Guitar Terms Glossary

All musical and guitar terms used in this course, in alphabetical order. Each term has a short definition you can scan in seconds.

A

Accent — Playing a note or strum louder than the surrounding notes for emphasis
Action — The height of the strings above the fretboard; lower action is easier to press but may cause buzz
Alternate picking — Picking technique that alternates between downstrokes and upstrokes for speed and efficiency
Arpeggio — Playing the notes of a chord one at a time rather than strumming them all together

B

Bar (measure) — A segment of music containing a fixed number of beats, defined by the time signature
Barre chord — A chord shape where one finger (usually the index) presses across multiple strings at the same fret
Beat — The basic unit of time in music; the pulse you tap your foot to
Bend — Pushing a string sideways (toward the ceiling or floor) while fretting to raise its pitch
BPM (beats per minute) — The speed (tempo) of a piece of music; higher BPM = faster
Bridge — The part of the guitar body where the strings are anchored at the lower end

C

Callus — Hardened skin on the fingertips that develops from regular playing; reduces finger pain on steel strings
Capo — A clamp placed across the fretboard to raise the pitch of all strings (not used in this course, but mentioned)
Chord — Three or more notes played at the same time
Chord diagram — A visual representation of where to place your fingers to play a chord
Chord progression — A sequence of chords played in order, forming the harmonic backbone of a song
Chromatic — Moving in half steps (one fret at a time), using every note
Cutaway — A section of the guitar body carved away near the neck to allow easier access to higher frets (your Saga SF-600C-BK has one)

D

Downstroke — Strumming or picking from the thickest string toward the thinnest (toward the floor)
Dreadnought — A large-bodied acoustic guitar shape known for strong projection and full bass; the body style of your Saga SF-600C-BK
Dynamics — Variations in loudness (soft vs loud) while playing

E

Eighth note — A note lasting half a beat in 4/4 time; two eighth notes fill one beat

F

Fingerpicking — Playing strings individually with the fingers of the picking hand instead of using a pick
Flat (b) — A symbol that lowers a note by one half step (one fret)
Fret — The metal strips across the guitar neck; pressing a string behind a fret shortens the vibrating length and raises the pitch
Fretboard (fingerboard) — The flat surface on the front of the neck where you press the strings

G

Grade exam — A standardised music examination (Trinity Rock & Pop, RockSchool, ABRSM) that certifies your playing level

H

Half note — A note lasting 2 beats in 4/4 time
Half step (semitone) — The smallest interval in Western music; the distance of one fret on the guitar
Hammer-on — A technique where you pick a note then tap a higher fret with another finger without picking again, creating a smooth sound
Headstock — The top of the guitar neck where the tuning machines are located

I

Improvisation — Creating music spontaneously, usually over a chord progression, using scales and ear
Interval — The distance in pitch between two notes (e.g., a major third, a perfect fifth)

K

Key — The central note and scale around which a piece of music is built (e.g., key of C major, key of A minor)
Key signature — The sharps or flats at the beginning of a piece that tell you which key the music is in

M

Major chord — A chord with a bright, happy sound built from the root, major third, and perfect fifth
Major scale — A seven-note scale following the pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half
Measure — See “Bar”
Metronome — A device or app that produces a steady click at a set tempo; essential for building consistent timing
Minor chord — A chord with a darker, sadder sound built from the root, minor third, and perfect fifth
Minor pentatonic scale — A five-note scale commonly used for soloing and improvisation in rock and blues
Muted strum (chuck) — Releasing fretting pressure while strumming to produce a percussive, rhythmic sound

N

Natural note — A note without a sharp or flat: A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Nut — The small slotted piece at the top of the fretboard (between the fretboard and headstock) that guides the strings

O

Octave — The interval between one note and the next note of the same name, 12 half steps (frets) higher or lower
Open chord — A chord that includes one or more open (unfretted) strings
Open string — A string played without pressing any fret

P

Palm muting (PM) — Resting the side of the picking hand on the strings near the bridge to dampen the sound; used heavily in rock and metal
Pentatonic scale — A scale with five notes per octave; the minor pentatonic is the most common for guitar soloing
Pick (plectrum) — A small flat piece (usually plastic) held between thumb and index finger, used to strike the strings
Picking — Playing individual strings with a pick or fingers
Power chord — A two-note chord consisting of the root and fifth, with no third; neither major nor minor, commonly used in rock and metal
Progression — See “Chord progression”
Pull-off — A technique where you pick a note then pull your fretting finger off the string to sound a lower note without picking again

Q

Quarter note — A note lasting 1 beat in 4/4 time; the basic counting unit in most songs

R

Rhythm — The pattern of long and short sounds and silences in music
Riff — A short, repeated musical phrase, often the most recognisable part of a rock song
Root note — The note a chord or scale is named after (e.g., A is the root of Am)

S

Saddle — The thin strip on the bridge that the strings pass over; affects string height and intonation
Scale — A sequence of notes arranged in ascending or descending order by pitch, following a specific pattern of intervals
Sharp (#) — A symbol that raises a note by one half step (one fret)
Sight-reading — Playing a piece of written music for the first time without prior practice
Slide — A technique where you pick a note then slide your finger along the string to a different fret without lifting
Soundhole — The round opening in the guitar body that projects the sound
Standard notation — Traditional music notation written on a five-line staff with note symbols
Standard tuning — The standard guitar string tuning: E A D G B e (low to high)
Steel strings — Metal strings used on acoustic and electric guitars (as on your Saga SF-600C-BK); brighter sound, more finger pressure needed than nylon
Strum — Sweeping the pick across multiple strings in a single motion
Strumming pattern — A repeated sequence of downstrokes, upstrokes, and rests that creates rhythm
Syncopation — Placing rhythmic emphasis on beats or parts of beats that are not normally accented; creates a “pushing” feel

T

TAB (tablature) — A guitar-specific notation system using six lines (one per string) with numbers indicating frets
Tempo — The speed of the music, measured in BPM
Time signature — Two numbers at the start of a piece indicating how many beats per bar (top number) and which note value gets one beat (bottom number); e.g., 4/4, 3/4
Travis picking — A fingerpicking pattern where the thumb alternates between bass strings while the fingers pick higher strings; introduced in Session 15
Treble clef — The clef used for guitar music on the standard staff; also called the G clef
Tuner — A device or app that detects the pitch of your string and shows whether it is sharp, flat, or in tune
Tuning machines (tuning pegs) — The geared mechanisms on the headstock used to tighten or loosen strings for tuning
12-bar blues — A common chord progression structure lasting 12 bars, foundational to blues, rock, and jazz

U

Upstroke — Strumming or picking from the thinnest string toward the thickest (toward the ceiling)

V

Verse — A section of a song with the same melody but different lyrics each time; alternates with the chorus
Vibrato — Rapidly bending a note slightly up and down to add expression and sustain

W

Whole note — A note lasting 4 beats in 4/4 time (fills an entire bar)
Whole step (tone) — An interval of two half steps (two frets)