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A guitar is a musical instrument characterized by its visually dominant body and neck. Guitar strings are strung parallel to the neck, whose surface is covered by the fingerboard (fretboard). By depressing a string against the fingerboard, the effective length of a string can be altered, which in turn changes the frequency at which the string will vibrate when plucked. Guitarists typically use one hand to pluck the strings and the other to depress the strings against the fingerboard. The strings may be plucked using either fingers or a plectrum (guitar pick), thus creating the sound of notes or chords. The strings of a guitar produce little sound by themselves. Instead, their vibration must be amplified to audibly useful levels. In general, this amplication is achieved either mechanically or electronically, with the result being that there are two main categories of guitar: acoustic (mechanical amplification) and electric (electronic amplification).