All About Seven-String Guitars

The history of the development of seven-string guitars begins in Russia in the 18th century, before the October Revolution, it was the main musical instrument. Foreign musicians who came to the USSR did not understand the point in adding one more string and pointed out that all musical works were written for a six-stringed instrument. However, their indignation was ignored due to the close connection of this guitar with the folk song. In the 20th century, the struggle against the seven-string guitar intensified, and professional musicians switched to the classical instrument, leaving it to the gypsies living in Russia.

"Gypsy", as it is popularly called, the guitar has a lot of differences from the six-string model:

• its springs are located across the top deck and parallel to each other;
• the neck is flat and much thinner than other guitars;
• the body is most often made in the style of Italian baroque guitars;
• the neck is attached to the body with a screw, thanks to which it is adjustable and allows you to change the height of the strings;
• the seventh string expands the range of sonic possibilities.

There are three main types of "Russian" guitar, differing in their size.

Scale of a large guitar as much as 650 mm. Looks like a regular guitar.

These guitars are medium in size and have a scale of 585 mm. It is built a small third higher than the big guitar and is an ensemble. This instrument allows you to expand the range of a guitar ensemble and improve its sound.

This type of guitars has the smallest dimensions, the length of its working part - the scale - is only 550 mm. The body was made of spruce wood, wealthy musicians preferred linden or ebony, which was not enough for a quarter guitar. Tune the guitars 2.5 tones higher than the big pitch.

Seven-string guitars are also divided into acoustic and electric guitars.

• Classic 7-string guitar has a thin and small body, narrow neck, equipped with nylon stringsproviding a soft and rich sound. The tuning pegs of the instrument perfectly keep in tune and allow you to conduct entire concerts without tuning the guitar every 10 minutes. They are made of durable wood and are suitable for any style of composition.

• As with acoustic instruments, electric guitars add an extra string and widen the neck. Most often they are equipped with active and passive humbuckers, occasionally with a fixed bridge. The base note "C" is added to the classical tuning, thanks to which seven-string guitars have gained popularity in heavy styles of music.

The selection of seven-string guitars is not as large as we would like, but even here there is something to think about - choosing strings, tuning pegs and other accessories.

Strings are the most important element in the guitar, the fullness of the sound and durability of the instrument depends on their quality. When choosing them, you need to pay attention to several points.

• The degree of tension. Tension can be light, normal or firm and will affect the sound quality.
• Price. Cheap strings cannot be of high quality, playing with them will not be so simple and easy, and the risk that they will break during an important performance is great. It is better to pay extra than worry and be distracted by extraneous thoughts.
• Manufacturing material. Most often, the first three strings (treble) are made of nylon, because the brightness and saturation of the sound depend on them. Synthetic strings are less popular, but sometimes they are also used, they are especially durable. Bass strings are made from carbon fiber, and then wrapped in silver-plated copper or bronze - they will last a very long time, and the sound quality is significantly improved. The latter are much more expensive than others, which is why they are usually purchased for the big stage and professional guitarists.

Another detail, without which it is impossible to play normally, is the tuning pegs. It is thanks to them that the tension of the strings is created and maintained. There are closed and open elements.

• The closed mechanism is protected from moisture, dust and any other mechanical impact. This increases the useful life.
• Open tuners are used more often because they are easier to maintain. There is always access to the mechanism, and it can be lubricated at any time.

When choosing the tuning pegs, you need to pay attention to the gear ratio - the difference in the number of revolutions of the shaft with the string to the number of revolutions of the splitter by hand. It can be used to determine how long it will take to pull the strings before playing.

It is worth paying attention in advance to the saddles, anchors, fastenings of the neck, belt and frets, because most often they break. It will be a shame if there are no accessories for the chosen guitar, and you have to throw it away.

The first thing to do after buying a guitar is to tune the strings. This can be done in different ways:

• using a tuner;
• comparing with the sound of other strings;
• by harmonics.

It is best for beginners to get themselves a tuner - an instrument that connects to the guitar and, through the application, shows which strings are too loose and which are too tight.

If there is no extra money for such a luxury, you will have to act independently. The principle is to compare one open string with the next one, which is pressed at a certain fret and pulled until the strings start sounding the same. Tuning begins with the first string, it is clamped at the 7th fret and pulled along the "A" tuning fork.

This method is not ideal, because it does not provide absolute purity of the sound. When tuning, consider the diameter and material of the strings. For example, to tune the bass strings, you need to check the arpeggiated sounding of chords and intervals on the distant strings.

Another option for tuning a seven-string guitar is by harmonics. It is known in narrow circles of professional musicians and is as follows:

1. the second string is stretched and loosened so that as a result its harmonic at the 5th fret sounds in unison with the harmonic of the first string at the same fret;
2. the fourth at the 7th fret is compared to the first at the 5th fret;
3. the 3rd string is tuned next, its harmonic at the 7th fret is similar in sound to the 4th string at the 5th;
4. the harmonic of the 5th string at the 5th fret corresponds to the harmonic of the 4th string at the 7th;
5. at the very end, the 6th string is pulled - its harmonic at the 5th fret is identical to the harmonic of the 7th fret of the 5th string.

After all the most important theory has been studied, and the 7-string guitar has been purchased, you can start practicing by trying to play this musical instrument. This can be learned in a couple of weeks if you practice every 2-3 days for 30-40 minutes.

Learning chords will be the first step after memorizing all the notes. Chords are a collection of sounds that the guitar makes at the same time. To play the simplest melody, you need to memorize the position of your fingers for the following combinations of notes:

• Am;
• Dm;
• E;
• G.

For A minor, you need to clamp the strings at specific frets. It is important that the hand is as relaxed as possible, only the muscles of the fingers that grip the strings and the thumb are working. First you need to get used to this position, and do nothing for at least 5 minutes. After that, you can try to make a sound on each of the strings in turn. It happens that the strings do not sound - in this case, you need to pay attention to the other hand and slightly move it away from the strings. If, instead of a sound, there is a rattling, then the string needs to be pressed harder. It is not easy to achieve pure sound, but without it it is impossible to move on.

The next task is to learn how to quickly remove an A minor chord and switch to D minor, and vice versa. You will have to memorize all the schemes of the game and constantly check if your fingers are correctly positioned. If everything works out, you can add the chords E and G.

After that, you can go to the main one - it is located on the body. There are two ways to make a sound - playing with a fight or brute force. This is where most of the problems arise.

Striking is best done by muffling the strings and holding them with an auxiliary hand so that the student can focus on the rhythm. In the process of learning to play by fighting, it is better to choose simple schemes - for example, down-up-down-up. When it works out great, you can try to work with both hands at the same time, and watch the sounds made.

Most often, a beginner's hearing does not allow him to hear his mistakes, so he believes that there are no problems, and plays on. The main mistakes are hitting the strings too hard and the lack of rhythm. It is necessary to touch the strings with the same force and at a certain interval. This does not always work out the first time, but with regular training, this process will be automatically controlled.

You can play the battle:

• thumb - blows down are made by the inside, and up - by the outside;
• big and forefinger - blows down with the inside of the big one, and up - with the forefinger;
• forefinger - with this game, the index finger bends, the thumb is placed on top of it, and thus the strings are struck.

Busting means playing each string separately. Most often, the strings are pulled with fingers and nails, but this does not give a bright sound and control over the playing. To improve the sound quality of chords, you can pick the strings with a pick or special attachments on your fingers, which are called plectra.

It takes only six months to learn how to play the most difficult pieces of music on a seven-string guitar like a pro. During this time, you need not only to make out all possible chords, learn how to play with a fight and brute force, but also train as often as possible. It takes professionals 6-8 hours a day to get ready for a show or recording a disc. The best option would be classes with a teacher in a music school or in a circle - there they will show you all the basics and help you put your hands up. After that, you can create your own music group or just work out with friends - any workout will come in handy.

For how to tune a seven-string guitar without a tuner, see the next video.