Why Play a 7 String Guitar?

"I'm having enough problems with 6!"

Of course you are. The number of strings doesn't make the instrument any harder or easier. But with a 7 string you get several benefits. The most obvious advantage is increased range. In a jazz environment this usually means bass lines and fatter chords. If I'm doing a gig with no bass I'll tune that baby to a low A. With a bass I tune it to B and use it more for single note passages so as to not step on any sensitive toes. In rock/metal you get to chug a lug that low love and melt some faces.

The added girth in the neck will give you a bigger sound and more sustain. More wood,more strings and more resonance! This may not always be the case with some of the real cheap 7's out there, but it generally holds true.

The best way to get started on a 7 is to avoid the 7th string completely. Get used to doing what you do on a 6. Once you're accustomed to the look and feel of the 7th string, tune that baby to A and simply substitute it for your 5th string in chords. You can do the same with scales by using the same shape on the 5th and 7th strings. If you're playing a C scale at the 3rd position, play c,d,e on the 7th string (frets 3,5,7),then g,a,b on the 6th and finish it as you normally would. You end up skipping the F-but who cares? If you tune to B the shapes change a bit of course.

Next step? I'd hit the bass lines. The easiest way to do this is to tune to A again. If you're doing a Bossa you have a built in bass line on strings 5,6 and 7 (root,5th,root)---all on the same fret! In other words, take a Cmaj7 in 3rd position rooted on the 5th string. You have the C on the 5th string 3rd fret,G on the 6th/3rd and C an octave lower on the 7th/3rd fret. How easy is that?

If 7 strings are so great why not just go with 8,9 or 10? Great question!

I know there are some great players out there using 8+ string guitars, but in my opinion they just don't sound very good. Anything below the low A starts to get pretty muddy sounding. And a high A string is just to thin. Another issue is that the necks no longer feel comfortable to me. Keep in mind that a lot of music will still be based on the range of a standard guitar. If you have to play funk rhythms or strum chords those extra strings can cause a lot of headaches when you have to mute and/or avoid them.


I think all guitar players should have at least one 7 string in their arsenal. It really opens up a lot of doors. They've gotten really affordable and are easy to find.At www.mattraines.com you can find an incredible variety of 7 strings.We're dedicated to offering the best 7's at the lowest prices. No guitar company in the world has as many models. Ibanez has some great guitars too. Schecters seem to have fat necks but are pretty affordable. So go get yourself a 7 string and have fun!