The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with either nylon or steel strings. Some modern guitars are made of polycarbonate materials. Guitars are made and repaired by luthiers. There are two primary families of guitars: acoustic and electric.
Acoustic guitars (and similar instruments) with hollow bodies have been in use for over a thousand years. There are three main types of modern acoustic guitar: the classical guitar (nylon-string guitar), the steel-string acoustic guitar, and the archtop guitar. The tone of an acoustic guitar is produced by the vibration of the strings, which is amplified by the body of the guitar, which acts as a resonating chamber. The classical guitar is often played as a solo instrument using a comprehensive fingerpicking technique.
Brian Harold May, CBE (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer of the rock band Queen. As a guitarist he uses his home-built guitar, "Red Special", and has composed hits such as "Tie Your Mother Down", "I Want It All", "We Will Rock You", "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Who Wants to Live Forever".
He was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 for "services to the music industry and his charity work". May earned a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College in 2007 and is currently the Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University. May currently resides in Surrey.
In 2005, a Planet Rock poll saw May voted the 7th greatest guitarist of all time. He was ranked at No. 26 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Brian May, the only child of Harold and Ruth May, was born in Hampton, London and attended Hampton Grammar School (now Hampton School). During this time he formed his first band with vocalist and bassist Tim Staffell, named Nineteen Eighty-Four after George Orwell's novel of the same name. He left Hampton Grammar School with ten GCE Ordinary Levels and three Advanced Levels in Physics, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. He studied Mathematics and Physics at Imperial College London, graduating with B.Sc. degree with honours.
Andy McKee (born April 4, 1979, in Topeka, Kansas) is an American fingerstyle guitar player, currently signed to the American record label Razor & Tie.
His style of playing and his compositions have earned him a considerable international fanbase. In late 2006, a live performance of his signature song "Drifting" became a Featured Video on YouTube and MySpace, achieving over 48 million views on the former to date and remaining one of its highest-rated music clips. A handful of McKee's other songs have experienced notable success on YouTube, such as "Rylynn" with over 22 million views. Similarly, McKee's cover of "Africa" reached over 9 million views before suddenly being removed by Candyrat Records.
McKee played his first guitar, an Aria nylon string bought by his father, at age 13. Initially underwhelmed by his guitar lessons, McKee's electric guitar-playing cousin inspired him to continue learning, taking him out for his 16th birthday to see a guitarist named Preston Reed perform live at a clinic. McKee later bought an instructional videotape from Reed and began to learn more complex guitar techniques from it, also earning his GED that year in order to quit attending high school. He began to draw influence from guitarists such as Michael Hedges, Billy McLaughlin, Pat Kirtley, and from Passion Session by Don Ross, as he continued studying the instrument on his own.
Preston Reed (born April 13, 1955, Armonk, New York) is an American fingerstyle guitarist. In 1987 he invented a two-handed playing style and compositional approach that integrates the full percussive potential of the guitar body. In doing so Reed revolutionized guitar playing.
Preston Reed learned guitar as a child on his father's guitar and, for a short time, classical guitar with a too-severe teacher. When he was 16 his interest was rekindled by Jorma Kaukonen's acoustic guitar-playing in Hot Tuna. He took the guitar again and began to compose his own songs in the style of Leo Kottke and John Fahey. His first public performance was at Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., in a concert with Allen Ginsberg. He continued recording and performing and signed his first major label record deal with MCA Records with the help of his friend Lyle Lovett.
Reed has played with various other musicians, spanning the spectrum between Linda Ronstadt and rock band NRBQ. He was featured on American radio and TV broadcasts. Between 1979 and 2007, he recorded 15 albums on several labels - mostly solo acoustic guitar -, guest-starred on other musicians productions, founded his own Outer Bridge label and featured on two solo videos. He has been commissioned for film soundtracks and a suite of original music for the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet.
James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler, searching for band members. Since then, Metallica has won nine Grammy Awards and released nine studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays and 24 singles. In 2009, Hetfield was ranked number 8 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists, and ranked twenty-fourth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time.
Hetfield was born August 3, 1963. He is of German, English, Irish and Scottish descent. He has two older half-brothers from his mother's first marriage and one younger sister. He attended Downey High School his freshman and sophomore years.
His father, Virgil, was a truck driver who left the family when Hetfield was young. His mother, Cynthia, was a light opera singer. The two divorced in 1976. Virgil and Cynthia were very strict Christian Scientists, and in accordance with their beliefs, Hetfield's parents strongly disapproved of medicine or any other medical treatment and remained loyal to their faith even as Cynthia was dying from cancer. This upbringing became the inspiration for many of Hetfield's lyrics later in his career with Metallica, such as songs like "The God That Failed".
(Oh Yeah)
Yeah
Uh uh
U're gettin dirty at the club again
I'm usually round Ur waist like a chain but then,
I got that call so I jumped in my car
I love U baby,
But not like I love my guitar
Uh uh, not like I love my guitar, no
U couldn't do it all by Urself
U had 2 go and get somebody else
Ur high enough to call me
But U can't reach the bar
I love U baby
But not like I love my guitar, no
Not like I love my guitar
Oh, listen
Turn it up
Uh uh
Yeah, now dig
I tried 2 warn U that it's hard 2 B a star
Especially when Ur driving other people's car
I woulda gave U mine, girl, but U took it 2 far
I love U baby
But, just not like I love my guitar
Uh uh, not like I love my guitar
I know U love me and U wanna B friends
And if U don't at least U need 2 pretend
We're still 2gether even if we don't get that far
I love U baby
But not like I love this guitar
I love U, I love U baby
(Not like I love my guitar)
I love U baby and I wish U well (I wish U well)
I'll write a letter when I learn how 2 spell
Until that day, U can go to the...
I love U baby.... U know the rest
I'm sitting by the window of your thirty-second floor apartment
Waiting for your phone calls all to end
I'm sitting watching wind blow
Watching time go
Watching cars go by
I'm waiting for these memories to begin
If I threw my guitar
Out the window so far down
Would I start to regret it
Or would I smile and watch it slowly fall, fall, fall? yea
Garbage truck and taxi cab
Don't seem like they can reach me here
The clamor of jackhammers seems so faint
Well, the way you treat me like the only
Slightly brings me down a lot
I don't think that I'll ever be the same, yea
If I threw my guitar
Out the window so far down
Would I start to regret it
Or would I smile and watch it slowly fall, fall, fall?
Fall, fall, fall
Fall, fall, fall
Fall, fall, fall
Guitar, Guitar [x3]
[Jayk:]
If we hit every note,
This love could be something we wrote.
If it could be, be a hit song
Instead of flying solo without my guitar.
[Bobby:]
And I'm feeling out of tune now
Baby, I'm off track.
And I think I need your melody,
'Cause I can't get mine back.
[All:]
There's only one girl, one girl
Who can play all the strings of my heart
Like a guitar.
And you are my world, my world
You can feel the beat of my heart.
Just like a guitar.
[David:]
Like a guitar, baby.
Just like a guitar, baby.
Like a guitar, baby.
Like a guitar, tar, tar, tar...
[Drew:]
If I'm moving to slow,
Baby, please speed up my tempo.
Got you stuck, stuck in my head.
You're on rotation, playing over again.
[TC:]
And I'm feeling out of tune now,
Baby, I'm off track.
Can you loan me your melody?
'Cause I can't get mine back
(No, I can'y get it back!)
[All:]
There's only one girl, one girl
Who can play all the strings of my heart
Like a guitar.
And you are my world, my world
You can feel the beat of my heart.
Just like a guitar.
[David:]
And you've written all the verses
(With you, with you)
And you sing me like a chorus
(All the way through)
There ain't nothing like your song to me
I love the way your working all my strings
And I only let you play my...
Guitar.
Your the only one I call my guitar, my guitar.
[All:]
There's only one girl, one girl
Who can play all the strings of my heart
Like a guitar.
And you are my world, my world
You can feel the beat of my heart.
Just like a guitar. [x2]
My guitar, my guitar-tar.
[Chorus:]
If I could play guitar, then I'll play it,
But I can't so I'll just sing it, sing it
I wrote S-O-R-R-Y,
I'm tellin you that,
And I don't know why,
Maybe because I was sky-high,
And thinking to much about my life.
So I turned off the light,
And I tried to rap,
But only bullshyt left my mind,
And most of the time I was fine,
But you're windin me up while I'm hard on my grime.
When were you born? 1985
Why didn't you finish school? Because I skied.
Step back, get back,
Comment on my face yeh,
I'm just tryin to live my life.
[Chorus]
I feel a little tired,
I feel like cryin,
I feel like lyin,
I feel like not tryin to do
What I was supposed to do today.
(Fuk)
A couple of interviews,
A photo shoot,
A show to do,
Promote new tunes.
Oh I hate it when I feel this way,
Oh why do I feel this way?
Tell me...
Yesterday was a different story,
High and mighty,
Feeling glory.
Shut down time square,
Know that you saw me.
Felt enormus, like twenty stories.
[Chorus]
Today of all days,
You try to rush me.
Hush puppy, let me do my thing,
I'm not your puppet on a string brov...
(Really?)
Now don't get me on,
You silly little punk.
Expect me to walk,
Cause I'm not gonna run.
I wish life was as easy as playing the guitar,
Ya just pick it up and ya strum.
(Eeeh, maybe not)
Listen to the girl
As she takes on half the world
Moving up and so alive
In her honey dripping beehive
Beehive
Its good, so good, its so good
So good
Walking back to you
Is the hardest thing that
I can do
That I can do for you
For you
Ill be your plastic toy
Ill be your plastic toy
For you
Eating up the scum
Is the hardest thing for
Me to do