Answers to Friday's Brainteaser - The Guitar

Family Guy's Chirs Griffin performing on the air guitar.

The guitar is one of the most widespread instruments in popular music. Can you answer these questions about the guitar and people who use it?

1. 1. What is the meaning of "air guitar"?
   An imaginary guitar that one pretends to play; also, the action of playing air guitar.
2. 2. How many strings does a bass guitar usually have: four, six or twelve?
   Four.
3. 3. Who played rhythm guitar in the Beatles?
   John Lennon.
4. 4. What is the name of the small flat implement of metal, plastic, horn, etc. used for plucking the strings of a guitar?
   Plectrum (sometimes called a "pick").
5. 5. On a guitar, what are "frets"?
   Strips of metal showing where to place the finger to obtain different notes.
6. 6. Flamenco is a vivacious style of guitar music. Is it originally Spanish, Portuguese or French?
   ¡Spanish, claro!
7. 7. Who wrote the guitar concerto known as "Concierto de Aranjuez"?
   Rodrigo.
8. 8. When talking about guitars, what is a "machine head"?
   A mechanical device, typically employing worm gears, for controlling the tension of the strings.
9. 9. Which guitarist did more than anyone else to create modern jazz guitar-playing; recorded "Seven Come Eleven" and "Solo Flight" with Benny Goodman; and died in 1942 at the age of 25?
   Charlie Christian.
10. 10. What makes the dobro different from other guitars?
    It has a large, circular, metal resonator under the bridge.

Questions set by Tony Augarde, author of "The Oxford Guide to Word Games"

How did you do?
0 - 1 Mmmm, not exactly brilliant.
2 - 5 A reasonable stab.
6 - 8 A good showing. But there's still room for improvement!
9 - 10 You really know your stuff. Well done!