7-string guitar: tuning, history, design and game features

As the musicians say, the Russian seven-string classical guitar is the most romantic instrument that has a rich history. This article will in detail introduce the reader to this truly charismatic tool.

Immediately it is worth noting that the seven-stringed classical guitar is of four types:

1. Classical. Contains a normal system with an additional bass of B (s). Strangely enough, its only advantage is the expansion of the bass range. This also includes the seven-string electric guitar.
2. Mexican. This is a guitar with two bars and, correspondingly, 14 strings. Each group of strings can be customized in different ways, this is the advantage of a Mexican guitar. However, its production almost completely stopped.
3. The Brazilian guitar almost does not differ from the classical one, except for small constructive innovations.
4. Russian. The most popular type of seven-string guitar. Hundreds of professional musicians from around the world (among whom such masters as Paul McCartney and Bulat Okudzhava) appreciated its peculiar character. This article is devoted to this guitar.

A Brief History of the Russian Seven-Stringed Guitar

The father of the Russian seven-string guitar is considered to be Andrey Sikhra, the founder of Russian guitar music, the author of more than a thousand compositions. The debut of the Russian seven-string originated in Vilnius in 1793.

Guitar design

It is worth mentioning that the Russian seven-string classical guitar is almost completely different from the usual acoustic guitar. Despite the obvious one small difference, its design designers radically redesigned. A 7-string guitar, tuning and playing on which is a bit specific, will require the musician to have increased skills (barre, for example, will be harder to take).

• Firstly, the system on the Russian guitar is completely different - D (the thickest string), G, H, d, g, h, d1 (where the notes are from a small letter - this means that the note is one octave higher than the one that Written with a big one). There are other constructions, but this is information for enthusiasts, because they are rarely used.
• Secondly, the Russian guitar uses only metal strings. No nylon.
• Thirdly, the neck is fixed to the body with a screw that determines the angle of the neck.
• And fourthly, another arrangement of the strips inside the case.

As you can see, the structural difference is quite large, but the classic instrument is not any more complicated than the 7-string guitar, the tuning of which was never a problem for guitarists. Even the beginning musicians could easily get used to the new design.

Guitar tuning and playing on it

How can a 7-string guitar, tuning which is so linear and simple, cause problems for beginners? Of course not! For tuning, the classic set of instruments is used: tuning fork, tuner and hearing (you can use it all together).

When tuning a seven-string guitar by ear, it's easiest to first set up the very first string (note Re) by the standard (they can be a fourth string on an ordinary guitar, a piano key or an audio record from the Internet). You can also use the Internet tuner.

Now you can adjust the remaining strings relative to the one already tuned. Here is a step-by-step mini-instruction that describes how to adjust the first string of a guitar, and then all the others:

1. The second string on the third fret should sound like an open first.
2. The third string on the fourth fret is like the second one.
3. Fourth on the fifth fret - as the third.
4. Fifth on the third fret - as the fourth.
5. Sixth on the fourth fret - as the fifth.
6. The seventh on the fifth fret - as the sixth.

This is worth doing, even without experience, because tuning the guitar - it's the gray routine of the guitarist. By the way, strings for a 7-string guitar are absolutely easy to get to residents of big cities - in music stores you can always find a couple of sets, but those who live in small settlements will have to order them in the 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 in the classical one. It is categorically not suitable for most genres. Its genres are folk ballads, romances, plays and bard melodies. For the training perfectly fit the melodies of Vladimir Vysotsky - they are relatively simple and recognizable (will than in the company boast). Tabs should also be "seven-stringed."

Yes, by the way, it is not easy - a 7-string guitar, tuning is required not only for the strings, but also for the hands. It will be necessary to completely retrain to clamp the 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 same chords.

In addition, iron strings will require longer fingers than nylon. Some time will have to suffer, until the calluses are formed.

In general, the period of habituation for middle-level guitarists takes about a month.