Standard Tuning on 7-String Guitar: Notes, Chords and How to Use It
A 7-string guitar in standard tuning is simply the six-string guitar you already know with one extra string added below the low E. That new string, a low B, gives you deeper bass notes, heavier riffs and a wider range for chords, and you keep every shape you have already learned. If you can play a little on a six-string, you are much closer to playing a seven than you might think.
The Notes of the Open Strings
Here are the open strings, starting with the thickest one, nearest your chin, and moving to the thinnest:
- String 7: B
- String 6: E
- String 5: A
- String 4: D
- String 3: G
- String 2: B
- String 1: E
Look at strings 6 down to 1: E, A, D, G, B, E. That is exactly standard tuning on a six-string. The only new thing is string 7, the low B, sitting underneath everything else.
How to Tune Up, Step by Step
You are not really retuning anything. You are adding one string on top of what you already know.
- Tune strings 6 to 1 as normal. Use a tuner or your usual method to get E, A, D, G, B, E.
- Tune string 7 to B. If you have a tuner, just bring it up to B. It will be a low, deep note, so pluck firmly and let it ring.
- Check it by ear. Press string 7 at the 5th fret. That note should match the open string 6, E. If the fretted note sounds lower, tighten string 7; if it sounds higher, loosen it.
- Listen for the wobble. When two notes are slightly out of tune, you hear a gentle pulsing or wobble. As you get closer, it slows down, and when it disappears, you are in tune.
That 5th-fret trick works because of the interval between the two strings, which we will look at next.
Why the Strings Fit Together the Way They Do
An interval is the distance between two notes. On guitar, the simplest way to measure it is in frets. A half step is the distance of one fret. A perfect 4th is five half steps, or five frets. A major 3rd is four half steps, or four frets.
Between neighbouring strings on a 7-string in standard tuning, you get:
- B to E: perfect 4th
- E to A: perfect 4th
- A to D: perfect 4th
- D to G: perfect 4th
- G to B: major 3rd
- B to E: perfect 4th
Notice that the new low B sits a perfect 4th below E, the same gap as between E and A. That is the key to the whole instrument. String 7 relates to string 6 in exactly the same way that string 6 relates to string 5. Anything you can play across strings 6 and 5, you can play with the same fingering across strings 7 and 6, just lower.
The one odd gap is still between G and B, the major 3rd. That is the same quirk you already deal with on a six-string, and it has not moved.
What Changes and Why Players Love It
A deeper, heavier sound
The low B gives you notes below anything a standard six-string can reach without retuning. Riffs played on string 7 have a thick, growling weight. This is why the 7-string became so popular in modern metal and progressive rock. Steve Vai helped bring the low-B 7-string into the spotlight around 1990, and players chasing heavy, low riffs have kept it there ever since.
Your shapes still work
Every chord shape and scale pattern you know on strings 6 to 1 is unchanged. You simply have one more string to add below. A power chord, the two- or three-note chord used all over rock, works on string 7 with the exact same shape you use with a root on string 6.
An open-string drone
A drone is a note that rings on underneath while other notes move above it. The open low B makes a great drone. Let it ring while you play melodies higher up, and you get a big, moody, almost cinematic sound.
Strumming the Open Strings
Strum all seven open strings: B, E, A, D, G, B, E. It does not sound like a neat, happy chord. Because most of the strings are a 4th apart, the sound is wide, open and a bit unresolved, as if it is waiting to go somewhere. You will hear the B and E notes ringing in more than one octave, which gives a deep, airy shimmer. Listen to how the low B adds a dark floor underneath the familiar six-string sound.
How Scale and Chord Shapes Shift
Think of the 7-string as a six-string with an extra row on the bottom. A scale pattern that starts on string 6 can now begin one string lower. Because the 7-to-6 gap matches the 6-to-5 gap, the fingering for those two strings copies what you would play on strings 6 and 5.
For chords, the easiest way in is power chords. Put your first finger on string 7 at any fret, then place your third finger two frets higher on string 6. That is the same shape you use on strings 6 and 5. For a full open version, let string 7 ring open and fret strings 6 and 5 at the 2nd fret.
One thing to watch: with an extra string, it is easy to strum it by accident. Get into the habit of resting the side of your picking hand lightly on string 7 when you do not want it to sound.
Your First Thing to Try
Play the open low B four times with steady down-picks, then the power chord with your first finger at the 3rd fret of string 7, then back to the open B. Keep it slow, mute the strings you are not using, and listen for that heavy, solid thud. Once it feels comfortable, move the shape to other frets and make up your own riff. Ten minutes a day of this and string 7 will stop feeling like a stranger.
More on the instrument itself: the 7-String Guitar guide.