What is the difference between a seven-string guitar and a six-string guitar? Russian guitar sihra

The appearance of the guitar in Russia dates back to approximately the middle of the 18th century. In the first work on the history of music in Russia, published in 1770, its author, “professor of eloquence and poetry” at the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, Yakov Shtelin, speaking about music during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, noted: “In conclusion, about musical news and attractions under Empress Elizabeth, it should be mentioned that the Italian guitar and its compatriot - the mandolin, thanks to various Italians, appeared in Moscow, but never had a big success - the Moreover, they cannot fulfill their purpose, that is, to accompany loving sighs under the windows of their beloved, in a country where neither evening serenades nor sighs on the streets are accepted” (§ 52).
Stehlin's explanation of the reasons for the low popularity of the guitar can hardly be considered valid. The guitar in the first half of the 18th century did not enjoy great success in Europe, although it was well known there. The obstacles to its spread in Russia, which Shtelin so unreasonably referred to, did not prevent it from soon becoming one of the most beloved musical instruments.
More significant is Shtelin’s indication that an imported, “Italian” guitar initially appeared in Russia. In the 18th century, many Italians came to Russia. Among them were major composers, singers, and instrumentalists. They were attracted to Russia mainly by high earnings, much higher than at home. Italian musicians performed primarily at the imperial court and in court gatherings, playing both well-known instruments in Russia and new ones that were not yet known here.
Along with the mandolin and guitar, Shtelin also mentions a plucked instrument that was more common in the West at that time - the lute, which, according to him, was played at the Russian court by Timofey Belogradsky, a native of Ukraine, who studied the art of playing the lute back in the 40s of the 18th century. in Dresden.
If Shtelin speaks of the guitar as an instrument that only accompanied singing, then with regard to the lute he points out that Belogradsky played “the strongest solos and the most difficult concerts” on it (§ 30).
The lute and guitar are related plucked instruments, the origins of which are lost in ancient times. From the countries of the East they were brought to Spain. The rule of the Moors in Spain, which lasted until 1494, when their last stronghold, the Alhambra fortress in Grenada, fell, left a deep mark on the art of the Spanish people. It was also reflected in the musical instruments. The lute and guitar, having gained a foothold in Spain, thanks to the close economic and cultural ties of this country with Southern Italy, penetrated there and soon spread throughout Europe. The lute acquired particular significance in the musical culture of European countries in the 16th-17th centuries.
Resembling in shape a modern mandolin, only larger, with a neck strongly bent back, the lute had varieties that differed from each other in the size of the instrument and the tuning, which also changed over time. The lute, which became widespread in most European countries in the 16th century, had 6 strings, of which 5 were double and one single - the “singer” string that played the melody. Gradually, bass strings began to be added to these 6 strings, which were used open and attached to the instrument independently of the neck. The lute was an accompanying singing, solo and ensemble instrument. The musical literature created by lutenists of the 16th-17th centuries is enormous. In addition to a large number of anonymous collections, there are interesting works lute music, composed in various countries by major composers (plays by J. S. Bach, V. Backfark, J. Callot, J. Pinel, etc.).
The guitar left a smaller mark than the lute in the musical literature of European countries. Brought to Spain and migrated from there to other countries, close in shape to the modern one, it had 4 double strings. By the second half of the 16th century, a 5th string was added to the 4 strings. It is in this form, with the formation
or

The instrument gained recognition in Europe as a “Spanish” guitar. In the XVI and XVII centuries such a guitar served mainly for accompaniment purposes. In Spain, its functions were somewhat expanded, since Spanish folk songs, performed with guitar accompaniment, were inextricably linked with dance and almost always had a rather large instrumental introduction. The guitar part in these songs was not limited to passive support of the voice, but often became the leading one.
However, to perform purely instrumental music in Spain, it was not the guitar that was more often used, but another instrument called the vihuela. It arose as a result of the “crossing” of a guitar with a lute. Approaching the shape of a guitar, the vihuela, like the lute, had 5 double strings and one single, although already in the 16th century attempts were made to add a 7th string. Having lasted in the musical practice of Spain until the beginning of the 18th century inclusive, the vihuela left a significant mark on Spanish music. musical literature. For the vihuela, outstanding performers of the 16th century (Luis Milan, O Miguel de Fuenllana) created fantasies, works of dance music and original solo plays. Literature for the vihuela, as well as for the lute of the 16th - early 18th centuries, can rightly be considered as the Western “classics” of plucked instruments, the immediate predecessor of guitar fiction.
In Russia, the closest predecessor of the guitar was the Ukrainian bandura. Similar in shape to a lute, the bandura, in addition to the main 5-6 strings, had “strings” - several additional strings placed on the soundboard. The number of strings of the bandura varied, reaching up to 30 along with the “strings”. The tuning of the instrument also changed, usually lower than the tuning of the lute.
Bandura appeared in Ukraine in early XVII century and began to displace a homogeneous, but less perfect musical instrument - the kobza. This plucked instrument, like the bandura later, gained particular popularity among the Cossacks of Zaporozhye, who sang historical and lyrical songs to its accompaniment. Becoming national folk instrument in Ukraine, the bandura became widespread in Russia at the beginning of the 18th century. J. Shtelin talks about this in some detail. He writes: “The bandura, not entirely unknown in Germany, is quite similar in design and sound to the lute. It actually comes from Poland or Ukraine, where the majority of bandura players in Russia come from. In general, this province, in comparison with other provinces of the Russian state is the same as Provence in relation to other provinces of France... The location of this region in the south, the abundance of field and garden fruits and the resulting contentment and joy of the inhabitants constitute one of distinctive features . Everyone sings, plays and dances in this region. The most popular instrument here is the bandura, on which skilled Ukrainians play the most beautiful Polish and Ukrainian dances and accompany their numerous and rather gentle songs. Since many young people in Ukraine study with great diligence to play this instrument, for a long time there has always been an overabundance of bandura players there. Previously, many went from there from time to time to Moscow and St. Petersburg, where they were hired into the houses of noble gentlemen as household musicians or bandura players and where they had to sing and play at the table and, in addition, teach this instrument to one or another of the serf servants , who showed a desire and ability for music. These Ukrainian bandura players are mostly cheerful and agile, birds who vividly depict passions during their songs with facial expressions and gestures, and, besides this, they are quite foolish. I knew various excellent bandura players who, while singing and playing, danced perfectly in Ukrainian and knew how, without the slightest break in the game, to bring a full glass of wine placed on the bandura to their mouth and drink it. They always differ from other servants in noble houses in their dress, they wear not French or German clothes, like those, but long and light Ukrainian dresses with cut and hanging sleeves, like a Polish caftan, the front halves of which they always play and the dancers are raised and tucked into the sash" (§ 18). It should be taken into account that, speaking about Ukraine, about the contentment and joy of its inhabitants, Shtelin looked at it through the eyes of a courtier of Catherine’s time, which was far from corresponding to the actual situation. Shtelin observed bandura players only in the houses of the "noble gentlemen" whom they were obliged to entertain. Mentions of the playing of bandura players in similar conditions are found, in addition to the work of Shtelin, in other sources. For example, in the "Diary" of the chamber cadet F. P. Berchgolts, mention of the playing of bandura players Speaking about the bandura players of Princess M. Yu. Cherkasskaya and other “noble gentlemen,” Berchholz notes the performance of the bandura player during his visit in 1721 to the house of Prince Kantemir, the father of the famous satirist. Berchholz writes: “...after the dances they set the table again and, while preparations were being made for dinner, we listened to some blind Cossack playing the bandura, an instrument that is similar to a lute, with the only difference that it is not so large and "has fewer strings. He sang a lot of songs, not quite, it seems, of decent content, accompanying himself on this instrument, and it turned out pretty good."
Bandura and bandura players are mentioned differently in Ukrainian folk songs. One of them tells the story of a Cossack asking a girl to lend him a bandura so that its sounds would help him forget his troubles and sorrows.
The repertoire of bandura players consisted mainly of folk songs, which subsequently passed into Russian guitar literature.
By the end of the 18th century, the bandura disappeared from the mansions of the lords. Shtelin explained this for the following reasons: “It is noticeable,” he wrote, “that over the course of just 20 years, the number of these bandura players and entertainers decreases more and more in the houses of noble gentlemen, the more firmly a more refined taste for the clavier, violin, traverse is established in them.” -flute and horn and a desire for Italian music in general...".
Simultaneously with the decline in interest in the bandura in Russia, noted by Shtelin, in Italy, France, Germany, Holland, Poland and other European countries they are no longer interested in lute music. The “singing lute” gives way to the violin, but the fullness of harmony reproduced on the lute could not compete with the harmonic capabilities of the clavier. In the mansions and salons of aristocrats, where they had enjoyed the sounds of lute music since the Renaissance, by the second half of the 18th century they began to get carried away with string quartets and other ensembles. As an accompanying instrument, the lute is replaced by the clavier or harp. Changed means musical expressiveness, conditioned by the new content of music, demanded from instruments such qualities that plucked instruments no longer had.
This happened due to changes in social relations. The victory of the bourgeois revolution of 1789 in France opened up new paths of development in economic and cultural life peoples Major changes are also taking place in the field of music: the work of composers is becoming more democratic; new genres and styles appear; The forms of music-making are also changing, covering ever larger segments of the population. This, in turn, is reflected in musical instruments, in particular plucked instruments. They disappear, giving way to more perfect ones, capable of conveying increasingly complex compositions, and because the acoustic properties of old instruments, which satisfied the requirements of chamber sound, no longer correspond to the size of the audiences where listeners gather. The orchestra and instruments that sound good in large rooms are of primary importance. IN home environment special role acquires a piano, a universal instrument equally suitable for accompaniment, participation in a chamber ensemble and solo performance.
It would seem that under such conditions, along with other plucked instruments, the guitar should have disappeared from musical use. However, in all European countries the opposite is happening. Having played a rather modest role as an accompanying instrument for a long time, the guitar became extremely popular in all countries in the 90s of the 18th century. Along with the piano, it becomes the main instrument for home music playing. Thanks to the performing activities of M. Giuliani, G. Gatea, F. Sora, D. Aguado, M. Carcassi and other outstanding guitarists who began performing on stage at the end of the 18th century, the guitar acquired the significance of a concert instrument. The main reasons for the popularity of the guitar since the end of the 18th century should be recognized: a) improvement of the instrument, b) its portability and versatility, and c) cheapness and accessibility for all segments of the population.
What was the improvement of the instrument?
Back when the guitar had a five-string, its highest double string was replaced by a single string, which was more convenient for playing melody. Following this, the remaining strings also became single ( top strings remained intestinal or metal, the lower ones were wrapped in gimp). In the second half of the 18th century, not only a five-string guitar, but also a six-string guitar began to be called “Spanish”. The addition of a 6th string increased the performing capabilities of the instrument. The credit for this improvement in Germany is attributed to the toolmaker August Otto in Jena, but the rapid spread throughout six string guitar allows us to think that not only in Germany, but also in other countries, the birth of the “six-string” was caused by live performing practice. The then established tuning of the six-string guitar

Has survived to this day.
Along with the six-string guitar, at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries there was also a five-string guitar, but its days were already numbered. The question of adding a 7th string began to attract attention, which took place in France, Germany, Poland and, especially, in Russia. In the first decade of the 19th century, the six-string guitar gained a foothold in the West, while in Russia the six-string and seven-string guitars began to compete. If at first the seven-string tuning was not yet sufficiently stable, then with the introduction of the G major tuning, the “seven-string” in Russia gained a dominant position. It acquires the name “Russian” guitar and with its approval, guitar art in Russia begins to develop in ways other than in the West.
Until now, A. O. Sihra was considered the founder of guitar art in Russia. His contemporary, the author of the first printed work on the history of the Russian seven-string guitar, M. A. Stakhovich, wrote about him as the “inventor” of such a guitar. At the same time, he pointed, for example, to such details, recorded by him in 1840, that “Sihra first experimented with constructing a seven-string guitar in Vilna at the end of the 1790s, and improved it in Moscow.”
At the same time, Stakhovich noted that Sihra “also played the six-string guitar and, being gifted with strong musical talent and having achieved the degree of virtuoso on the harp, at the end of the last century, while in Moscow, he came up with the idea of ​​​​making a six-string guitar into an instrument more complete and closer to the harp in arpeggias , and at the same time more melodic than the harp, and tied the seventh string to the guitar; At the same time, he changed its structure, giving six strings a group of two tonic chords in the tone G-dur.. "
Stakhovich's claim that Syhra was the inventor of the seven-string guitar and the creator of its G major tuning was repeated throughout the 19th century.
So, for example, at the end of the 19th century, A. S. Famintsyn wrote: “At the end of the 1790s, in Vilna, a virtuoso on the harp, who later became famous as a guitarist, Andrei Osipovich Sihra, made an attempt to improve the six-string guitar that was in use at that time , adding the seventh string to it; Accordingly, he changed its structure, bringing it closer in arpeggias to his special instrument - the harp.”

V. A. Rusanov, who devoted an entire chapter in his work about Sihr, entitled “Who invented the Russian seven-string guitar,” based on the information reported in V. I. Dahl’s “Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language” about the seven-string “Polish” guitar and its use in 1806 in Germany, a seven-string guitar by guitarist Scheidler, comes to the conclusion that “the addition of a seventh string in Russia by A. O. Sikhroy, while the seven-string guitar was also abroad, has no historical basis.”
At the same time, he denies Sihra’s role as the creator of the G major tuning of the seven-string guitar, since such a guitar was used in Russia even before Sihra’s appearance in Moscow, which, according to Rusanov’s data, dates back to 1805 (the publication of the sonata for seven-string guitar by I. Kamensky in 1799, etc.).
The correctness of the considerations expressed by Rusanov is supported by one announcement on French, published in the newspaper “St. Petersburg Gazette” (1803, No. 37). In this advertisement, the St. Petersburg guitarist Ganf offered his services to those interested in teaching how to play a seven-string guitar with tuning

Claiming that this particular tuning makes it easier to play the guitar and allows for full harmony in the accompaniment, he referred to the changes that took place with the seven-string guitar in France, where the “new” tuning he advertised was allegedly recognized as the best. In support of his words, Hanf referred to Scheidler's article in the Leipzig Musical Newspaper (1801, No. 4). Soon, in 1805, Hanf released his own School of playing the seven-string guitar, but the “French” system he promoted apparently did not meet with sympathy among Russian guitarists.
Debunking Sikhra as the founder of the Russian seven-string guitar, Rusanov argued that, despite the presence of predecessors, Sikhra “with brilliant insight grabbed hold of this tuning and developed and founded an exemplary method of playing this instrument.”
This position expressed by Rusanov is repeated in all further works on the guitar in Russia. However, upon careful study of historical materials, it also does not stand up to criticism. Being neither the inventor of the seven-string guitar nor the creator of its G major tuning, Sihra was not the founder of the method of playing the seven-string guitar of this tuning.
There is no doubt that the spread of the guitar was prepared by the entire course of development of Russian musical culture, but the first who can claim a significant role in the promotion of the seven-string guitar was the author of the first Russian School of playing this guitar - the Czech guitarist and composer Ignaz Held. This musician is currently forgotten, but Czech sources early XIX centuries indicate that his numerous works enjoyed recognition and love in Russia during his lifetime.
Jgnaz Geld was born in 1766 in Třebechowice (Gogeybruck). He was the eldest son of a local doctor and received, at that time, a good general and musical education. Having started his musical career as a young singer in one of the churches in Prague and, further, in Hradec Králové, he, along with studying the humanities (his father expected him to be a future lawyer), took up music seriously. As a result of intensive exercises, he acquired the skills to play some string and wind instruments. The early death of his father forced the 17-year-old boy to seek his fortune in a foreign land. In 1783, Geld went to Poland, where, thanks to his upbringing, good manners and musical talents was hospitably received in the homes of aristocrats.
After some time, he went to St. Petersburg, where he joined the ranks of the Russian army, operating under the command of Potemkin against the Turks. Geld took part in hostilities, visited the Crimea, participated in the assault on Ochakov and received promotion to officer. After the death of Potemkin, who favored him, which followed in 1791, Held returned to Poland. Here he joined the Polish army, very quickly received the rank of major, a diploma of nobility and even the title of royal chamberlain. Geld's brilliantly started career soon ended. He took part in the Polish uprising and, when it was suppressed, was among the prisoners of war. Geld spent more than two years in Russian captivity. The future seemed hopeless to him. Unexpected turn Gelda's fate occurred in 1797, when Paul I ascended the throne. The new emperor, who broke with the traditions of his predecessor, Catherine II, showed “royal mercy” towards the captured Poles. He freed Kosciuszko and his associates, including Held. Having gained freedom, Held nevertheless found himself in a difficult situation. Any career in Russia was ruled out for him.
At this difficult moment in his life, music came to his aid. He became a music teacher and in 1798 published in St. Petersburg three polonaises for piano and a self-instruction school for seven-string guitar, called “Methode facile pour apprendre a pincer la guitare a sept cordes sans mattre.” This was the first guitar school published in Russia. Apparently, the modest position occupied in St. Petersburg did not satisfy Held, and in 1800 he moved to Moscow.
As his contemporary biographer G. Dlabash points out, “his charms beautiful voice- tenors, associated with masterful playing of the English (? -B.V.) guitar and piano, made him a real Orpheus and won him love by giving profitable lessons in many representative houses of Moscow." In 1802, Held published the second edition of the School for seven-string guitar, dedicated to Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna, and in 1806 - a third, supplemented by the Collection of Russian Songs, containing 40 Russian and Ukrainian songs. In addition, during the Moscow period of his life, Held published a large number of various musical works. Among them we find a cycle of romances based on texts German poets, dance music (polonaises, country dances, mazurkas, ecosaises, waltzes, quadrilles), marches (including the Funeral March for the funeral of Count Sheremetev), serenades and divertissements. They were published in piano version, for a seven-string guitar solo or in an ensemble with a violin, and even for an ensemble of wind instruments. Suffice it to say that in the 1806 catalog of sales notes printed by the Moscow music dealers Reinsdorp and Kertselli, there are six polonaises for the wind composition of I. Held, marked opus 28.
Held's creative and teaching activities in Moscow, which brought him fame and material well-being, apparently did not satisfy the musician. Taking advantage of the patronage of Vel. book Konstantin Pavlovich, Geld moved to the city of Pernov (now Pärnu), where he took the position of port inspector. Soon he was transferred to the same position in St. Petersburg (1808), where he combined his official duties with musical activities. In 1812, he again republished his already recognized School for the seven-string guitar, “with a detailed interpretation of music in general.”
Geld promoted not only the seven-string guitar, but also the six-string guitar. He published a School for six-string guitar with text in Russian and German languages entitled "Advanced Guitar School for Six Strings, or a Self-Taught Guide to Playing the Guitar." Despite the dogmatic presentation in paragraphs, very valuable thoughts were encountered in the Held School. Since 1812, Held also published a magazine for the six-string “Spanish” guitar, called “The St. Petersburg Troubadour, or a Collection of the best romances, arias and rondos for singing with guitar accompaniment.”
Held’s creative activity developed especially widely after the Patriotic War of 1812. During this period, in addition to the reissue of various divertissements for seven-string guitar, new romances composed by him for guitar and piano, many polonaises and, as a tribute to the times, marches were published (March of the Moscow Police, March dedicated to Bagration, Cossack March, or Farewell Olisa and others) - Many editions of his patriotic works went on sale for charitable purposes to help those affected by the war (Russian Ballad for the Liberation of Polotsk, Elegy for the Death of Kutuzov, etc.). Geld often used poems by the poet Andrei Nikitin as texts for romances and choruses.
Having frequent communication with the publishers of his works, Held came to the idea of ​​​​the advisability of establishing a printing house where, without intermediaries, not only his works, but also the works of other composers could be published. In 1814, Held opened a “musical printing house” in St. Petersburg, which began printing sheet music and accepting orders for printing engravings.
However, Held's music publishing activities were not destined to take off. In 1816, Geld died in Brest-Litovsk.
One of his last publications was “The newest Russian songs for seven-string guitar, dedicated to Mrs. Priklonskaya, nee Izmailova.” The collection contained 50 Russian songs, harmonized by Geld (without variations). Each song was preceded by several chords (cadences), intended for prelude in the key in which the song was given.
About what significance it had musical activity Gelda for Russian guitarists and, in particular, his School of playing the seven-string guitar, testifies to the following. When in 1819, one of Sikhra’s most talented students, S.N. Aksenov, decided to publish the new techniques he had found for playing the guitar, he took Held’s School for the seven-string guitar as the basis for his leadership, and not any other. This would not have happened if the guitar tuning and Held’s technique did not coincide with the techniques used by Aksenov and Sihra. From the above it follows that, obviously, Russian guitar playing of the early 19th century was formed under the influence of the methodological principles of Held, who should be recognized in to a greater extent, than Sichru, the founder of playing the Russian seven-string guitar.
Did the introduction of the “seven-string” have a positive meaning for the development of Russian guitar art and does the seven-string guitar have advantages over the six-string? This question, which has not lost its urgency even today, has divided guitarists into two almost irreconcilable camps, each of which cited all sorts of pros and cons in defense of their views. If for theorists it was of purely fundamental importance, then for practicing guitarists a lot depended on its resolution both in performance and, especially, in pedagogy.
It should be said that the enmity between six and seven stringers really escalated only at the beginning of the 20th century. In the first decades of the 19th century, there was almost no antagonism between them and relations between supporters of playing one or another type of guitar were quite peaceful. To characterize them, we present an interesting excerpt from the memoirs of guitarist N.P. Makarov. In 1837 he came to Moscow. After staying at the hotel, he began to play the guitar in his room. Having finished playing, he began to listen to the sounds of another guitar coming from next door. “In this game,” writes Makarov, “there was strength, and extraordinary fluency, and impeccable clarity, and tenderness, and expression, and deep feeling. What a crescendo, and what a morendo! In a word, there was everything there is to be I then strived and what I acquired only many years later, after the most persistent exercises and efforts...
The game outside the wall had barely ended when I sent my man to find out who my neighbor was. It turned out that it was the Tula landowner Pavel Aleksandrovich Ladyzhensky (P.A. Ladyzhensky - B.V.). I immediately went to him and introduced myself. He was extremely kind to me and willingly told me a few details about himself. He played the seven-string guitar and was one of Sihra's students when the latter enjoyed great fame throughout Russia. After serving a reasonable period of time in the guard, Pavel Alexandrovich retired and settled on his Tula estate, taking care of the household, but without abandoning his favorite instrument. I spent the whole evening with him. He played a lot and was still just as charming. The charm of his playing on me was so great that I immediately announced that I intended to switch from a six to a seven-string guitar. But Pavel Alexandrovich was so conscientious and impartial that he told me:
- In vain. I don’t advise you to give up the six-string guitar, which has enormous advantages and advantages over our seven-string guitar, especially since you have a wonderful talent and an already very developed mechanism... This meeting then decided my musical fate, and if I play, and play decently, on guitar, then the culprit is Pabel Aleksandrovich Ladyzhensky, with whom I subsequently maintained acquaintance.”
The relationship between six- and seven-string players proceeded differently at a later time. “Even or Odd?” - under this heading in 1904-1906 a number of articles by V. A. Rusanov appeared in the magazine “Gitarist”, not only defending the right to the independent existence of a seven-string guitar, but also trying, by hushing up the achievements of six-string guitars, to prove its advantages in front of a six-string guitar. The controversy that flared up was based solely on the moments of greater or lesser convenience, difficulty or ease of performing guitar pieces on one or another type of instrument. The controversy surrounding this problem, which flared up on the pages of the magazine, did not produce practically tangible results. They rather strained relations between guitarists who held opposing opinions.
The only advantage of the seven-string guitar, judging by the statements of those participating in the dispute, was the best opportunity, that is, the relative ease of extracting the simplest arpeggiated chords on it. The performance of artistic musical works was considered equally difficult on both a six-string and a seven-string guitar. However, the big trump card of the six-string was the fact that the entire world's guitar literature was created for the six-string guitar; for this guitar was developed due to the rich concert and pedagogical practice a technique for playing the instrument, which the seven-stringers could oppose to the not very extensive Russian guitar literature and methodology, which was not supported by the appearance of outstanding virtuosos on the concert stage.
The disagreements that arose among Russian guitarists in pre-revolutionary time, have survived to this day. Foreign virtuoso guitarists coming to the USSR, unfamiliar with the seven-string, which had taken root in Russia, expressed surprise when they learned of its existence. Andre Segovia, whose authority as a musician and guitarist is generally recognized, spoke most categorically in this sense. In 1926, having arrived in Soviet Union and having met Russian guitarists, he wrote: “They asked me why I play 6 and not 7 strings. One may ask why virtuosos on the violin and cello play not 5, but 4 strings. All the possibilities of playing the guitar are contained in 6 strings; an extra string that enhances the bass upsets the balance of the traditional volume of the guitar and does not add any lightness. However, adding strings was always done by amateurs, who should have worked more seriously on the technique of the instrument and not been content with the strumming of a few banal motives. I would advise them to add a finger on their hand rather than a string on a guitar.”
The largest Soviet musical authorities spoke in approximately the same sense. So, for example, composer, professor S.N. Vasilenko pointed out that “the advantages of a six-string guitar are obvious to every musician, both in the sense of the actual tuning and from the available rich specialized literature.”
Academician B.V. Asafiev, who preferred the six-string guitar and composed plays for it, nevertheless made a reservation about “the peculiarity and originality of the properties of the seven-string guitar, the rights of which are confirmed by its historically established viability in former Russia and now in the USSR.”
How can we explain the establishment of the seven-string guitar in Russian musical practice and its viability for such a long time? This question can only be answered by the conditions under which guitar music was played and the literature intended for performance. The development of guitar art in the West and its flourishing in the first thirds of the XIX centuries followed the line of instrumental expressiveness. The passion for playing the guitar took shape in a clearly expressed professionalism, characterized by high technique of playing the instrument, the appearance of virtuosos and corresponding literature. The guitar in the West was used primarily as a solo and ensemble instrument. Unlike the West, the process of development of Russian music in the pre-Glinka era proceeded under the sign of the implementation of Russian songwriting in various, mainly simplest forms. The origin of the Russian romance, operatic aria and instrumental forms took place on the basis of folk song. In home music-making at the beginning of the 19th century, the main place was occupied by romance songs with simple accompaniment and instrumental variations on themes folk songs. Seven string guitar turned out to be a tool that the best way satisfied the purposes of home music playing. Its main purpose was accompaniment. The ability to more quickly master elementary chords gave it advantages over the six-string.
The close connection of the seven-string guitar with folk songs and everyday romance also determined the direction of its use as a solo instrument. Free improvisations on folk songs and variations on song themes became the form in which Russian seven-string guitarists showed themselves most significantly. These were music lovers, often talented, who did not set out to make playing the guitar their profession. Professional musicians were also interested in playing the guitar, but the guitar did not become their specialty. Among seven-string guitarists, the first half of the 19th century centuries, A. O. Sihra and M. T. Vysotsky stand out noticeably, whose guitar activity was at the forefront professional level. The first was an ardent promoter of the seven-string guitar and a major practical teacher, the second was an extraordinary self-taught composer and talented performer, whose activity, however, was limited to the framework of old Moscow.
In the first decades of the 19th century, the same functions as the seven-string guitar were performed in Russia by the six-string, but it was more associated with the guitar art of the West. Having initially acclimatized in the highest circles of society, it accompanied the singing of French romances and Italian canzonettas, and was often used in ensembles with other instruments. Used further as a solo instrument, it introduced Russian listeners to samples of Western music (dances, excerpts from operas), which was partly done by the seven-string guitar. However, the six-string introduced both the original guitar creativity of the West and the performing achievements of Western guitarists who came to give concerts in Russia.
The largest representative of playing the six-string guitar in Russia was M. D. Sokolovsky (except for N. Makarov’s ambitious attempt to acquire world fame). However, Sokolovsky’s concert activities took place in mid-19th century, when interest in guitar art in Russia and the West had already been lost. In addition, Sokolovsky was only a virtuoso guitarist, as a result of which his performing activities were soon forgotten. In the first third of the 19th century, the guitar in Russia competed with the piano. She quickly gained popularity in all levels of society. If in late XVIII centuries, the guitar was played mainly at court and in the houses of aristocrats, then already in the first years of the 19th century it became widespread among less wealthy circles of the population. Even then, the guitar as a democratic instrument began to emerge disdain by some professional musicians. One of these, the German bandmaster I. Kessler, who lived in Moscow, observed musical life city, wrote to his homeland in 1801: “..and it would be very regrettable if this excellent instrument (we were talking about the piano - B.V.) is to some extent supplanted by the empty guitar, which has recently has now become quite popular here, too. But I think that our music lovers will soon be convinced that this instrument is just a musical butterfly, all the beauty of which is just a little pollen on its wings...
With regard to the highest circles of society, the German bandmaster, to a certain extent, turned out to be right.
The guitar did not supplant the piano in the coming years, but the amount of literature for these instruments published at that time and its content indicate their rivalry. Many variations on Russian songs, composed for piano and guitar, especially for the seven-string guitar, very similar in compositional techniques, mark both the pre-Glinka period of Russian pianism and Russian guitar art. It is difficult to say for which of these instruments more creativity was applied in order to color the bright examples of folk art with original patterns.
Having emerged under the same conditions and going almost on par throughout the first third of the 19th century, Russian piano and guitar art then took different paths. Russian pianism, enriched by the achievements of the West, confidently moved along the path of winning world recognition of its originality and high technical perfection. It turned out to be represented by the names of the largest Russian composers and performers. Glinka, Balakirev, Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky and other Russian classical composers successfully composed piano pieces from miniatures to concertos with orchestra; Russian pianists gave brilliant concerts in Europe and America with Russian and Western repertoire.
Russian guitar art, initially moving in parallel with the piano, began to degrade from the end of the 30s, without giving any significant work, not a single performer of world significance.
Guitar art found itself in a similar position by the middle of the 19th century. Western Europe. F. Schubert and G. Berlioz, by the way, who played the guitar excellently and noted its valuable qualities, are the last major names whose musical activity was connected with the guitar. Further, one can note the rare, mainly in terms of coloristic, use of the guitar in individual operatic works (Weber, Gounod, Massenet, Verdi, etc.) and a number of minor pieces for guitar by third-rate composers.
The piano, violin and cello have decisively displaced the guitar from the concert stage. In the West, it has almost disappeared from home use.
The reason for the decline in interest in the guitar was not so much the relatively weak sound of the instrument, but rather the increasingly complex means of musical expression. The performance of works with complex textures, both solo and with accompaniments, turned out to be inaccessible to the guitar. Major composers did not compose for the guitar. The guitarists were faced with the problem of expanding their repertoire. In the absence of original pieces using the specific features of guitar sound, they followed the line of guitar transcriptions of works intended for performance on other instruments, mainly piano (Beethoven sonatas, etc.). Naturally, it was not possible to achieve great success along this path. Trying to increase the harmonic capabilities of the instrument, guitarists began to resort to increasing the number of strings on the guitar. This was done both by guitarists in the West and by Russian six- and seven-stringers. An increase in the number of strings necessitated the expansion of the neck, which inevitably complicated the playing technique, while the creation of an additional neck with several bass strings made the instrument cumbersome; the range expanded slightly; usually only empty ones were used bass strings, the acoustic properties deteriorated, the technique became even more difficult.
Another attempt to adapt the guitar to performance complex works- abandoning it as a solo instrument and using it in a duet with a second guitar, sometimes built a fourth or third higher than usual (quart or terz guitar). For example, Sihra followed this path in the later period of his activity. However, such a narrowing and limitation of the guitar to the possibilities of only ensemble performance could not satisfy the guitarists.
Finally, the guitar was also used as a solo instrument with piano accompaniment, which was resorted to by some Western and Russian guitarists. However, even in this case, the use of the guitar was inferior. Its harmonic capabilities were reduced to a minimum, but in terms of melodic expressiveness it was clearly inferior to such melodious instruments as the violin and some others.
In a word, none of the mentioned paths provided a way out of the repertoire crisis in which the guitar found itself by the middle of the 19th century, both in Russia and in many other countries.
Spain became the birthplace of the revival of the art of playing the six-string guitar. The first major composer to emphasize the importance of the guitar and understand its leading role in Spanish music was M. I. Glinka. Traveling around the country, he became acquainted with Spanish folk songs and dances, mainly with the help of guitarists. In letters from Spain and “Notes,” Glinka repeatedly mentions meetings with guitarists, from whom he recorded valuable examples of folk music. In “Notes”, talking about his life in Valladolido in 1845, Glinka writes: “In the evenings, neighbors, neighbors and acquaintances gathered with us, sang, danced and talked. Among my acquaintances, the son of a local merchant, named Felix Castilla, played the guitar smartly, especially the Aragonese jota, which with its variations I kept in my memory and then in Madrid, in September or October of the same year, I made a piece out of them under the name Capriccio brillante, which later, on the advice of Prince Odoevsky, was called the Spanish Overture.”
In his wonderful symphonic works - “Night in Madrid” and “Aragonese Jota” - Glinka displayed the characteristic guitar sonority using other instruments. Stylized guitar sonority was subsequently used by other Russian composers in cases where they wanted to give a Spanish flavor to their works (Glazunov - “Raymonda”, Balakirev - “Spanish Serenade”, Rimsky-Korsakov - “Spanish Capriccio”, Napravnik - “Serenade Don- Juan”, etc.). Guitar and Spanish music are almost synonymous, evidence of their inextricable connection. Spanish revival national music starting with late XIX centuries, composers and guitarists contributed equally. The founder of the new period of guitar art in Spain was Francisco Tárrega (1854-1908). His creative activity as a composer, and even more as a guitarist-teacher, she had a great influence on the further development of Spanish music. His contemporary Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909), a prominent representative of the new direction of national music, creates works that attract general attention with the freshness of folk melodies and rhythms. They are based on folk guitar art, which especially affects many of Albeniz’s piano pieces, which are like adaptations of guitar originals. Even more attention was paid to the guitar by Enrico Granados (1867-1916) and Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), who created original pieces for the guitar. Disciples and followers of Tárrega - Emilio Pujol, Miguel Llobet, Andre Segovia, Maria Louise Anido concert activities in Europe and America they put Spanish guitar art in first place. It gained general recognition, however, later, after the First World War.
Having reached full bloom, the musical art of Spain began to decline with the coming to power of Franco. The best musicians emigrate (Manuel de Falla). The guitar musical relay race is passed on to countries Latin America, where, as in Spain, the guitar has always been most widespread in folk music-making. A number of valuable guitar works are created here, the basis of which is Argentinean, Brazilian, Chilean, Cuban and Mexican folklore. Learning to play the guitar is equivalent to learning to play other musical instruments.
Since the 1920s, the guitar has found new uses in jazz, where it is used for harmonic support. Its weak sonority is compensated by the use of a plectrum and electric amplifiers. The invention of radio, sound films and television has a positive effect on the art of guitar, since the poor audibility of the guitar in large rooms no longer plays an inhibitory role. Modern means of sound recording are so advanced that they make the playing of outstanding guitarists the property of any music lover.
If the six-string guitar has strengthened its worldwide recognition, then the fate of the Russian seven-string guitar was different. In the 30s of the 19th century, as a solo instrument, it suffered the same sad fate as the six-string guitar. However, being closely connected with Russian folk song and everyday romance, it successfully continued to play the role of an accompanying instrument. No demands for great skill were placed on her in this regard. Only the social circle of people who used the guitar changed. From the highest circles of society it migrated to the middle and, further, to the urban lower classes. One of the musical reviewers of the late 40s of the 19th century, recalling the past, wrote that “those blissful times of the seven-string guitar have already passed, when still beautiful creatures (society ladies and girls - B.V.) accompanied their silver voice with the jangling of the first and the second chord in the tone C or in the tone A...". This reviewer believed that “the seven-string guitar died in the general opinion because, to the sounds of it, at the gate, red girls began to gnaw nuts.”
An arrogant attitude towards the guitar as a democratic instrument on the part of the highest circles and even on the part of some professional musicians, indeed, took place, but the reason for this was not so much the instrument as the repertoire that was performed on it. In the second half of the 19th century, the seven-string guitar became a favorite instrument of petty-bourgeois circles, petty officials, merchants, clerks, etc., who sang “cruel” romances to its accompaniment. Progressive role, which the seven-string guitar played in the first period of its existence, was lost by the beginning of the 20th century and it often became a conductor of musical vulgarity, indulging the backward tastes of the philistinism. Attempts by individual amateur enthusiasts to restore the former significance of the seven-string guitar as a solo instrument, undertaken in the pre-revolutionary period, did not have any significant significance for the fate of Russian guitar art.
The new flowering of the art of playing the guitar in Russia is associated with the greatest historical event - the Great October Revolution socialist revolution, which changed the entire economic and cultural way of life of society. Since that time, both the seven-string and six-string guitars have acquired the significance of truly folk instruments.
In 1914, 580,000 plucked instruments were sold in Russia, of which approximately one third (mainly guitars and mandolins) were imported from abroad. During the years of the first five-year plans, the Soviet music industry was created and already in 1935, the music factory named after A.V. Lunacharsky in Leningrad alone produced 455,000 plucked instruments, and of these, 168,750 guitars. But in addition to Leningrad, plucked instruments were produced in Kyiv, Rostov-on-Don, Omsk, Kharkov, Odessa, Tbilisi, Chernigov, Borovichi. Even industrial cooperative artels produced 36,000 guitars that year.
The production of guitars increased significantly after the Great Patriotic War. The factory named after A.V. Lunacharsky produced 375,963 guitars in 1959, and over the seven-year period it should produce 3,150,000 six- and seven-string guitars. Is there any other musical instrument that could compete with the guitar in terms of mass distribution!
The questions of what and how the guitar is played acquire paramount importance as a clear indicator of the musical and cultural level of folk music-making, requiring careful study and appropriate conclusions.

The power and range of sound of seven-string electric guitars exceeds the capabilities of more conventional six-string instruments. An additional string at the bottom gives more room for the guitarist's self-expression, and updated chords with changed fingerings and new sounds open the way to new interesting sound solutions.

How to play a seven-string electric guitar. Content:

What is the difference between a seven-string guitar and a six-string one?

Among the main differences, in addition to the number of strings, six-string and seven-string instruments differ in pickups and their characteristics, the length and width of the neck, as well as a different sound range. But first things first.

Pickups

Seven-string guitars are used in extreme and heavy styles of music - alternative metal, various cores and even djent. The low-end sound of these guitars is provided by special high-output humbuckers like those found in DiMarzio, EMG, or Fokin Pickups products.

7-string guitar pickups are designed to accommodate the increased number of available sounds and range of the instrument.

Mensura

Often, dropping the sixth string on a regular guitar causes problems with tuning the instrument, even when using extra-high tension strings.

Seven-string guitars are equipped with necks with scales ranging from 26 to 29.4 inches (660 mm to 749 mm). This size gives greater tuning stability. Sometimes there are guitar models on the market with necks like six-string instruments - the scale length of such necks is 25.5 inches (648 mm), just like Fender guitars.

The increased length of the neck and the use of extra-high tension strings force manufacturers to play it safe when designing. Many necks of seven-string instruments are reinforced with the help of additional materials.

Neck width

The standard neck width of an electric guitar is 43 mm. The neck width of the seven-string guitar has been increased to 48 mm.

Manufacturers are actively working to improve the playability of such guitars. Thanks to this, when playing, guitarists do not feel discomfort along the entire length of the neck and are not limited in the speed of movement along the frets.

Seven-string guitar tuning

In the industry standard formation for such instruments it is considered as follows (from bottom to top):

• Si (B);
• Mi (E);
• A (A);
• D (D);
• Salt (G);
• Si (B);
• Mi (E).

Just as on six-string guitars the sixth string is lowered to D to create a drop D tuning, on seven-string electric guitars use drop A tuning, dropping the seventh string to A.

Thus, the guitar tuning looks like this:

• A (A);
• Mi (E);
• A (A);
• D (D);
• Salt (G);
• Si (B);
• Mi (E).

Strings

Understanding how to play a seven-string electric guitar requires a lot of patience and a change in your own thinking. The sixth string is no longer the lowest, get used to it!

How to play a seven-string electric guitar. Scales and chords

Adding a seventh string better reveals the sonic potential of an electric guitar. When playing a seven-string guitar, the guitarist can use new chord fingerings, enriched with additional notes. For example, chords often have added IX or XI degrees.

For the purposes of this material, we will only use the standard tuning of seven-string electric guitars - B, E, A, D, G, B, E.

To understand how to play a seven-string electric guitar, let's understand the principles of constructing chords on such an instrument. The examples given are chords familiar to a six-string guitar, enriched with additional steps.

Badd9 chord diagram for seven-string guitar

Badd11 chord diagram for seven-string guitar

Bm9 chord diagram for seven-string guitar

Bsus9 chord diagram for seven-string guitar

Cmaj7 chord diagram for seven-string guitar

D5 chord diagram for seven-string guitar

The situation is similar with respect to scales: the form remains the same, but additional space for maneuver appears. The seventh string adds new colors to the sound, and the guitarist can cover almost three octaves within one scale when playing. At the same time, changes in positions during the game are kept to a minimum.

Pentatonic scale in E minor for seven-string guitar

Scale E major for seven-string electric guitar

Which seven-string electric guitar should you choose under $1100?

Most seven-string instruments can be found in the lines of Japanese guitar manufacturers Yamaha, Ibanez, LTD, Caparison, as well as from American companies Schecter, Washburn, Jackson. Other well-known companies Seven-string electric guitars are also made, but the choice of models is much smaller.

Seven-string electric guitars are divided by quality. The better the quality of the tool, the higher its cost. We chose three guitars - cheap, mid-priced and expensive in the price range up to $1100.

Schecter Diamond Series C-7 Deluxe

Price: $299

The C-7 Deluxe from Schecter is a versatile budget model with a basswood body and maple fingerboard.

LTD EC-407BFM

Price: $782

A killer-heavy seven-string electric guitar with a mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and a pair of EMG pickups.

Ibanez RGIR27E

Price: $1099

A high-quality tool in the middle price segment. Pronounced bottom, bright top. Basswood body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. The guitar has a locking vibrato and killswitch.

How to play the seven-string guitar. Exercises and examples

Example 1. Getting used to the instrument

When first introduced to seven-string electric guitars, one is surprised by how low the extra string sounds.

To understand how to play a seven-string electric guitar, try a simple palm muting exercise. This exercise will help you understand the specifics of playing a seven-string guitar and teach you how to control the resonance of the instrument.

Example 2: Muting the Strings

Because the 7th string continues to sound as it moves to other strings, playing riffs with open strings runs the risk of polluting the sound.

To avoid dirt, mute the open string with the tip of your finger, which you use to pinch notes on other strings.

Example 3. Playing scales

Due to the wider neck, at first you may have problems playing the lower (bass) strings.

The third example is aimed at improving finger stretching. As you play it, you'll get used to the wider neck of a seven-string electric guitar.

For greater convenience, place your thumb at the bottom of the bar, that is, make the palm extend as wide as possible. This will make it easier to reach the lowest strings.

Example 4: Changing strings

The fourth exercise develops clarity and purity of sound production of individual notes, especially those located on different strings. Please note that in the example the game is running variable stroke, and not direct.

Example 5: Power Chord Riff

Having become familiar with the instrument, let's play power chords. The difference between power chords on six- and seven-string electric guitars lies in the number of strings - on a seven-string instrument, power chords can be played on four strings. Thanks to this, the chords sound more powerful, and due to muting with the palm, you can achieve an even heavier sound.

The first measure uses a straight stroke (downstroke), while in the second the exercise switches to an alternating one.

Example 6: Trivium style

The example is inspired by the playing style of Corey Beaulieu from the group Trivium. The point of the example is to combine power chords and short melodic lines.

Mute all power chords that fall on weak share, and play power chords on the downbeat without muting. This will place emphasis during the game and give the game more dynamics.

Playing melodic sections will also require muting, but we will mute the lower strings to avoid dirt and unnecessary noise (see Example 2 above).

Example 7. Chris Broderick's style

Example based on the playstyle of Chris Broderick from Megadeth and Act of Defiance. The example is performed in the Phrygian mode (see).

Do not chase the speed of execution; first practice a clean execution of the exercise at a slower pace.

The most difficult moment in the example is the transition from a rhythmic line to a melodic line. Practice the transition very slowly and gradually pick up speed. When playing the melody line, mute the lower strings to avoid mud while playing.

The seven-string guitar appeared experimentally about two hundred years ago. The first half of the 9th century was marked by numerous experiments in guitar design.

The Parisian master Rene Lecomte created a model of a guitar with seven strings, and he also came up with the idea of ​​​​fastening the strings in peg mechanism. Apparently, this guitar was not given any importance in Europe.

That's probably why it's so popular seven string guitar is associated with the Russian musician Sihra Andrei Osipovich, who met it in Russia, appreciated its merits and dedicated his talent to this guitar as a performer and author of a huge number of musical works.

Some write that this guitar was invented by Sihra. But that's not true. He simply dedicated all his creativity to this guitar. There is a legend that Sihra established the seven-string guitar tuning, which still exists today. The seven-string guitar was and is played only in Russia. Hence the name: Russian seven-string guitar.

But still, the seven-string guitar has not gained as much popularity as the six-string guitar, which is considered convenient and versatile. Basically all the music we know belongs to the six-string guitar. And you won’t see a seven-string guitar in the hands of professionals performing on stage.

The seven-string guitar is used mainly for performing Russian romances and variations on themes of Russian folk songs.

In terms of its structure, a seven-string guitar is no different from a six-string guitar, except in size, shape and number of strings.

There are three types of guitars: quart? guitar, tertz? guitar and big guitar. They differ from each other in the distance from the top to sill, called scales.

The large guitar has a scale of 65 cm, tertz? guitar? 62 cm, quart? guitar? 58 cm. In accordance with the value of this distance, the size of the body and the width of the neck also change, and the distance between the strings for all types of these guitars is almost the same.

In addition to single-neck guitars, there are also double-neck guitars. The additional neck has no frets, and only open strings are used that are not pressed against the neck.

The difference between a six-string and a seven-string guitar

As I already said, the main difference between guitars is the number of strings, hence all the ensuing consequences. The tuning of these two types of guitars is different.

Six-string guitar tuning:

• 1 string? E - second octave
• 2nd string? B - first octave
• 4th string D - first octave
• 5th string A - small octave
• 6th string E - small octave

Seven-string guitar tuning:

• 1 string? D - second octave
• 2nd string? B - first octave
• 3rd string? G - first octave
• 4th string? D - first octave
• 5th string? Si - small octave
• 6th string? G - small octave
• 7th string? D - small octave

Six and seven string guitars sound an octave lower than they are written. That is, if you play a guitar text on the piano, you need to play it an octave lower.

Basically anything written for a seven-string guitar can be played on a six-string guitar. To do this, you need to tune the sixth string a tone below “D”. And then the range of a six-string guitar will become wider than that of a seven-string.

Of course, there is an exception - works that can only be played on a seven-string guitar or, conversely, only on a six-string.

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No one Music band cannot do without this item. Created many centuries ago, the seven-string guitar has found its place in the modern world. It sounds like an accompaniment or a solo instrument in different directions and styles, and created relatively recently electric guitar and had a significant influence on the development of mass culture.

Where it all began

The history of the creation of the guitar goes back centuries, and among the countries where its first use as a musical instrument is mentioned are India and Ancient Egypt. Back then, the guitar had a round body with strings stretched over a long neck. The body itself was quite strong and was made from dried pumpkin or turtle shell.

The seven-string guitar appeared in Russia at the end of the 18th century. It is noteworthy that researchers cannot name the exact time and fate of its formation, but they mention the name of Andrei Sihra. He was the first to discover the art of guitar. Was involved in processing folk music, published relevant magazines, taught in schools. He also added a bass string, which distinguished the structure of the usual guitar.

Thanks to this, in subsequent centuries the seven-string guitar became widely used, for a long time remaining a key musical instrument. In the 20th century western culture“moved” to our country, and therefore the seven-string guitar gave way to the classical one. According to researchers, today they are often compared, although each has a number of characteristics and its own artistic and technical features.

Use among the masses

Traditionally, in Russia it was the seven-string guitar that was used when it came to performing Russian romances or folk songs. It has also found its application in the so-called “gypsy” song and music genre. Many composers, including Alexei Agibalov and Igor Rekhin, created concert works especially for her.

Structural features

The design of a seven-string guitar consists of a standard “set” of basic components. Each of them has its own functions. This invariably includes metal strings, neck and springs. The latter, in particular, must comply with the developed Scherzer system, according to which they are located parallel to each other.

Tuning a seven-string guitar at home is a particularly interesting activity for those who are interested in music, but are not professionals in this matter. It is worth rejoicing all fans: there is nothing complicated in setting up. Remember a few simple rules.

Strings are tuned based on the principle of adjacent strings when their pitches are compared. So, one remains open, and the second should be clamped on a certain fret. This is the only way to achieve their sound in unison. The first guitar string is always the reference string. There are recommended standards regarding repetition of intervals and tones of the first octave, as well as subsequent semitones. Along with this, it is known various variations, which do not provide precise tuning due to the thickness of the strings. So, for example, compared to any other strings, bass strings require more careful tuning.

The guitar (seven-string) has its own tuning. Typically, the sequence of tones is determined by the highest string in tone. Most often this is “D” (first octave). Mixed tunings are known, formed by a major sound in a different key.

The modern seven-string guitar is divided into several subtypes. All of them are equally widely applicable, but are dissimilar in tuning, notation, length and scale. There are large, third and fourth guitars. The latter are generally considered ensemble instruments. They allow you to expand the range of sounds, which ultimately enriches the entire guitar ensemble.

The classic version: why are we worse?

Like the seven-string, the six-string guitar is regarded as the main plucked string musical instrument. Its peculiarity lies in its great performance capabilities and a rich variety of timbres. Notice a few distinguishing characteristics.

As an acoustic instrument, the six-string guitar can amplify the sound thanks to wooden body. Most often it is made from durable wood species - rosewood, mahogany, cedar, spruce. This uses strings different materials and compositions: carbon, nylon, as well as metal and vein strings.

A classic six-string guitar does not require an additional amplifier or microphone, although in a large room they can still be used. To amplify the sound, contact sensors are installed instead of the lower threshold. For the convenience of playing this guitar, a footrest is used, which today is more often replaced by a kneerest.

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Books

• Russian seven-string guitar, M. Ivanov. The purpose of this essay is to remind society about the Russian seven-string guitar, to briefly introduce its history, literature and musical means, and thereby contribute to the establishment of the correct...
• Album for a beginner guitarist. Seven-string guitar. Issue 19, . Album for a beginner guitarist. Seven-string guitar. Issue 19…