Addiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Addiction - Essay Example It is not easy to understand what causes addictions or how an addiction develops in a person. Although one can be addicted to almost anything (including pleasant and harmless things), being addicted to harmful substances, particularly alcohol and illegal drugs, is more than a social problem. As the National Institute on Drug Abuse explains, â€Å"One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. What people often underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction—that it is a disease that impacts the brain and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower†. The causes and components of addiction are very complex and although many studies have been done throughout the years, there is still not a clear answer to the causes of addiction. It has always been thought that any of the following could contribute to addiction– lack of will power, poverty, moral weakness, mental illness, genetics, family socialization, anti-social personalities and societal problems. It was also believed that addiction is a disease; but again there has not been enough evidence to confirm that. Causes of addiction can be classified as either mental or physical. The physical causes may be genetic and the mental causes include such things as personality and thinking characteristics, emotional defenses and social influences. According to Wojtowicz et al (2007), some of the causes of addiction to be studied have included social and environmental factors; interactions between biological, psychological and social factors, misuse of prescription medication; and it may be a brain disease. Some of the social factors that may be responsible for addictions are antisocial behavior, crime patterns and criminal choices, intolerance of boredom, family history of drug use, social interactions and peer influence and

Guitar Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Guitar - Research Paper Example Keywords: Guitar, Music, instrument Introduction Guitar is a stringed musical instrument commonly used in most of the production of music. It is a versatile instrument made of wood, and it enables the composition of complex harmonies and intonation (Hempstead & Worthington, 2005). The instrument consists of two parts; the neck from which the strings originate and the body on which the strings terminate (Wade, 2001). It is one of the most played musical instruments after piano. Most guitars have six strings, but there are some with four while others have twelve strings. Allan (2002) says that a guitar produces sound by the playing of its strings. The sound produced gets projected through electrical amplification or acoustically (for the case of electrical and acoustic guitars respectively). Playing a guitar involves plucking the strings with one hand while fretting the strings with the other hand (Hempstead & Worthington, 2005). It is one of the most fundamental musical instruments be cause of its convenience. It is easy to carry a guitar around because it is light and portable as compared with drums and piano (Wheeler, 1980). Types of Guitars There are several types of guitars, but all of them fall under two broad categories: acoustic and the electric guitars. The acoustic guitars depend on acoustic means as opposed to electronic means, to convert and amplify the energy of the vibrating strings to produce a sound (Kasha, 1998). This involves use of a soundboard that amplifies the vibrations of the strings. There are two types of acoustic guitars: classical and the steel-string. The classical ones have no nylon strings. Additionally, they have wider necks unlike to the steel-string guitars which have a metallic sound that is distinctive wide range of most popular music styles (Hempstead & Worthington, 2005). The body of an acoustic guitar is a hollow chamber, which makes the instrument has a deep tone. Its portability and ease of use is the quality that makes the acoustic guitars suitable to small concerts, churches and other functions (Tom & Mary, 1977). For stadium concerts and other large venues, some amplification is necessary. To do this using an acoustic guitar, the operator places the microphone a few inches from the sound-hole or alternatively by installing a pickup (Kasha, 1998). Electric guitars convert the vibration of its strings into electric impulses by use of a pickup by the principle of electromagnetic induction (Wheeler, 1980). The electric guitars differ from the others in two ways: one, they have solid bodies made from wood. The electric guitars must be amplified through electrical means in order to hear their sound (Wheeler, 1980). The use of an amplifier aims at obtaining implication of the electrical guitar. The electric guitar when amplified produces a metallic sound that does not decay fast, and this quality makes electric guitars suitable for pop, blues and jazz music (Ratcliffe, 2005). The strings of an electric gu itar are thinner than those of the acoustic guitars. The strings are also very close to the neck, therefore, pressing them down requires less force (Farmer, 1988). History of the Guitar The guitar is one of the man’s oldest and most symbolic musical instruments, and it is a major building