There is a unique sound and feel to a 12 string guitar that you just can’t get from any other instrument. It’s more than just the added notes on the high strings and the chimey jingley effect of all those added strings. The very physical feel of a 12 string is also different from any other guitar.
The extra strings make an acoustic 12 string much heavier than even most dreadnaught acoustics, and that adds to the way your hands respond to the instrument, how it feels in your arms, and how you play it.
But the sound and feel of a 12 string is what makes it such a fun guitar to play, and with practice there are so many different ways you can use it in songs. I’ve been playing guitar for over 40 years now and have owned, played or recorded lots of different guitars, but I still find myself returning to my old Yamaha 12 string every once in a while just because I miss its unique voice.
The sound of a 12 string guitar is unlike any other instrument. It combines the fullness of an acoustic guitar with the brilliant high end of a piano and the low end of a bass all in one instrument. You can play arpeggios and chords or pick single strings to create melody lines that have a richness not found in any other instrument.
The sound is also unique in that it gives you more volume, more sustain, and a bigger stereo spread than a 6 string guitar because each note is played twice by two different strings tuned to the same pitch with one having a lighter gauge and the other heavier gauge. The light gauge string provides brightness and clarity to the sound while the heavier gauge string adds depth and body.
The feel of playing a 12-string is also unique. When you strum or pick all 12 strings, you get what could be called an “explosion” of sound that can only be described as breathtaking! This combined with the rich chords that are possible makes playing this instrument very addictive!
There is something particularly magical about the sound of a 12 string. Perhaps it is the way that the six pairs of strings, tuned to the same note, vibrate and ring together. Perhaps it is the additional sustain that the doubled strings give to each note. Or perhaps it is just that there are so many strings at once on one fretboard. Whatever it is, there’s something about a 12 string guitar that makes you want to reach for it every time you want to play something really expressive.
The feel of a 12 string guitar is different from that of a 6 string and this can be a bit disconcerting at first. The neck of a 12 string guitar has to be noticeably bigger than that of its 6 string cousin in order to accommodate all those extra strings and this can make them seem unwieldy and difficult to play when you first pick one up. The good news is that, if you’ve played guitar before, you already know almost everything you need to know in order to master a 12 string: your techniques will be exactly the same as they are on 6 string guitar except that now you have more fingers!
To get started playing on your new 12 string all you have to do is find somewhere comfortable to sit with your back supported
The sound of a 12-string guitar is rich and complex, but can be difficult to learn. The large number of strings means that the guitar will be heavier than a 6-string and the extra width of the neck may make it more difficult for small hands. The extra thickness of the neck also makes it harder to press down the strings to fret chords.
The first step in learning to play a 12 string guitar is tuning it, which is a little more complicated than tuning a standard 6-string guitar. In addition to the six standard strings, there are six “octave” strings which are tuned an octave higher and are slightly thinner, plus three winding strings that are wrapped together with each string.
The octave strings are usually tuned in unison with the lower string, except for the 3rd and 4th strings which are tuned in unison an octave higher. Tuning should start with the thickest string at the bottom, then move up one by one to the thinnest string at top. Once all twelve strings are tuned, any loose tuners can be tightened and any overly tight tuners can be loosened until proper tension is achieved on each string.
The sound of a 12 string guitar is unlike anything else in music. No matter what genre you play, it is hard to find an instrument that can provide that rich, unique sound.
For some reason, many people believe that the acoustic 12-string guitar is only used in folk and country music. I’ve been playing the 12-string guitar for over 40 years and I have used it to play almost every kind of music you can imagine, but most importantly rock and roll.
A lot of people are surprised when they hear a 12 string electric guitar being played through a Marshall or Boogie amp. The sound is incredible! The electric 6 string guitar has been a staple of rock and roll since it’s invention, but the 12 string electric guitar has never really caught on with players as much as it should have. There are many reasons for this. To begin with, the instrument itself is much more difficult to play than the 6 string version. Not only does the player have to contend with twice as many strings (12 instead of 6), but those strings are also paired together throughout most of the fretboard. This means that whenever you fret one note with your left hand, you will be sounding two notes behind it with your right hand. For example
When most people think of a guitar, they think of a six stringed instrument. However, there is another version of this popular stringed instrument that some musicians prefer: the 12 string guitar. The 12 string guitar has twice as many strings as the six string guitar, and it produces a richer, fuller sound than its counterpart. Although it is harder to play than the six stringed variety, many musicians believe that the sound is worth the extra effort.
The sound of a 12 string guitar is often described as shimmering or ringing. It has a larger range than its six-string cousin, and this unique quality makes it ideal for use in groups. Musicians who play in bands often choose to use a 12 string guitar because they are able to create a fuller sound without having to add more instruments or voices. The guitar’s richness means that it can be used as an accompaniment for other instruments and voices instead of being used alone.
Although they have more strings, 12 string guitars are not more difficult to tune than six stringed ones. Each pair of strings in this type of guitar is usually tuned either one octave apart or one octave plus one step apart; however, some musicians prefer to tune their 12 string guitars slightly differently so that they can create their
The 12 string guitar is a wonderous instrument. It has a much fuller sound than the 6 string guitar and it has a very unique sound. Its not really like any other instrument. The 12 string guitar is not much harder to play than the 6 string guitar. That is if you are used to playing the 6 string guitar.
The 12 String Guitar has two sets of strings. There are 6 strings in the bottom set and six strings in the top set. The top set of strings is tuned an octave higher than the bottom set of strings except for the B string which is tuned to the same note as its counterpart on the bottom set of strings. This means that if you play an open chord on your 6 string guitar, you will get twice as many notes when you play it on a 12 string guitar.