February 11th - National Guitar Day

Today is National Guitar Day. Guitars are probably one of the most popular instruments in modern music. There are two main types of guitars and a secret third type as well. The third type of guitar is the Steel Guitar. Originating from Hawaii, it's known for being able to "Portamento", where one note smoothly changes pitch to another like an audible gradient.

The other two guitar types you probably know by name already, Acoustic and Electric. The big difference between them is how they produce sound. With acoustic guitars, you are hearing the sound of the strings bouncing off the base of the guitar. With an electric guitar, the vibrations in the strings send electrical signals that are turned into sounds through an amplifier. Then a bass guitar is an electric guitar that has less strings and a lower octave.