A
seven-string guitar is a
guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
with seven strings instead of the usual six. Such guitars are not as common as the six-string variety, but a minority of guitarists have utilised them for at least 150 years. Some types of these instruments are specific to certain cultures (i.e. the
RussianThe Russian guitar is a seven-string acoustic guitar that arrived in Russia toward the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, most probably as an evolution of the cittern, kobza, and torban. It is known in Russian as the semistrunnaya gitara , or affectionately as the...
and Brazilian guitars).
There are eight-string and
ten-string guitarThere are many varieties of ten-string guitar, including:* Both electric and acoustic guitars.* Instruments used principally for classical, folk and popular music.* Both coursed and uncoursed instruments.-Ten-stringed harp guitars:...
s in use as well, but these are even less common. Twelve-string guitars are more common, but these are usually instruments that have six two-string
coursesA course is a pair or more of adjacent strings tuned to unison or an octave and usually played together as if a single string. It may also refer to a single string normally played on its own on an instrument with other multi-string courses, for example the bass string on a nine string baroque...
tuned to the usual six string arrangement as follows: EeAaDdGgBbEe.
History and construction
In the
renaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
period, the guitar was generally strung with four pairs of strings, termed courses. Each string in a course was tuned to the same pitch. By the
baroqueBaroque is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes in...
period it had five courses and used a variety of tunings, some of the tunings re-entrant. During the eighteenth century six courses became common and the modern practice of using six single strings became the standard practice after 1800. These developments illustrate an ongoing desire on behalf of players to increase the range of the instrument. Seven-string guitars arose from such a desire and have been in use for over 150 years. French guitarist
Napoleon CosteClaude Antoine Jean Georges Napoléon Coste was a French guitarist and composer.-Biography:Napoléon Coste was born in Amondans , France, near Besançon. He was first taught the guitar by his mother, an accomplished player. As a teenager he became a teacher of the instrument and appeared in many...
(1805-1883) composed works with a seven-string guitar specifically in mind.
Extra strings are usually added to extend the bass range of the modern six-string guitar. These strings are commonly added in two different ways. The first and most common construction is to increase the width of the fingerboard such that the extra string (or strings) may be stopped by the left hand. The second method is to leave the fingerboard unchanged such that the extra bass strings lie next to the existing bass strings and free of the fingerboard in the same fashion in which the
archluteThe archlute is a European plucked string instrument developed around 1600 as a compromise between the very large theorbo, the size and re-entrant tuning of which made for difficulties in the performance of solo music, and the Renaissance tenor lute, which lacked the bass range of the theorbo...
and
theorboA theorbo is a plucked string instrument. As a name, theorbo signifies a number of long-necked lutes with second peg-boxes, such as the liuto attiorbato, the French
théorbe des pièces, the English theorbo, the archlute, the German baroque lute, the angélique or angelica...
are constructed. Such unfrettable bass strings were historically known as diapasons or bourdons. The Italian guitarist Mario Maccaferri (b 1899) was a celebrated advocate of the second type of construction.
The Russian Guitar
- Main article: Russian guitar
The Russian guitar is a seven-string acoustic guitar that arrived in Russia toward the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, most probably as an evolution of the cittern, kobza, and torban. It is known in Russian as the semistrunnaya gitara , or affectionately as the...
The
Russian guitar, a seven-string acoustic guitar tuned to the Open G tuning, (DGBDGbd) arrived in the beginning of the 19th century in
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, most probably as a development of the
citternThe cittern or cither is a stringed instrument of the guitar family dating from the Renaissance. Its name derives ultimately from the Iranian se - tar or "three strings" . Its flat-back design was simpler and cheaper to construct than the lute. It was also easier to play, smaller, less delicate...
, the
kobzaThe kobza is a Ukrainian folk music instrument of the lute family , a relative of the Central European mandora...
and the
torbanThe torban is a Ukrainian musical instrument that combines the features of the Baroque Lute with those of the psaltery. It was invented ca...
. It is known in Russia as the semistrunnaya gitara (
семиструнная гитара) or affectionately as the semistrunka (
семиструнка).
Its invention is attributed to
Andrei SychraAndrei Osipovich Sychra was a Russian guitarist, composer and teacher, of Czech ancestry...
, who also wrote a method for the guitar, as well as over one thousand compositions, seventy-five of which were republished in the 1840s by Stellovsky, and then again in the 1880s by Gutheil. Some of these were published again in the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
in 1926.
This type of guitar has been called a 'Russian guitar,' as it has been primarily played in Russia and later the Soviet Union.
The Russian version of the seven-string guitar has been used by professionals, because of its great flexibility and its sound, but has also been popular with amateurs for accompaniment (especially
Russian bardsThe term bard came to be used in the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, and continues to be used in Russia today, to refer to singer-songwriters who wrote songs outside the Soviet establishment. Because in bard music songwriters perform their own songs, the genre is also commonly referred to as...
) due to the relative simplicity of some basic chords and the ease of playing alternating bass lines.
The Russian guitar is traditionally played without a pick, using fingers for either strumming or picking.
There are more than 1,000 different chords for standard Russian 7-string open G D-G-B-D-G-B-D (low to high), as well as many variations on technique for both hands.
The earliest music published for a 7-string guitar was in St. Petersburg, Russia, on 15 December, 1798. The school was owned by Ignatz Geld (born 1766 in the Czech Republic, died 1816 in Russia).
Alternate tunings include:
- G-C-E-G-C-E-G ("Big guitar")
- F-A#-D-F-A#-D-F (1/3rd guitar)
- E-A-B-D-G-B-D
- E-G-B-D-G-B-D
- C-G-B-D-G-B-D
- D-G-C-D-G-A#-D
- B-F#-B-E-A-D-f#
- A-E-A-D-G-B-E
The Brazilian Guitar
The Brazilian 7-string guitar is an acoustic guitar used primarily in
choroChoro , traditionally called chorinho , is a Brazilian popular music instrumental style. Its origins are in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. In spite of the name, the style often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by virtuosity and improvisation...
and
sambaSamba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in African and European roots. The word is derived from the Portugese verb sambar, meaning "to dance to rhythm." It is a worldwide recognized symbol of Brazil and the Carnival and is the national dance of Brazil...
. It was introduced to Brazil in the early 20th century as a steel string guitar. The style of "baixaria" counterpoint and accompaniment technique was developed throughout the 20th century, especially by
Dino 7 CordasHorondino José da Silva , best known as Dino Sete Cordas , was a Brazilian guitar player renowned as the greatest influence in seven-string guitar, a musical instrument in which he developed his own language and techniques, and one of the greatest choro instrumentalists ever.He developed the language...
and Raphael Rabello. In the early 1980s, guitarist Luiz Otavio Braga had a nylon string version made, and this has become the norm for most contemporary choro musicians such as
Yamandú CostaYamandú Costa is a Brazilian guitarist and composer. His main instrument is the violão de 7 cordas, the Brazilian seven-stringed nylon guitar....
.
The Brazilian 7-string guitar is typically tuned like a classical guitar, but with an additional C below the low E as follows: C-E-A-D-G-b-e; although some musicians tune the C down to a B resulting in B-E-A-D-G-b-e.
Additionally from playing choro, the 7-string guitar has being used to play classical repertoire, extending the range of the traditional 6-string guitar and often leading to new arrangements of known pieces.
The Electric Guitar
Hollowbody and semi-hollow electric seven-string guitars
In the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the jazz guitarist
George Van EpsGeorge Van Eps was an American swing and Mainstream jazz guitarist noted both for his recordings as a leader, and for his work as a session musician. He was also the author of instructional books that explored his approach to guitar-based harmony...
had a seven-string guitar built for him by after Van Eps, including
Bucky PizzarelliJohn Paul 'Bucky' Pizzarelli is an American Jazz guitarist and banjoist, and the father of jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli. Pizzarelli has also worked for NBC as a staffman for Dick Cavett and also ABC with Bobby Rosengarden in . The list of musicians Pizzarelli has collaborated with over his...
,
Howard AldenHoward Alden is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. He has recorded a long series of albums for Concord Records. His performances were dubbed over Sean Penn as 'Emmet Ray' in the 1999 Woody Allen film Sweet and Lowdown. Howard has produced several albums with George Van...
, Ron Eschete, Chance Russell,
Lenny BreauLenny Breau was a Canadian guitarist. He was known for blending many styles of music including: jazz, country, classical and flamenco guitar. Breau, inspired by country guitarists like Chet Atkins, used fingerstyle techniques not often used in jazz guitar.-Biography:Breau was born August 5, 1941,...
, and
John PizzarelliJohn Pizzarelli, Jr. is an American jazz guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader. He has had a lengthy career as a recording artist, performing for a variety of labels that include Telarc Records, RCA Records and Chesky Records, among others. He has recorded twenty-three albums of his own,...
, who is the author of the Foxwoods Casino theme and is the son of jazz legend Bucky Pizzarelli.
The first seven-string guitars were built in the "hollowbody" or "semi-hollow" archtop styles, where the guitar has a central resonating chamber, or a central block with resonant chambers on the sides, respectively. This gave the guitar the dark woodiness, breath, and richness that is associated with traditional "jazz" tone, but made it too prone to feedback to be practical for rock guitar.
Solidbody electric seven-string guitars
The first solid body electric guitar as we know it today was invented in 1985 by Maestro Alex Gregory who was subsequently granted two patents for this invention . The drawings and specifications on the patents show this 7 string to be the blueprint for any electric 7 string guitars produced thereafter. After signing a deal with Fender, this guitar was produced in 1987 . The first prototypes of the Maestro Alex Gregory signature 7 string Stratocaster were disclosed to the public at the January 1988 NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA . At the same time, they were listed in the U.S. Signature Series of the Fender Price List effective April 1, 1988 . While the guitar was widely publicized, some writers like Musician Magazine thought the idea was “...silly. If the electric guitar was meant to have more than 6 strings, Leo Fender or Les Paul would have already thought about it.” Then, in 1989, Hamer Guitars signed a deal for the same guitar. This was offered at the NAMM Show in January 1990 and was highlighted in Guitar School Magazine (at $2,500), along with a cheaper Ibanez version (1,399.95) under a column titled “What’s Hot in Guitars” . Later, in 1998, Schecter signed on to produce the 7 String Maestro Alex Gregory Signature Model guitar based on the original specs along with several derivative models . The Maestro went back to Fender in 2000.
While the Maestro Alex Gregory models were produced in limited quantities and have become collector’s items, the first mass produced 7 string was the
IbanezIbanez is a guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki and based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in the United States and Europe.-History:...
UV7 played by
Steve VaiSteven "Steve" Siro Vai is an Italian American instrumental rock guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, producer, beekeeper, and actor. After starting his professional career as a music transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, Vai would also record and tour in Zappa's backing band starting in 1980...
and Reb Beach . At the time, Vai was heavily into
numerologyNumerology is any of many systems, traditions or beliefs in a mystical or esoteric relationship between numbers and physical objects or living things....
, and in particular was drawn to the number 7. Vai was drawn to the idea for much of the same reasons seven-string classical and jazz players were - the extended range the additional string offered. After initial experimentation with a high A, a low B was added as the high A proved to be too prone to breaking (
George LynchGeorge Lynch is a Hard rock guitarist best known as a member of the band Dokken.-Pre Dokken:Lynch was born in Spokane, Washington and raised in the small town of Auburn, California. Guitarist Mark Kendall claims George started two hand tapping before Eddie Van Halen did...
was experimenting with seven-string designs independently at this time as well, also tuned to high A, but opted not to pursue development largely due to issues with an experimental moveable pickup system). Vai began touring with
WhitesnakeWhitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1977 by David Coverdale . The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple but by the mid eighties Whitesnake had moved away from the early blues-rock influenced heavy metal to a more commercial hard rock style.They were recently...
with a seven-string prototype, and then used the guitars heavily on what is considered to be a landmark instrumental rock album, his 1990 release "
Passion and WarfarePassion and Warfare is a 1990 instrumental album from guitarist Steve Vai. It has been certified 2 times Platinum. It was written based on a series of dream sequences that Vai had when he was younger, and in the guitar music book of the album, Vai sums it up as 'Jimi Hendrix meets Jesus Christ at a...
."
In the early 1990s, several other heavy metal guitarists began using seven-string instruments (notably
John PetrucciJohn Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt...
of
Dream TheaterDream Theater are an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Myung, John Petrucci, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, before they dropped out to support the band...
and
Trey AzagthothTrey Azagthoth is an American composer and guitarist best known as founder and guitarist of the Florida death metal band Morbid Angel. Azagthoth began playing at the age of 16...
and
Erik RutanErik Rutan is a former guitarist for Morbid Angel and Ripping Corpse. He fronts Hate Eternal on lead vocals and guitar, a four-piece death metal band. Aside from being a highly regarded self-taught lead guitarist, he also runs his own recording studio in Florida , and is making a name for himself...
of
Morbid AngelMorbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. They, along with Death, Possessed, Obituary, Massacre, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, and a handful of others were crucial in the development of the death metal genre and its standards, separating it from the thrash metal genre...
), seeing the possibility for detuned riffing while preserving the full upper range of the guitar for solos. However, the seven-string guitar failed to really catch on at this phase in its development, and the Universe model was discontinued briefly in 1995.
The seven-string guitar became prominent when
KornKorn is an American rock band from Bakersfield, California, which formed in 1993. The band's catalogue consists of nine consecutive debuts in the top ten of the Billboard 200. To date, Korn has sold over 30 million albums worldwide while earning six Grammy nominations—two of which they have won...
featured Ibanez Universe guitars on their
1994 debut albumKorn is the self-titled debut album by American nu metal band Korn, released on October 11, 1994 through Immortal/Epic Records. It has been certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA in the US...
. Capitalizing on the massive low end produced by the 7th string (typically a low A). This period marked the highwater point in the popularity of the seven-string guitar, as many manufacturers jumped on the seven string bandwagon that they had previously steered clear of including such "traditional" brands as Fender subsidiary
SquierSquier is a musical instrument brand name owned by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.-History:Fender, under the ownership of CBS, acquired the Squier brand name in 1965 when it bought a USA based string making firm, but it lay dormant for many years...
and
GibsonThe Gibson Guitar Corporation, of Nashville, Tennessee, USA, is a manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars. Gibson also owns and makes guitars under such brands as Epiphone, Kramer, Valley Arts, Tobias, Steinberger, and Kalamazoo. In addition to guitars, the company makes pianos through its...
subsidiary
EpiphoneThe Epiphone Company is a musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos. Epiphone was bought by Chicago Music Company in 1957 who also had owned Gibson Guitar Corporation. Epiphone was Gibson's main rival in the archtop market...
, and manufacturers who had been producing sevens expanded their offerings. The trend eventually passed, but many guitarists were introduced to the extended range offered by a seven-string guitar during this period who might not have otherwise been. This was somewhat offset by a growing stigma that a seven-string guitar was a "
nu metalNu metal is a genre of heavy metal that blends hip-hop, grunge, alternative metal, funk metal and various other heavy metal influences such as industrial, groove and thrash.-Origins:...
" instrument, fit only for heavy riffing. This was ironic as both Korn guitarists
MunkyJames Christian 'Munky' Shaffer is the guitarist for the Alternative metal band Korn . According to Korn's video "Who Then Now?", The nickname 'Munky' is a reference to his feet which resemble monkey's hands when spread...
and Head remember being told in their early days that the seven-string guitar couldn't be used for riffing, as it was seen as a
shredding guitarShred guitar or shred refers to lead electric guitar playing that relies heavily on fast passages; the act of playing fast passages on an electric guitar is termed "shredding". While one critic argues that shred guitar is associated with ".....
at the time. However, in an interview Munky stated: "Now playing without it seems like playing without a finger."
Today, the seven string has emerged as somewhat of a niche instrument. Drop-tuned six-string guitars have taken the places of 7's for bands that primarily engage in low-end riffing, and the seven has begun to grow in popularity amongst many of the same sort of bands who were using them in the early 1990s — progressive-oriented metal and rock guitarists (such as
Jeff LoomisJeff Loomis is the lead guitarist for the Seattle progressive metal band, Nevermore. He has listed guitarists such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, Jason Becker and Marty Friedman as his influences.-Early days:...
of
NevermoreNevermore is an American metal band from Seattle, Washington assembled in 1991 after the break-up of the power metal band Sanctuary. The band incorporates elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a...
and Jasun Tipton of
Zero HourZero Hour is a progressive metal band formed by twin brothers Jasun Tipton and Troy Tipton in Pleasanton, California in 1993.New vocalist Chris Salinas joined the band for their 2006 album Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond, replacing Fred Marshall...
). Additionally, seven-string guitars were popular and considered cutting edge in the 80s and into the 90s with the shred scene. Now players such as
Rusty Cooley-Early life:Rusty received his first equipment on his fifteenth birthday. From that day on Cooley immersed himself in music, practicing upwards of 3 hours a day. Rusty took guitar lessons for a while but became dissatisfied with local guitar instructors and decided to become self-taught...
,
Francesco FareriFrancesco Fareri, born April 15, 1978 in Rome, Italy, is a guitar player, notable for his extremely fast guitar shredding style. Francesco began playing guitar when he first got an electric guitar at seventeen years old....
and
Ricky GrahamRicky Graham is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong in the VFL during the late 1960s.He also captain-coached TFL club New Norfolk...
attempt to "bring back" the shred scene of the 80s which was called "speed metal". Matt Bellamy from
MuseMuse are a multi award-winning British alternative rock band that formed in Teignmouth, Devon in 1994. Since its inception, the band has comprised vocalist, guitarist and pianist Matthew Bellamy; bassist and backing vocalist Christopher Wolstenholme; and drummer Dominic Howard...
uses a custom red Manson 7-string to play just one song, Citizen Erased, with a AADDGBE tuning (the song was originally recorded on a detuned six-string). This guitar was originally made for a jazz musician, but they decided they were going down a more acoustic route and Matt Bellamy decided he'd buy it instead. Besides being used by solo artist, seven-strings are also used by Mathcore bands and in other progressive genres.
Band such as Textures, Unearth, Periphery, Novembre, and Grethor use seven-strings because of the low palm-mutes it produces and the extra range it provides. Dino Cazares of
Divine HeresyDivine Heresy is an American metal band formed by founder of Fear Factory, guitarist Dino Cazares. Although the band's origins trace back to 2002, Divine Heresy was officially formed in 2006. The band currently consists of guitarist Cazares, former Vital Remains drummer and current World Under...
,
AsesinoAsesino is a recurring project of Brujeria guitarist Dino Cazares, which has featured members of Brujeria, Fear Factory, Sepultura, Sadistic Intent and Static-X....
, and formerly of Fear Factory and Brujeria is notable in the metal genre for his custom 7 string ibanez guitars. His custom guitars typically utilise just one bridge pickup, feature reverse headstocks and he often tunes them down one step to A. Amongst his new guitars is a Ibanez Xiphos 7 String. Triumphant Return guitarist Matti Ice uses 7-string guitars tuned A,D,A,D,G,B,E. Christian Olde Wolbers of
Fear FactoryFear Factory is an American metal band. The band formed in 1989 and have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
(who became the guitarist in 2004) has his own signature
JacksonJackson is a guitar manufacturer originally owned and operated by Grover Jackson, a partner of Wayne Charvel of Charvel Guitar Repair. It started with the creation of the "Rhoads" V model guitar, originally designed and used by guitarist Randy Rhoads...
7-string guitar, offered in Soloist and Dinky forms. Trainwreck of Kritic Kill uses Ibanez 7-string guitars tuned down two whole steps. Stephen Carpenter of
DeftonesDeftones is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1988. Consisting of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham .-Early years: 1989-1993:When Carpenter was 15 years old he was hit by a car while skateboarding...
, as well, has several of his own models released by
ESP, located in North Hollywood, California, is a manufacturer of electric guitars and basses.- History :In 1975, Hisatake Shibuya opened a shop called Electric Sound Products in Tokyo. It provided custom replacement parts for guitars. In 1976, ESP gained a reputation as a provider of high-quality...
. They have also been used by artists such as Devin Townsend and Lacuna Coil and are available in both regular size and baritone. Deathcore band, Whitechapel, favoring a low sound have 3 guitarists who all use 7-string guitars.
Other seven-string guitars
In the early 2000s,
Roger McGuinnJames Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
(renowned for his skills on the twelve-string guitar and for his long association with
The ByrdsThe Byrds were an American rock and roll band. Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964, The Byrds underwent several personnel changes, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973....
) worked with
C. F. Martin & CompanyThe C.F. Martin & Company is a US guitar manufacturer established in 1833 by Christian Frederick Martin. Martin is highly regarded for its steel-string guitars, and is a leading mass manufacturer of flattop acoustics with models that retail for thousands of dollars and vintage instruments that...
to develop a seven-string folk guitar. McGuinn's guitar (currently being marketed by Martin) is tuned the same as a standard folk guitar with steel strings, but the third (G) string is augmented with a high octave string. Many of McGuinn's notable guitar solos utilize the G string of the twelve-string guitar to perform the main melody, and therefore the Martin seven-string guitar was designed to achieve this extended range playing without the need for doubling all six of the guitar's strings. In 2008 experimental luthier
Yuri LandmanYuri Landman is a Dutch musical instrument inventor and musicologist who has made several experimental electric string instruments for a list of artists among which Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Liars, Jad Fair of Half Japanese and Liam Finn...
built the
SpringtimeThe Springtime is an experimental electric guitar with seven strings and three outputs. The instrument was created in 2008 by Dutch luthier Yuri Landman for guitar player Laura-Mary Carter of Blood Red Shoes.-Technical information:...
, a 3-way stereo seven string guitar for
Blood Red ShoesBlood Red Shoes are a two-piece, alternative music band from Brighton, England.-Formation:Consisting of Steven Ansell and Laura-Mary Carter, Blood Red Shoes formed in 2005 after their previous bands had broken up and they decided to "have a jam"...
.
Notable users
- Heri Joensen
Heri Joensen Heri Joensen Heri Joensen (born February 21, 1973 in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands to the parents Joen Anker Bruun Joensen and Anna Johild Joensen (born as Jacobsen), is the vocalist and guitarist for the Faroese viking metal band Týr....
- Chris Broderick
Chris Broderick is the current lead guitarist for the popular American thrash metal band Megadeth. He currently resides in Sherman Oaks, California...
- Dino Cazares
Dino Cazares, born in Mexicali, Baja California, is a American musician of Mexican descent and the guitarist for Los Angeles-based metal/industrial group Fear Factory...
- Dino 7 Cordas
Horondino José da Silva , best known as Dino Sete Cordas , was a Brazilian guitar player renowned as the greatest influence in seven-string guitar, a musical instrument in which he developed his own language and techniques, and one of the greatest choro instrumentalists ever.He developed the language...
- Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis is the lead guitarist for the Seattle progressive metal band, Nevermore. He has listed guitarists such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, Jason Becker and Marty Friedman as his influences.-Early days:...
- Maestro Alex Gregory
- John Petrucci
John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt...
- James Shaffer
James Christian 'Munky' Shaffer is the guitarist for the Alternative metal band Korn . According to Korn's video "Who Then Now?", The nickname 'Munky' is a reference to his feet which resemble monkey's hands when spread...
- Chris Storey
- Steve Vai
Steven "Steve" Siro Vai is an Italian American instrumental rock guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, producer, beekeeper, and actor. After starting his professional career as a music transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, Vai would also record and tour in Zappa's backing band starting in 1980...
- George Van Eps
George Van Eps was an American swing and Mainstream jazz guitarist noted both for his recordings as a leader, and for his work as a session musician. He was also the author of instructional books that explored his approach to guitar-based harmony...
- Stephen Carpenter
Stephen Carpenter, is the co-founder and lead guitarist of the American rock band Deftones. His guitar technique makes use of both ringing open strings and dissonant chord voicings, as well as stock power chords....
- Trey Azagthoth
Trey Azagthoth is an American composer and guitarist best known as founder and guitarist of the Florida death metal band Morbid Angel. Azagthoth began playing at the age of 16...
- Christian Olde Wolbers
Christian Olde Wolbers is the guitarist of the industrial metal band Arkaea. He is the former bassist and guitarist of the industrial metal band Fear Factory.While in Fear Factory, he played bass from December 1993 to 2002 when the group disbanded...
- Brian Welch
Brian Phillip Welch , better known as Head, is an American musician best known as the former lead guitarist/co-founder of the band Korn. Welch left the band in 2005 due to personal beliefs and to focus on life as a father....
- James Shaffer
James Christian 'Munky' Shaffer is the guitarist for the Alternative metal band Korn . According to Korn's video "Who Then Now?", The nickname 'Munky' is a reference to his feet which resemble monkey's hands when spread...
- Matt Heafy
Matthew Kiichi Heafy , also known as Matt Heafy, is the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band Trivium. Heafy is also the vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's old producer Jason Suecof....
- Nigel Gavin
Nigel Gavin is a New Zealand based solo guitarist musician and composer who has been a member of bands such as The Nairobi Trio, Robert Fripp & The League of Crafty Guitarists, Gitbox Rebellion and Bravura and collaborator with artists such as Luke Hurley, Wayne Gillespie Lorina Harding and Vitamin S...
- Dale Gilburt
- James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the American heavy metal band Metallica.-Birth:James Hetfield was born on August 3, 1963, in Downey, Los Angeles County, California...
- Rusty Cooley
-Early life:Rusty received his first equipment on his fifteenth birthday. From that day on Cooley immersed himself in music, practicing upwards of 3 hours a day. Rusty took guitar lessons for a while but became dissatisfied with local guitar instructors and decided to become self-taught...
See also
- Russian guitar
The Russian guitar is a seven-string acoustic guitar that arrived in Russia toward the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, most probably as an evolution of the cittern, kobza, and torban. It is known in Russian as the semistrunnaya gitara , or affectionately as the...
- Eight-string guitar
- Ten-string guitar
There are many varieties of ten-string guitar, including:* Both electric and acoustic guitars.* Instruments used principally for classical, folk and popular music.* Both coursed and uncoursed instruments.-Ten-stringed harp guitars:...
- Harp guitar
]The harp guitar is a stringed instrument with a history of well over two centuries. While there are several unrelated historical stringed instruments that have appropriated the name “harp-guitar” over the centuries, the term today is understood as the accepted vernacular to refer to a particular...
List of artists who use seven-string guitars
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