An electric guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or semi-solid body that uses electromagnetic pickups to convert the vibration of the steel-cored strings into electrical current. The current may be electrically altered (effects pedals) to achieve various tonal effects prior to being fed into an amplifier and speaker cabinet, which produces the resultant sound. Electronics enabled guitarists to achieve volume levels and tonal variations unimaginable on acoutic guitars. The body and neck are crafted mostly from various woods. It is usually played with a plectrum (flat pick), used to strum and/or pick the strings. However, finger-style guitarists use a thumb pick and/or individual finger picks or simply their bare fingers and/or fingernails, similar to classical guitar players, to pluck the strings individually. The electric guitar has become the signature instrument of western popular music and pop culture. It is the heart and soul of popular music of the mid to late 20 th and early 21 st centuries, including folk, jazz, blues, country & western, rock, heavy metal, funk, alternative, and pop (if you're interested in electric guitar and electric guitar gear, check out our page on the "ins and outs" of learning to play electric guitar).

The two most popular electric guitars are the Gibson Les Paul and the Fender Stratocaster. Some of the largest and most well known manufacturers of electric guitars are Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, Epiphone, Squier, Gretsch, Peavey, Paul Read Smith, Yamaha, and Schecter. However, over the last 10 to 20 years there has been a growing number of independent luthiers (guitar builders), most of whom specialize in crafting high-end, hand-made instruments, making inroads into the electric guitar market.

Electric guitar is the quintessential instrument of much western popular music of the 20 th and 21 st centuries, including jazz, blues, rock & roll, country, funk, heavy metal, and pop. Primarily strummed or finger-picked, the instrument has mostly been used to accompany singers or sometimes other instrumentalists, though it is also used as a melodic instrument, especially for blues and rock guitar solos, as well as country and jazz. Various analog and/or digital signal processors (effects pedals) are frequently employed to alter and enhance the sound of the electric guitar. Some of these effects include distortion, overdrive, wah-wah, reverb, digital delay, flanger, phase shifter, and digital amp modelers or simulators.

Some famous electric guitarists who were influential in bringing electric guitar music to a wider audience include Charlie Christian, Hank Garland, Les Paul, The Beatles, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Joe Striani, John McLaughlin, Wes Montgomery, Chet Atkins, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Angus Young, Eddie Van Halen, and Steve Vai.

Do you want to learn to play guitar?

Click on one of the links below to see which Zap Guitar lessons are right for you!

I'm a beginner . . . how will Zap Guitar teach me to play guitar?

I want to learn to play Blues Guitar

I want to learn to play Jazz Guitar

I want to learn to play Classical Guitar