Acoustic Guitar Honor

Arts & Crafts

Requirements

1. Research the history of the acoustic guitar and how it arrived in your country.

   Answer: The guitar descends from ancient plucked string instruments, such as the Arabic lute, the vihuela, and the Latin guitar of medieval Spain. Its modern form was standardized in the 19th century by the Spanish luthier Antonio de Torres Jurado, who fixed the body size and the system of internal fan bracing that gives it its current sound. The guitar arrived in Brazil brought by the Portuguese colonizers (who had the viola and the guitar), becoming popular throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming a central instrument of genres such as choro, samba, seresta, bossa nova, and sertaneja music, in addition to being widely used in worship services and Christian music. — Antonio de Torres (1817-1892) is considered the father of the modern guitar — earlier instruments were smaller and had a weaker sound. In Brazil, the guitar was marginalized in the 19th century (associated with hustlers) and elevated to noble status by the virtuoso Heitor Villa-Lobos in the 20th century, with classical works recognized worldwide as a classical reference.

2. Know the differences between melody, harmony and rhythm.

   Answer: You must demonstrate to the instructor that: Melody is a horizontal sequence of musical notes forming a phrase or line (the 'main tune' of the song); Harmony is the simultaneous (vertical) combination of several notes forming chords that support and add color to the melody; Rhythm is the organization of time in music, with strong and weak beats (measure, beat, pulse). — Melody is what you sing, harmony is what the guitar accompanies (chords), rhythm is the beat (clapping, bass drum). Popular music uses harmonic chords a lot while the vocalist sings the melody. Rhythm gives personality to the genre — samba, rock, and bossa nova have distinct rhythms while the same harmony is possible.

3. Distinguish 3 types of acoustic guitar, according to each group below:
   • Acoustic
   • Electric
   • More than 6 strings

   Answer: 1) Acoustic: produce sound without electric amplification, through the vibration of the strings in the resonance chamber. Three types: classical (nylon strings, widely used in Brazil and in classical music), folk/steel (steel strings, brighter sound, used in country and MPB), and flamenco (shallower body and percussive sound). 2) Electric: require an amplifier, since pickups convert the vibration of the strings into an electrical signal. Three types: Stratocaster (Fender, single-coil pickups), Les Paul (Gibson, humbucker pickups, fuller sound), and Telecaster (the oldest model in the Fender line, used in country and blues). 3) More than 6 strings: instruments with extra strings to extend the tonal range. Three types: 7-string guitar (adds a low string, traditional in choro and Brazilian samba), 12-string (strings in pairs that double the sound, giving a full and bright timbre), and 8-string (extends the bass and treble even further, used in modern styles). — The classical guitar has lighter strings and a sweeter-toned top, ideal for fingerpicking. Folk/steel has a larger body and a louder sound, ideal for the stage. The Stratocaster and Les Paul are the two most popular electric guitars in the world. The 12-string has strings doubled in unison or octave, creating its own chorus effect.

4. Know the 3 divisions of the acoustic guitar and identify 15 different parts, explaining the function of each one.

   Answer: The 3 divisions of the guitar are: Head (upper end), Neck (intermediate part), and Body (resonance chamber). The 15 parts and their functions: 1) Headstock — holds the tuning pegs; 2) Tuning pegs (machine heads) — tighten or loosen the strings for tuning; 3) Nut — a grooved piece that guides the strings at the top of the neck and sets their height; 4) Neck — where the hand that presses the strings rests; 5) Fretboard (fingerboard) — the wooden surface over the neck where the notes are pressed; 6) Frets — metal bars that divide the fretboard and define each note/semitone; 7) Markers (inlays) — dots on the fretboard that guide the position of the frets; 8) Body/resonance chamber — amplifies and projects the sound; 9) Top (soundboard) — the upper face of the body, mainly responsible for vibration and timbre; 10) Sound hole (rosette) — the central opening through which the sound comes out; 11) Bridge — fixes the strings to the body and transmits the vibration to the top; 12) Saddle — a piece over the bridge that supports the strings and sets their height at the base; 13) Strings — six lines (nylon or steel) that vibrate and produce the sound; 14) Sides (ribs) — the lateral parts that join the top and back; 15) Back — the rear face of the body that reflects the sound. — Each part contributes to the sound. The head holds the tuning pegs that tension the strings. The neck with frets determines the notes by pressing the right spot. The body amplifies the sound through resonance — a cedar/spruce top vibrates more than other types. Markers at frets 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12 are a visual standard among manufacturers worldwide.

5. What is the correct posture for playing the acoustic guitar? What is the importance of maintaining this posture?

   Answer: You must demonstrate to the instructor the correct posture: seated on a straight, armless chair, back upright, with the guitar resting on the right leg (popular style) or with the left leg raised on a footstool (classical style); the guitar neck tilted upward about 45 degrees; the left arm free to move along the fretboard; the right arm relaxed over the body of the guitar. — Poor posture leads to tendinitis, lower back pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome in professional guitarists. The classical style with the left leg raised on a footstool was standardized by Andrés Segovia in the 20th century and is taught in conservatories worldwide. Playing for long periods with poor posture limits the instrumentalist's musical career forever.

6. Know the names of the fingers, strings and hand positions.

   Answer: You must demonstrate to the instructor: left-hand fingers — 1 (index), 2 (middle), 3 (ring), 4 (pinky), thumb (behind the neck); right-hand fingers — p (thumb), i (index), m (middle), a (ring), e (pinky, rarely used); strings — 6th (lowest, E) up to 1st (highest, E); standard tuning E-A-D-G-B-E (Mi-Lá-Ré-Sol-Si-Mi). — The naming of the right-hand fingers comes from Spanish: p=pulgar, i=índice, m=medio, a=anular. Strings are numbered 1 to 6 starting from the highest. The tuning Mi-Lá-Ré-Sol-Si-Mi (E-A-D-G-B-E) has been the classical standard since the 19th century, although guitarists experiment with alternative tunings (open D, drop D, DADGAD) for specific styles such as blues, fingerstyle, or Celtic folk.

7. What are chord symbols and how are they constructed? Write, from memory, a list containing all the major and minor chords and their respective chord symbols.

   Answer: You must demonstrate to the instructor that chord symbols are abbreviations of chords represented by letters: C (Dó), D (Ré), E (Mi), F (Fá), G (Sol), A (Lá), B (Si). Major chords use only the letter (C, D, E, F, G, A, B); minor chords add a lowercase 'm' (Cm, Dm, Em, Fm, Gm, Am, Bm). — Chord symbols came from the American system of simplified notation — popular in the jazz of the 1920s. More practical than the staff for use in popular guitar playing and MPB. In Brazil, the convention is the same as in English: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Brazilian songbooks have used chord symbols since the 1950s, and today sites like Cifra Club consolidate the national digital standard.

8. What are flats and sharps? What is the difference between them and how are they represented in chord symbols?

   Answer: You must demonstrate to the instructor that a sharp (#) raises the note by a half step (semitone) and a flat (b) lowers the note by a half step; they are represented in chord notation right after the chord letter — C# (C sharp) is a half step above C; Db (D flat) is a half step below D. Curiously, C# and Db sound the same (same pitch); they are called enharmonic notes — one or the other is chosen depending on the context of the musical scale in use. — The 12 tones of Western music are: C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb, B. There is no practical E# or B# among sharps, nor Cb or Fb among flats. The enharmonic name depends on the key — in Eb major you use Eb; in D# major you use D#. This choice has respected classical music theory for centuries.

9. Explain what chords are. Demonstrate the ability to play the major and minor chords from memory.

   Answer: You must demonstrate to the instructor that a chord is the simultaneous combination of three or more musical notes — usually formed by the root (1st), third, and fifth of the scale, giving 'harmonic color' to the music. Major chords sound happy (major third); minor chords sound sad or melancholic (minor third). — A C major chord has the notes C-E-G (1st, major 3rd, perfect 5th). C minor has C-Eb-G (the minor third drops by a half step). This half-step difference changes the emotional character of the music. Simple chords like C, G, D, Em, and Am cover thousands of popular songs — almost the entire pop songbook has used these combinations for entire decades.

10. Define the difference between nylon and steel strings and explain your preference for one of them.

    Answer: You should explain to the instructor that nylon strings are softer, have a sweet and lower-pitched sound, and are used on classical and flamenco guitars — they do not hurt the beginner's fingers as much; steel strings have a bright and metallic sound, louder and more resonant, used on folk, country, blues and rock guitars — they require more calluses on the fingers. — Steel strings were introduced in the mid-20th century on American folk guitars (such as Martin). Nylon replaced animal gut in the 1940s, popularized by Albert Augustine. Steel lasts longer and withstands greater tension, requiring a reinforced guitar (with a metal truss rod in the neck). Using the wrong type of string can permanently damage the guitar.

11. Play a song using a strumming technique and another using fingerpicking.

    Answer: You must demonstrate to the instructor the performance of two songs on the guitar: one using the strumming technique (rasgueado/strumming — sliding the fingers or pick over the strings with the genre's characteristic rhythm, such as samba, bossa nova, or a congregational hymn) and another with fingerpicking (plucking individual strings with the right-hand fingers p-i-m-a, creating a bass line and melody/harmony simultaneously, typical of ballads and classical music). — Strumming uses a pick or all the fingers together, creating a percussive and dynamic sound. Fingerpicking separates each string, creating a more delicate and detailed texture. Tom Jobim popularized bossa nova fingerpicking in the 1960s. Christian congregational hymns use simple, steady strumming, while classical music favors refined and varied fingerpicking technique.

12. Select 3 Adventist songs with simple chord symbols and play them at an official meeting of the Club or unit.

    Answer: You must present to the instructor a record of 3 Adventist songs with simple chords (for example: hymns from the Cantor Cristão, the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, or current songs by bands such as Quatro por Um, Voz da Verdade, Arautos do Rei) played live at an official Club or Unit meeting, with photos or video of the performance and the name of each song performed. — The Adventist Hymnal is the official repertoire and has more than 600 hymns, many with simple chords accessible to beginners. Singing at an official Club or Unit worship service connects technical skill with the Adventist musical mission. Modern Adventist bands offer an alternative repertoire for young people, especially at regional festivals and camps.