An acoustic guitar is a guitar that produces sound acoustically—by transmitting the vibration of the strings to the air—as opposed to relying on electronic amplification
An electric guitar is a fretted stringed instrument with a neck and body that uses a pickup to convert the vibration of its strings into electrical signals. The vibration occurs when a guitarist strums, plucks, fingerpicks, or taps the strings
An acoustic-electric guitar (also called an electro-acoustic guitar) is an acoustic guitar fitted with a magnetic pickup, a piezoelectric pickup or a microphone
The twelve-string guitar is a steel-string guitar with twelve strings in six courses, which produces a richer, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar
An archtop guitar is a hollow steel-stringed acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top, whose sound is particularly popular with jazz, blues, rockabilly and psychobilly guitarists
Rhythm guitar is used to accompany a lead instrument (e.g. melody sung by a vocalist). The left hand holds a chord shape (a group of notes) and the right hand strums the strings with a pick. In a band situation the rhythm guitar gives the music drive and momentum
In a band situation the lead guitarist usually plays the most important riffs and melody lines, plays solos in instrumental sections of songs and also plays call and response with either the vocalist or another instrument such as sax, harmonica or keyboards
In most styles of fingerpicking guitar, the left hand holds a chord shape and the right hand fingers pick one or two notes at a time with the fingernails. Fingerpicking is often used to accompany a lead instrument or vocalist. In more advanced fingerpicking, both hands are co-ordinated to play bass lines, chords and melodies