Editing Guitar (section)

==Accessories==
Though a guitar may be played on its own, there are a variety of common accessories used for holding and playing the guitar.

===Capotasto===
{{Main|Capo (musical device)}}
A capo (short for ''capotasto'') is used to change the pitch of open strings.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The guitarist's guide to the capo|last=Rikky.|first=Rooksby|date=2003|publisher=Artemis|isbn=1-904411-15-0|location=Iver Heath|oclc=52231445}}</ref> Capos are clipped onto the fretboard with the aid of spring tension or, in some models, elastic tension. To raise the guitar's pitch by one semitone, the player would clip the capo onto the fretboard just below the first fret. Its use allows players to play in different keys without having to change the chord formations they use. For example, if a folk guitar player wanted to play a song in the key of B Major, they could put a capo on the second fret of the instrument, and then play the song as if it were in the key of A Major, but with the capo the instrument would make the sounds of B Major. This is because, with the capo barring the entire second fret, [[open chord]]s would all sound two semitones (in other words, one tone) higher in pitch. For example, if a guitarist played an open A Major chord (a very common open chord), it would sound like a B Major chord. All of the other open chords would be similarly modified in pitch. Because of the ease with which they allow guitar players to change keys, they are sometimes referred to with pejorative names, such as "cheaters" or the "hillbilly crutch". Despite this negative viewpoint, another benefit of the capo is that it enables guitarists to obtain the ringing, resonant sound of the common keys (C, G, A, etc.) in "harder" and less-commonly used keys. Classical performers are known to use them to enable modern instruments to match the pitch of historical instruments such as the Renaissance music [[lute]].

===Slides===
{{Main|Slide guitar}}
[[File:Fingandslide.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Example of a bottleneck slide, with [[fingerpick]]s and a [[resonator guitar]] made of metal]]
A [[slide guitar|slide]] or a [[steel bar|steel]] is a hard smooth object (a steel bar, round metal or glass bar or cylinder, neck of a bottle) commonly used in country music or blues music, to create a [[glissando]] effect made popular in [[Hawaiian music]] at the beginning of the 20th century. The slide is pressed against the strings by the non-dominant hand, instead of using player's fingers on frets; the strings are then plucked by the dominant hand. The characteristic use of the slide is to move up to the intended pitch by, as the name implies, sliding up the neck to the desired note. Historically, necks of bottles were often used in blues and country music as improvised slides, giving the name "[[bottleneck guitar]]" to a style of blues music. Modern slides are constructed of glass, plastic, ceramic, chrome, brass or steel bars or cylinders, depending on the weight and tone desired. An instrument that is played exclusively in this manner (using a metal bar) is called a [[steel guitar]] or [[pedal steel]]. In such case, the hard object is called a "steel" instead of a slide, and is the reason for the name "steel guitar". A [[Steel guitar#Resonator guitars|resonator guitar]] is a steel guitar built with a metal cone under the strings to make the instrument louder.

===Plectrum===
{{Main|Guitar pick}}
[[File:Guitar picks-KayEss-1.jpeg|thumb|A variety of guitar picks]]
A "[[guitar pick]]" or "[[plectrum]]" is a small piece of hard material generally held between the thumb and first finger of the picking hand and is used to "pick" the strings. Though most classical players pick with a combination of fingernails and fleshy fingertips, the pick is most often used for electric and steel-string acoustic guitars. Though today they are mainly plastic, variations do exist, such as bone, wood, steel or tortoise shell. Tortoise shell was the most commonly used material in the early days of pick-making, but as tortoises and turtles became endangered, the practice of using their shells for picks or anything else was banned. Tortoise-shell picks made before the ban are often coveted for a supposedly superior tone and ease of use, and their scarcity has made them valuable.

Picks come in many shapes and sizes. Picks vary from the small jazz pick to the large bass pick. The thickness of the pick often determines its use. A thinner pick (between 0.2 and 0.5&nbsp;mm) is usually used for strumming or rhythm playing, whereas thicker picks (between 0.7 and 1.5+ mm) are usually used for single-note lines or lead playing. The distinctive guitar sound of [[Billy Gibbons]] is attributed to using a [[quarter (United States coin)|quarter]] or [[peso]] as a pick. Similarly, [[Brian May]] is known to use a [[British sixpence coin|sixpence coin]] as a pick, while noted 1970s and early 1980s session musician David Persons is known for using old credit cards, cut to the correct size, as plectrums.

Thumb picks and finger picks that attach to the fingertips are sometimes employed in finger-picking styles on steel strings. These allow the fingers and thumb to operate independently, whereas a flat pick requires the thumb and one or two fingers to manipulate.

===Straps===
A guitar strap is a strip of material with an attachment mechanism on each end, made to hold a guitar via the shoulders at an adjustable length. Guitars have varying accommodations for attaching a strap. The most common are strap buttons, also called strap pins, which are flanged steel posts anchored to the guitar with screws. Two strap buttons come pre-attached to virtually all electric guitars, and many steel-string acoustic guitars. Strap buttons are sometimes replaced with "strap locks", which connect the guitar to the strap more securely.

The lower strap button is usually located at the bottom (bridge end) of the body. The upper strap button is usually located near or at the top (neck end) of the body: on the upper body curve, at the tip of the upper "horn" (on a double [[Cutaway (guitar)|cutaway]]), or at the neck joint (heel). Some electrics, especially those with odd-shaped bodies, have one or both strap buttons on the back of the body. Some Steinberger electric guitars, owing to their minimalist and lightweight design, have both strap buttons at the bottom of the body. Rarely, on some acoustics, the upper strap button is located on the headstock. Some acoustic and classical guitars only have a single strap button at the bottom of the body—the other end must be tied onto the headstock, above the nut and below the machine heads.

===Amplifiers, effects and speakers===
[[File:JesseNabers-6.JPG|thumb|right|upright=0.9|A range of guitar amplifiers and guitars for sale at a [[music store]]]]
[[Electric guitar]]s and [[bass guitar]]s have to be used with a [[guitar amplifier]] and [[loudspeaker]] or a [[bass amplifier]] and speaker, respectively, in order to make enough sound to be heard by the performer and audience. Electric guitars and bass guitars almost always use [[magnetic pickup]]s, which generate an electric signal when the musician plucks, strums or otherwise plays the instrument. The amplifier and speaker strengthen this signal using a [[power amplifier]] and a [[loudspeaker]]. Acoustic guitars that are equipped with a piezoelectric pickup or microphone can also be plugged into an [[instrument amplifier]], [[guitar amplifier|acoustic guitar amp]] or [[PA system]] to make them louder. With electric guitar and bass, the amplifier and speaker are not just used to make the instrument louder; by adjusting the [[Equalization (audio)|equalizer]] controls, the [[preamplifier]], and any onboard [[effects unit]]s ([[reverb effect|reverb]], [[distortion (music)|distortion/overdrive]], etc.) the player can also modify the tone (also called the timbre or "colour") and sound of the instrument. Acoustic guitar players can also use the amp to change the sound of their instrument, but in general, acoustic guitar amps are used to make the natural acoustic sound of the instrument louder without significantly changing its sound.