For the benefit of all those newcomers who are concerned that they are merely playing the mighty 7 like their old 6 and that they feel they ought to be doing more 7-specific work... Chord building is one of the best ways of coming to terms with the 7 strings as a whole. I have chosen a Bm7 and had a go at knocking up a few variations...

To benefit from this exercise I suggest you have a go at fretting the ones I discovered (some require a little painful bridging) before you take the 4 essential notes [the Bminor triad B D F# (notes 1 3 & 5 of the Bminor scale) plus the 7th note of the Bminor scale (A)] and build your own.

Although you don't need to use all 7 strings, leaving out the 7th string would defeat the object of the work.

Recommended Listening: "Musical Death" by Testament, any of the "Brandenburg Concertos" by Bach

If anyone has any info which should be public knowledge [7string related only please], feel free to contact me at gpople@ntlworld.com

Guy

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see also:

Guy's site: http://www.7string.org/

and previous articles:

7 STRINGS GOOD, 6 STRINGS BAD
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/001023/10.shtml

7 STRING BLUES
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/001030/10.shtml

7 string Technique tip
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/001113/12.shtml

A Minor Blues Scales
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/001120/3.shtml

Some Major Blues Scales
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/001128/5.shtml

Here's some work for anyone interested in working out some new voices or shapes for them tired old 6 string chords..."
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/001204/14.shtml

This week I've laid out an expanded fretboard for the curious folk out there who might be wondering what the names of the notes they play are:
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/001211/7.shtml

My 7 string major scale modes template might be of some interest to those privileged few that wield 7 strings. See it this and more:
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/001218/11.shtml

A version of the A chromatic scale
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/010115/7.shtml

Dominant 7th Arpeggios & more!
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/010122/7.shtml

Minor & Major 7th Arpeggios for 6 and 7 stringers plus Creating chord inversions using 7B tuning
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/010129/7.shtml

Diminished arpeggios for 7A and 7B tunings
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/010205/7.shtml

PC Recording
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/010212/7.shtml

More on PC recording + Fingerweights
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/010219/7.shtml

7B Modes Aeolian to Dorian
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/010226/7.shtml

7B modes Phrygian to Mixolydian
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/010305/7.shtml

Power-type chords for all the 7B tuners
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/010312/7.shtml 9th and 6th Bar Chords
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/010319/7.shtml

*******

7 stringers can see also:

STEVE VAI "The High Priest of 7-String"
http://ngaugeguitarist.tripod.com/vai.html
Steve Vai...the guitarist who set off the 7-string revolution in rock in roll. Vai & Ibanez guitars were responsible for the 1st mass-produced 7-string guitar available...the Ibanez Universe. They began working on the Universe in 1988, but it was 1st released to the public in 1990...

MORE 7 STRINGERS
http://ngaugeguitarist.tripod.com/guitarists.html
info on other 7-string players. Includes info on the player, the music they make, their gear, & links

Finally...

This website is dedicated to helping those people out there who like life hard: http://www.7string.org