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

It is immediately worth noting that the seven-string classical guitar comes in four types:

1. Classic. Contains normal tuning with an extra bass note B (B). Oddly enough, its only advantage is the expansion of the bass range. This also includes the seven-string electric guitar.
2. Mexican. with two necks and, accordingly, 14 strings. Each group of strings can be tuned differently, this is the advantage of the Mexican guitar. However, its production has almost completely stopped.
3. The Brazilian guitar is almost no different from the classical one, with the exception of minor design innovations.
4. Russian. The most popular type Hundreds of professional musicians from all over the world (including such masters as Paul McCartney and Bulat Okudzhava) appreciated its unique character. This article will be devoted to this guitar.

A Brief History of the Russian Seven-String Guitar

Andrei Sihra, the founder of Russian guitar music, the author of more than a thousand compositions, is rightfully considered the father of the Russian seven-string guitar. 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 radically redesigned its structure. tuning and playing which is a little specific will require increased skills from the musician (barre, for example, will be more difficult to take).

• Firstly, the tuning on a 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 written with a capital). There are other tunings, but this is information for enthusiasts, since they are rarely used.
• Secondly, the Russian guitar uses only metal strings. No nylon.
• Thirdly, the bar is attached to the body with a screw, which determines the angle of the bar.
• And fourthly, a different arrangement of strips inside the case.

As you can see, the design difference is quite large, but the classical instrument is no more complicated than a 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.

Guitar tuning and playing

How can a 7-string guitar whose tuning is so linear and simple cause problems for beginners? Of course not! For tuning, a classic tuning fork, a tuner and an ear are used (all can be used together).

When tuning a seven-string guitar by ear, the easiest way is to first tune the very first string (the note D) according to a standard (it can be the fourth string on a regular guitar, a piano key, or an audio recording from the Internet). You can also use an Internet tuner.

Now you can tune the remaining strings relative to the first one already tuned. Here's a step-by-step mini-instruction describing how to tune the first string of your guitar, and then all the others:

1. The second string on the third fret should sound like the first string open.
2. The third string on the fourth fret is like the second open string.
3. The fourth on the fifth fret is like the third.
4. The fifth on the third fret is like the fourth.
5. The sixth on the fourth fret is like the fifth.
6. The seventh on 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 large 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 absolutely not suitable for most genres. Her genres are folk ballads, romances, plays and bard melodies. The melodies of Vladimir Vysotsky are great for learning - they are relatively simple and recognizable (there will be something to brag about in company). Tabs should also be “seven-stringed”.

Yes, by the way, it is not easy - a 7-string will require not only the strings, but also the hands. You will have to completely relearn how to play chords on such an instrument. The pressing technique will remain completely the same, but the finger positions will be different, even in the chords of the same name.

In addition, they will require more endurance from your fingers than nylon ones. You will have to suffer for some time until working calluses form.

In general, the adjustment period for mid-level guitarists takes about a month.

At one time I faced a huge problem. I didn’t know the tuning of the Russian seven-string guitar, and no one could tell me about it. I spent several long months figuring this out. Our Russian second-hand bookstore saved me from ignorance.

Once I went into a bookstore, I found on the shelves a self-instruction manual for playing the seven-string guitar for 40 rubles. The first thing I did was eagerly dive into the first pages of the tutorial and figure out the structure of a seven-string guitar. But I didn’t have 40 rubles with me. Therefore, I went home to get money and finally bought the treasured 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 fourths 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 musical works.

The invention of the Russian seven-string guitar and its special tuning is attributed to Andrei Osipovich Sihra. They say that 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 its third tuning, which gives it a special musical and timbre flavor.

The tuning of a seven-string guitar is as follows:

1st string – D (D) first octave

2nd – H (B) small octave

3rd – G (G) small octave

4th – D (D) small octave

5th – H (B) large octave

6th – G (G) major octave

7th – D (D) large octave

As you can see from the tuning, the open strings of a 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 Rosenbaum, who plays the twelve-string guitar, uses the “open G” tuning. This is only expressed with one difference. It uses a seven-string guitar tuning with the fifth string missing. Therefore, pairs of strings are built according to D-H-G-D-G-D. This also explains the effect that many beginning guitar players cannot determine from the video what chords he plays :)

However, keep in mind that when recording music for MOST guitars, the sounds are recorded an octave higher than their actual sound. Therefore, the structure of a seven-string guitar in notes will look like this (the numbers in circles are, as always, strings):

If all this is translated onto the neck of the guitar (in notes, that is, an octave higher than its real sound), you will get this 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 the zero saddle to the 19th fret. Well, and, accordingly, the sounds of C major on these frets (the rest, altered sounds, can be easily figured out by yourself).

TUNING A RUSSIAN SEVEN-STRING GUITAR

As you can see from the above illustration, given that the guitar is sounded an octave below its notation, we can tune the guitar in the following way.

The seventh fret of the first string is built in unison with the tuning fork A of the first octave.

The second string, clamped at the 3rd fret, is built in unison with the open first string.

The third string, clamped at the 4th fret, is built in unison with the open second string.

The fourth string, clamped at the 5th fret, is built in unison with the open third string, or the open fourth string is an octave lower than the open first string.

The fifth string, clamped at the 3rd fret, is built in unison with the fourth open string, or the open fifth is an octave lower than the second open string.

The sixth string, clamped at the 4th fret, is built in unison with the open fifth string, or the open sixth string is an octave lower than the third string.

The seventh string, clamped at the 5th fret, is built in unison with the sixth string, or an open seventh string an octave lower than the fourth open string.

Thus, having adjusted and checked the tuning, we get a G major chord on the open strings. So what is next…

TO BE CONTINUED…

Elliot Craig.

You can discuss this article in the FORUM in the "Site Discussion" section.

The main feature of a seven-string guitar is the number of strings, and since all the strings are basic, then guitar tuning different 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 differs from the standard guitar tuning process. The open strings of a tuned seven-string guitar are the G or G major chords.

Guitar tuning and guitar tuning

In order to tune your guitar(seven-string), tune the first string to the note RE. To do this, you can use a tuning fork for a guitar; the first string, clamped at the seventh fret, should sound in unison with the tuning fork (that is, the note A).

An example of a D note would be a similar guitar or the fourth open string tuned to a standard guitar tuning (for example, a six-string guitar). You can find a sound recording of a correctly tuned string (for example, on the Internet) or take the note RE on the piano as a basis. There are also various tuners for tuning acoustic guitars.

But it’s better to tune a guitar by ear. Read more about what an ear for music is and how to develop it.

After you have tuned the first string, proceed to tune the second, to do this, hold the second string on the third fret and make a sound, it should be in unison with the open first string.

The fourth string, held at the fifth fret, should sound in unison with the open third string.

The fifth, on the third fret, should sound in unison with the open fourth.

The sixth, on the fourth fret, should sound in unison with the open fifth.

The seventh, on the fifth fret, should sound in unison with the open sixth.

Guitar build, tuning summary

As a result, the guitar tuning turned out to be like this:

The first string is D (D of the first octave).
The second string is H (SI small octave).
The third string is G (small octave sol).
The fourth string is D (small octave RE).
The fifth string is H (SI major octave).
The sixth string is G (major octave G).
The seventh string is D (D major octave).

Some musicians tune their guitar a poltana, or a tone lower or higher, to suit their voice.

For example, the guitar tuning used by Bulat Okudzhava: D, H, G, D, C, G, D.

Or the guitar tuning used by Sergei Nikitin: D, B, G, D, C, G, D.
(Numbering from the first to the seventh string).

Tuning a guitar online using a tuner:

Adjusting the tuner volume is indicated by the inscription “Volume”.
The guitar tuner is a great opportunity to tune a six-string guitar online exactly to the reference sound.

Guitar Tuning: Sounds

The tuning tuner represents the sound of the instrument's open strings. Below are the names of guitar strings and their designations:
E is the first string of the guitar.
B – B second string.
G – G third string.
D – D fourth string.
A – A fifth string
E – E sixth string.
Select the first E string for tuning the guitar by pressing the letter E and try tuning the first string of the guitar in accordance with the received tuner sound, and then tune the instrument in the usual way, tuning the guitar according to the already tuned strings. After tuning, you have the opportunity to compare the sound of the open strings of your guitar with the sound of the open strings of the tuner, thus practicing tuning your guitar. The ability to tune a guitar well and quickly is an integral part of the learning process of playing this instrument. Tuning a guitar online, tuning a guitar using the unison principle, tuning an acoustic guitar with harmonics - all these methods should be tried and studied by you.

Tuning a seven-string guitar online

To tune a seven-string guitar, you can also use a six-string guitar tuner. The standard tuning of a seven-string instrument allows this to be done. To tune the first (thinest) string, you need to press this string at the second fret. Thus, we will get the E – E sound we need. We adjust the first string, pressed at the II (second) fret in accordance with the sound of the E tuner to a unison (identical) sound. The next three strings completely coincide in their sound with the tuning of the strings of a seven-string guitar. B – (B) is the open second string of a seven-string guitar, just like the open second string of a six-string instrument. G – (G) the open third string of a seven-string guitar. D is the (re)open fourth string of a seven-string guitar. To obtain the required B sound of the fifth string of a seven-string, we press the fifth string at the third (third) fret and again use the fourth (D) string of the tuner, adjusting it to a unison sound. We tune the sixth string of a seven-string, pressed at the II (second) fret along the fifth string A (A) of the tuner of a six-string guitar. The seventh string (D) pressed on the II (second) fret corresponds to the sound of the sixth string of the tuner E - (E). So, this is the configuration scheme:

Seven-string guitar tuning: sounds

E (tuner) – second fret of a seven-string guitar.
B (tuner) is the open (not pressed) second string of a seven-string guitar.
G (tuner) is the open third string of a seven-string guitar.
D (tuner) is the open fourth string of a seven-string guitar.
Again D (tuner) – the third fret of the fifth string of a seven-string guitar.
A (tuner) – second fret of the sixth string of a seven-string guitar.
E (tuner) – second fret of the seventh string of a seven-string guitar.

How to tune a seven-string guitar the standard way

Before tuning a seven-string guitar, let's familiarize ourselves with the names of the strings on the instrument. The first (thintest) string (D) is D of the first octave. The next three strings are tuned in the small 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 an octave lower. The fifth string (H) is B, the sixth string (G) is G and the seventh string of guitar (D) is D. It is advisable to tune the guitar using a tuning fork, in this case the sound of the instrument will be more beautiful in timbre. This is due, first of all, to the strings, designed for a certain tension of a particular guitar tuning. You can tune a guitar using a tuner, which also describes how to tune a seven-string guitar using the sounds of a six-string tuner. The soundboard of the guitar, also designed for certain strings, also plays an important role in the beauty of the timbre. Bards often tune the instrument to suit their voice and the guitar ends up sounding dull. Vladimir Vysotsky tuned his guitar a tone, and sometimes a tone and a half lower. Proper tuning begins with the first string, which is tuned using the A tuning fork (A-440). The first string held at the seventh fret should sound in unison with the tuning fork. If you don't have a tuning fork, try tuning the first string to the dial tone of your home telephone - it sounds just below the tuning fork. The second string (B) pressed at the third fret should be in unison with the first open string. It is advisable to tighten the string when tuning, rather than lowering it. In this case, our hearing is more receptive, and in the absence of experience in tuning a guitar, this is not an unimportant fact. Also, when tuning, you must first strike the already tuned string and, while listening to its sound, tighten the tuned one, and not vice versa. The third string (G) pressed on the fourth fret is tuned in unison with the second open string. The fourth string (D) pressed at the fifth fret is tuned in unison with the third open string. Then everything is repeated: the fifth string (B) pressed on the third corresponds to the open fourth string, the sixth (G) pressed on the fourth fret is tuned to the fifth open string 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 look at the diagram:

1st string D on a tuning fork at the 7th fret.

The 2nd B string is pressed on the 3rd fret along the 1st open.

The 3rd G string is pressed at the 4th fret along the second open string.

The 4th D string is pressed to the V fret along the third open fret.

The 5th B string is pressed on the 3rd fret along the 4th open.

The 6th G string is pressed on the 4th fret, the 5th open.

The 7th D string is pressed to the 5th fret, the 6th open.