off the
stage.” Few would
argue.
Jimmy Page
also made the 12 string electric
guitar his own, especially live
and in concert. The song "Dazed
and Confused" is 9 minutes long
on the album "Led Zeppelin"; in
concert it could go on for as
long as 45 minutes as Page used
his guitars to put together some
of the most remarkable solos
anyone has ever performed.
Sometimes he'd use the bow of a
violin to play, stretching the
boundaries of what the instrument
was capable of.
So, the
choice is yours whether to go
traditional or radical. Either
way, the sheet music notes you
learn to play on the 12 string
guitar will give you an advantage
for a different sound. Who knows,
maybe you are the next Pete
Townsend!
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