Queen of the holiday seven-string guitar. Seven String Guitar Tuning 7 String Guitar Tuning
How to tune a seven-string guitar in the standard way
Before tuning a seven-string guitar, let's take a look at the names of the strings on the instrument. The first (thinnest) D string of the first octave. The next three strings are tuned in a minor octave: the second string (H) B, the third string (G) G, and the fourth string (D) D. Further, the strings tuned in a large octave, like the previous three strings, have the same names, but sound one octave lower. Fifth string (H) B, sixth string (G) G and seventh guitar string (D) D. It is advisable to tune the guitar with a tuning fork, in this case the sound of the instrument will be more beautiful in timbre. This is primarily due to strings designed for a certain tension of a particular guitar tuning. You can tune a guitar by the tuner, which also describes how to tune a seven-string guitar to the sounds of a six-string tuner. An important role in the beauty of the timbre is played by the guitar deck, which is also designed for certain strings. Bards often tune the instrument to suit their voice, and the guitar sound is dull. Vladimir Vysotsky tuned his guitar to a tone, and sometimes a tone and a half lower. Correct tuning begins with the first string being tuned to the A tuning fork (A-440). When clamped at the seventh fret, the first string should sound in unison with the tuning fork. If you do not have a tuning fork, try tuning the first string to the beep of your home phone - it sounds just below the tuning fork. The second (B) string pressed down at the third fret should be in unison with the first open string. It is advisable to stretch the string when tuning, and not lower it. In this case, our hearing is more receptive, and in the absence of experience in tuning the guitar, this is not an unimportant fact. Also, when tuning, you must first hit the already tuned string and while listening to its sound pull the tuned string, and not vice versa. The third string (G) when pressed down at the fourth fret tunes in unison with the second open string. The 4th string (D) when pressed down at the 5th fret is tuned in unison with the 3rd string open. Then everything is repeated: the fifth string (B) pressed on the third corresponds to the open fourth string, the sixth (G) string pressed at the fourth fret is tuned to the fifth open and the seventh string (d) is tuned to the sixth open string. So, we have a seven-string guitar tuning: D; G; H; D; G; H; D.
Now, to make it easier to remember the process of tuning a seven-string guitar, let's turn to the diagram:
1st D string on a tuning fork at the 7th fret.
The 2nd B-string is pressed down at the 3rd fret, 1st open.
The 3rd G string is pressed down at the 4th fret along the 2nd open string.
The 4th D string is pressed down at the 5th fret, third open.
The 5th B-string is pressed down at the 3rd fret, 4th open.
The 6th G string is pressed down at the 4th fret, 5th open.
The 7th D string is pressed down at the 5th fret, 6th open.
Was one of the most popular tools, both high and low circles of society. Her sounds could be heard not only on the outskirts of the working rows, but also in the high-society salon. It is a pity, but less and less often you can hear its magic sounds, despite the fact that playing it gives no less pleasure than a six-string guitar.
Many who inherited this instrument from their fathers or grandfathers are not averse to mastering at least the initial chords, to learn a couple of songs with which they can delight relatives and friends. Not everyone knows how to tune a seven-string guitar on their own. Like any instrument, this one has its own characteristics that should be considered when it comes to getting started with the basics of music and playing. There are several ways to tune a seven-string guitar to sound clean and pleasant.
Learning to do it yourself
One of the most famous ways is to tune your guitar to your voice. For this type, further study of the initial chords will suffice. However, most people prefer to tune the instrument with a tuning fork.
Despite the above methods, both among beginners and among amateurs, you can find another type of tuning, which will be discussed further, namely, how to tune a seven-string guitar by ear.
The very history of this instrument goes back a long time, because the Russian, or, as it is also called, the gypsy guitar, has been known since the 18th century. There are many legends about who exactly began to promote the use of the tool. The most common name is A.O. Sikhra. It was he, as the story goes, who invented this guitar. She accompanies some types of classical music, author's songs, Russian romances, which, oddly enough, have been quite popular over the past few years.
Famous musicians who preferred this instrument were Yu.I. Vizbor, B.Sh. Okudzhava, V.S. Vysotsky and others. History has preserved many such names.
Many people take a long time to learn and learn how to tune a seven-string guitar by ear. This is not as difficult as it might seem, of course, if a person has natural data.
- The thinnest first string is tuned with a tuning fork - A. This means that by clamping the string at the 7th fret, the sound was identical to the reference "A". Using the peg, directing it in one direction or the other, loosening and tightening, you should achieve the perfect combination of sound.
- The tuning of the seven-string guitar is carried out further as follows: the second string is pressed at the 3rd fret. Its sound, in turn, coincides exactly with the first not clamped. You will have to use the peg every time you select a certain sound for the string. Consider this during setup.
- When the tuning of the seven-string guitar "got" to the 3rd string, it is important to achieve its unison at the 4th fret with the 2nd not pressed.
- The tincture of the rest of the strings follows this principle. The 4th fret at the 5th fret makes the same sound as the free 3rd fret.
- The fifth, pinned down at the 3rd fret, is identical to the free 4th fret.
- The 6th string of the 3rd fret produces the same sound as the free fifth.
- As for the seventh fret, the following rule applies here: at the 3rd fret, it is identical to the unclamped sixth.
This may seem like a difficult action, but for those who have held a guitar in their hands at least once and have an ear, this will be quite a simple tuning. And even if the future musician has no experience, one should not be upset. You can either use another method, such as tune a seven-string guitar on the Internet through a microphone, or try again.
We use the help of the Internet
Many don't know, but there are also seven-string guitars in rock music. Among them, the most notable are artists such as "Korn" and a former member of "Limp Bizkit". As for tuning this type of guitar, the first six strings of it sound like a Spanish six-string, and the last one - at the 5th fret, like a free 6th.
Those who have the technical ability and can tune a seven-string guitar on the Internet through a microphone can be said to be happy people. After all, there is nothing easier than going to a specialized site, of which there are a lot of them on the network, connecting a microphone to a computer and starting to configure.
Using a tuner (a small device that helps you get the right beautiful sounds for musical instruments), it's pretty easy to get a seven-string guitar sound perfect. In order not to be mistaken during tuning, both the programs and the Internet pages offer to listen to the correct sound, combine the resulting "melody" and bring the instrument to the desired sound. We must not forget that the guitar is a "live" instrument and from time to time it is advisable to check its mood, which can get lost.
According to the musicians, the Russian seven-string classical guitar is the most romantic instrument with a rich history. This article will introduce the reader in detail to this truly charismatic tool.
It should be noted right away that the seven-string classical guitar is of four types:
- Classic. Contains a normal scale with additional B (B) bass. Oddly enough, its only advantage is the widening of the bass range. The seven-string electric guitar also falls here.
- Mexican. with two necks and, accordingly, 14 strings. Each string group can be tuned in different ways, which is the advantage of the Mexican guitar. However, its production has almost completely stopped.
- The Brazilian guitar is almost no different from the classical one, with the exception of small constructive innovations.
- Russian. The most popular view Hundreds of professional musicians from all over the world (including such masters as Paul McCartney and Bulat Okudzhava) have appreciated its peculiar character. This guitar will be the subject of this article.
A brief history of the Russian seven-string guitar
The father of the Russian seven-string guitar is rightfully considered Andrei Sikhra - the founder of Russian guitar music, the author of more than a thousand compositions. The debut of the Russian seven-string took place in Vilnius in 1793.
Guitar construction
It is worth mentioning that the Russian seven-string classical guitar is almost completely different from the usual acoustic one. Despite the obvious one small difference, the designers have radically reworked its device. setting and playing on which are a little specific will require increased skills from the musician (barre, for example, will be more difficult to take).
- First, the tuning on the Russian guitar is completely different - D (the thickest string), G, H, d, g, h, d1 (where the notes are with a small letter, this means that the note is an octave higher than the one that written with a big). There are other tunings, but this is already information for enthusiasts, because they are rarely used.
- Secondly, only metal strings are used in the Russian guitar. No nylon.
- Third, the neck is attached to the body with a screw that determines the angle of the neck.
- And fourthly, a different arrangement of the slats inside the case.
As you can see, the construction difference is quite large, but the classical instrument is no more difficult than the 7-string guitar, the tuning of which has never been a problem for guitarists. Even novice musicians easily managed to get used to the new design.
Tuning and playing the guitar
Can a 7-string guitar, which is so linear and easy to set up, cause problems for beginners? Of course not! A classic tuning fork, tuner and ear are used for tuning (all can be used together).
When tuning a seven-string guitar by ear, the easiest way is to first adjust the very first string (D note) according to a standard (it can be the fourth string on an ordinary guitar, a piano key, or an audio recording from the Internet). You can also use an internet tuner.
Now you can tune the rest of the strings relative to the already tuned first one. Here's a mini step-by-step tutorial on how to tune the first string of your guitar and then the rest:
- The second string at the third fret should sound like the first open.
- The third string at the fourth fret is like the second open.
- The fourth at the fifth fret is like the third.
- The fifth at the third fret is like the fourth.
- The sixth at the fourth fret is like the fifth.
- The seventh at the fifth fret is like the sixth.
This is worth doing, even without experience, because tuning a guitar is the gray everyday life of a guitarist. By the way, strings for a 7-string guitar are absolutely easy to get for residents of big cities - you can always find a couple of sets in music stores, but those who live in small towns will have to order them from an online store.
What to play on a seven-string guitar?
The range of genres covered on the Russian seven-string guitar is even smaller than on the classical one. It is totally unsuitable for most genres. Her genres are folk ballads, romances, plays and bardic melodies. The melodies of Vladimir Vysotsky are perfect for training - they are relatively simple and recognizable (there will be something to brag about in the company). Tabs should also be "seven-stringed".
By the way, it is not easy - a 7-string will be needed not only for strings, but also for hands. You will have to completely retrain chords on such an instrument. The pressing technique will remain completely the same, and the water positions of the fingers will be different, even in the chords of the same name.
In addition, they will require more endurance from the fingers than nylon. You will have to suffer for some time until working calluses form.
In general, mid-level guitarists take about a month to get used to.
The main feature of a seven-string guitar is the number of strings, and since all strings are basic, build guitars differs from the standard one.
This article will only describe the features of tuning a seven-string guitar. The general rules for tuning acoustic guitars are described in the corresponding article.
The tuning of a seven-string guitar is different from the standard guitar tuning process. The open strings of a tuned seven-string guitar are a G or G major chord.
Guitar tuning and tuning
In order to tune guitar (seven-string), tune the first string to the note PE. To do this, you can use a tuning fork for the guitar, the first string, clamped at the seventh fret, should sound in unison with the tuning fork (that is, the note ЛЯ).
An example of a PE note is a similar guitar or an open fourth string tuned to a standard guitar tuning (such as a six-string guitar). You can find a sound recording of a properly tuned string (for example, on the Internet) or take the PE note on the piano as a basis. Also, there are various tuners for tuning acoustic guitars.
But it is better to tune the guitar by ear, in more detail about what an ear for music is and how to develop it.
After you have tuned the first string, proceed to tuning the second, to do this, hold down the second string at the third fret and play the sound, it should be in unison with the open first string.
The fourth string, clamped at the 5th fret, should sound in unison with the open third string.
The fifth, at the third fret, should sound in unison with the open fourth.
The sixth, at the fourth fret, should sound in unison with the open fifth. 
The seventh, at the 5th fret, should sound in unison with the open 6th.
Tune guitars, tuning summary
As a result, the tuning of the guitar turned out to be the following guitar tuning:
The first string is D (PE of the first octave).
The second string is H (small octave SI).
The third string is G (small octave SOL).
The fourth string is D (small octave PE).
The fifth string is H (large octave SI).
The sixth string is G (large octave G).
The seventh string is D (large octave PE).
Some musicians tune the guitar half a half or a pitch lower or higher to match their voice.
For example, the guitar tuning used by Bulat Okudzhava: D, H, G, D, C, G, D.
Or the guitar tuning that Sergey Nikitin used: D, B, G, D, C, G, D.
(Numbering from first to seventh strings).
At one time, I faced a huge problem. I did not know the tuning of the Russian seven-string guitar, and no one could tell me about it. I figured it out for several long months. Our Russian second-hand books saved me from ignorance.
Once in a bookstore, I found on the shelves a self-instruction manual for playing a seven-stringed guitar for 40 rubles. First of all, he greedily dug from the first pages of the tutorial and found out the tuning of the seven-string guitar. But I didn't have 40 rubles with me. Therefore, I went home to get the money and finally bought the coveted book, which I not only do not regret, but on the contrary, I am grateful to God for such a priceless gift.
It will not be a big secret that the classical six-string guitar is built in quarts and has an E-H-G-D-A-E tuning (from the first string to the sixth), which gives it special flexibility in playing music and performing various pieces of music.
The invention of the Russian seven-string guitar and its special system is attributed to Andrey Osipovich Sikhra. They say he was a harpist, and six strings were not enough for him, so he came up with a seven-string version of the guitar. In addition, the Russian seven-string guitar is distinguished by a thirds system, which gives it a special musical and timbre flavor.
The tuning of the seven-string guitar is as follows:
1st string - D (D) of the first octave
2nd - H (B) small octave
3rd - G (G) of a small octave
4th - D (D) small octave
5th - H (B) large octave
6th - G (G) large octave
7th - D (D) large octave
As you can see from the tuning, the open strings of the Russian seven-string guitar make up a G major (G) chord, so we can safely call this tuning "open G". By the way, the famous 12-string Rosenbaum uses the open G tuning. Only this is expressed with one difference. He uses the tuning of a seven-string guitar with the fifth string skipped. Therefore, string pairs are built according to D-H-G-D-G-D. This also explains the effect that many novice guitar players cannot determine from the video what chords he plays :)
However, keep in mind that when recording music for MOST guitars, sounds are recorded an octave higher than their actual sound. Therefore, the tuning of a seven-string guitar in notes will look like this (the numbers in the circles are, as always, strings):
If all this is translated to the neck of the guitar (in notes, that is, an octave higher than its real sound), then you get the following picture: 
As we remember from previous articles for a six-string guitar, horizontally, from top to bottom, we have strings from the first to the seventh, and vertically (columns), these are the frets of the guitar from zero to 19 frets. Well, and, accordingly, the sounds of C major at these frets (the rest, altered sounds can be easily found out by ourselves).
TUNING A RUSSIAN SEMISTRY GUITAR
As you can see from the illustration above, given that the guitar sounds one octave below its musical notation, we can tune the guitar in the following way.
The seventh fret of the first string is built in unison with the A tuning fork of the first octave.
The second string, when clamped at the 3rd fret, is tuned in unison with the open first string.
The third string, when clamped at the 4th fret, is tuned in unison with the open second string.
The fourth string, clamped at the 5th fret, is tuned in unison with the open third string, or an open fourth one octave below the open first string.
The fifth string, at the 3rd fret, is tune in unison with the fourth open string, or an open fifth one octave below the second open string.
The sixth string, when clamped at the 4th fret, is tuned in unison with the fifth open string, or an open sixth one octave below the third string.
The seventh string, clamped at the 5th fret, is tune in unison with the sixth string, or an open seventh one octave below the fourth open string.
Thus, by tuning and checking the tuning, we get a G major chord on the open strings. So what is next…
TO BE CONTINUED…
Elliot Craig.
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