Some call this instrument a "folk" guitar, this instrument has a hollow wooden body and steel strings. The signature sound of the Acoustic guitar can be found in nearly all genres of music from heavy metal and rock, to country, to hip-hop, to jazz and classical. You can play an acoustic guitar with a pick or with your fingers – strummed or fingerstyle – chords or lead lines. A general purpose guitar, it can be set up with the capability to plug into a stadium sound system for rock anthems or gently strummed around the campfire.

The parent of the steel stringed acoustic, this guitar is designed and mainly used to perform classical music. It's defining characteristics include having nylon strings instead of steel, typically a smaller body size than steel stringed acoustics, and slightly wider spaces between the strings. The soft sound of the classical guitar is ideal for fingerstyle playing but it also produces a wonderfully gentle sound when strummed.

Electric guitars were designed to be plugged into an amplifier and turned up loud. You can hear them in pretty much every genre of music imaginable and are quite possibly the defining instrument of rock and roll. The playing techniques are identical to the steel stringed acoustic although often the strings on electric guitars are lighter and therefor easier to bend and play lead lines. If you want to rock, electric guitar is the way to go.

Holding down the "bottom end" of any pop, rock, country, or jazz band is the electric bass guitar. Set up very similarly to an electric guitar, the bass has a longer neck, which accommodates the longer and thicker strings necessary for reaching the low notes that the bass specializes in. Played with a pick or the fingers, the bass is all about laying down a solid sonic foundation for the music.

Banjos are an ancient instrument that have been played for hundreds of years. Most famously, they contribute a signature twang to country and bluegrass music. Similar to a guitar in structure and similar in technique, the banjo presents its own unique thrills and challenges. Banjos can be played by "frailing" which is much like strumming a guitar or they can be played fingerstyle with or without picks.

Who doesn't like the Ukulele? A Hawaiian instrument that was extremely popular in the 50's, 60's, and 70's has made a reappearance and has lost none of its original charm. Typically having 4 nylon strings with a playing technique that is a lot like a guitar, the "Uke" is easy to play, easy to learn, and easy to have a great time with. The small size and light weight make it the ideal travel instrument.

With its origins dating back centuries to the middle east, the Lute came of age between the 1500's-1800's where it was widely played by musicians all over Europe. The Lute is played using a fingerstyle technique that is similar to, but subtly different from the classical guitar. The almond shaped body and double sets of strings give the Lute its uniquely sweet and quiet sound.

A Chinese instrument that has a history of thousands of years, the Qin Zither has been dubbed “the musical instrument of the wise” due to its connection to Chinese scholar culture. It is played similar to the guitar by pressing down with the left hand and plucking or strumming with the right but there the similarities end. A wonderfully expressive and contemplative instrument, the Guqin's sound can be delicate or harsh-a reflection on the world of nature that its music is intended to reflect.