Russian seven-string guitar. Seven string guitar

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

How it all started

The history of the creation of the guitar goes back to past centuries, and among the countries in which its first use as a musical instrument is mentioned are India and Ancient Egypt. Then the guitar had a rounded body with strings stretched on a long neck. The case itself was strong enough, and was made from a dried gourd or tortoise shell.

In Russia, the seven-string guitar appeared in late XVIII century. It is noteworthy that researchers cannot name the exact time and fate of its formation, however, they mention the name of Andrei Sikhra. He was the first to discover guitar art. Engaged in processing folk music, published relevant magazines, taught in schools. He also added a bass string, which distinguished the structure of a familiar guitar.

Due to this, in the following centuries, the seven-string guitar was widely used, for a long time remaining 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 features and its own artistic and technical features.

Application in 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 found its application in the so-called "gypsy" song and music genre. Especially for her, many composers, including Alexei Agibalov and Igor Rekhin, created concert compositions.

Structural features

The design of a seven-string guitar consists of a standard "set" of the main components. Each of them has its own functions. This invariably includes metal strings, fingerboards 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 fond of music, but are not a professional in this matter. It is worth rejoicing all fans: there is nothing difficult to set up. Remember a few simple rules.

The strings are tuned based on the principle of neighboring strings when their pitch is compared. So, one remains open, and the second should be clamped in 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 the repetition of intervals and tones of the first octave, as well as subsequent semitones. In addition to this, known various variations, which do not give fine tuning related to the thickness of the strings. So, for example, compared to any other bass strings require more careful tuning.

The guitar (seven-string) has its own tuning. Standardly, the sequence of tones is determined by the highest string by tone. Most often, this is "Re" (the first octave). Mixed scales are known, formed by major sounding in a different key.

The modern seven-string guitar is divided into several subspecies. All of them are equally widely applicable, but they are dissimilar in structure, notation, length and scale. There are large, tertz and quart 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 string-plucked musical instrument. Its peculiarity lies in performance possibilities and a rich variety of timbres. Note a few distinguishing features.

Being an acoustic instrument, the six-string guitar is able to amplify the sound thanks to the wooden body. Most often it is made of durable tree species - rosewood, mahogany, cedar, spruce. It uses strings different materials and compositions: carbon, nylon, as well as metal and core strings.

Classical six-string guitar does not require additional application amplifier or microphone, although they can still be used in a large room. To amplify the sound, contact sensors are installed instead of the saddle. For the convenience of playing such a guitar, a footrest is used, which today is more often replaced by a knee rest.

Solo numbers are performed on it. It is also often used as an accompanying instrument.

Origin of the instrument

The kinnor is considered the ancestor of the guitar. It consisted of a resonating body, strings and neck. The earliest evidence of it dates back to the 2nd century BC. Similar tools existed in ancient india, they were called sitar and wine. Ancient Egyptian counterparts are zither, nefer and nabla. AT Ancient Rome and Greece, the cithara was popular, it was from its name that the word "guitar" came from. The bodies of these musical instruments were made from tortoiseshell, dried pumpkin, or hollowed out from a piece of wood. In the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, the Ruan appeared in China. They consisted of a lower and upper deck, which were connected by a shell. In the 6th century, Moorish and Latin guitars appeared in Europe based on the Juani. Then the vihuela was born. And in the 18th century - the guitar.

Varieties

Today there are different types of guitars. There are a lot of them, and they are all classified according to various criteria.

Types of guitars, depending on the method of amplifying the sound, there are the following:

• Acoustic (sound is created thanks to the resonator body).
• Electric guitar (sounds thanks to an electromagnetic pickup).
• Semi-acoustic (the principle is the same as in the previous case, but plus it has a resonating body).
• Electro-acoustic (sounds due to the hollow body, but has a piezo sensor that amplifies the sound).
• Resonator (acoustic with metal resonators built into the case).
• Electro-acoustic bass guitar (consists of a hollow body, 4 strings and a piezo pickup).

According to the design of the cases, the following types of guitars are distinguished:

• Classical (resonating body with 6 strings).
• Folk (similar to the previous type, but adapted to use metal strings).
• Flattop (a subspecies of the folk guitar, but its top deck is flat).
• Archtop (the front soundboard is convex, and along its edges there are two resonator holes in the form of the letter f, the body resembles a violin).
• Dreadnought (the case is enlarged, rectangular, which gives increased volume, and due to this, low frequencies prevail in the timbre).
• Dobro (instead of resonating holes, a metal cone is provided, in some cases there may be a square neck with large frets).
• Jumbo (an enlarged version of the folk guitar).
• Gypsy jazz (convex decks, springs are located in the body, like a mandolin, metal strings).

There are also several more classifications for this musical instrument: by the type of frets, depending on the range, by the genre of music performed on it, by place of birth, by the number of strings.

There are other types of guitars such as ukulele, fretless, tapping, synthesizer, Chapman's stick, Warr's guitar, etc.

Spanish guitar

During the Middle Ages, Spain was the center of guitar development. In the 15th century, they invented a model that had five double strings. This guitar was called "Spanish". By the end of the 18th century, it had undergone a number of changes. The number of strings has changed to six single strings. The hull has also changed somewhat. In the 18th century, the Spanish guitar came to Russia.

Acoustic guitar

It appeared in the 19th century. Its creator is guitar master Antonio Torres. He changed the size of the Spanish guitar, the shape of its body, and so on. As a result, the sound of the instrument has changed somewhat. There are two types of acoustic guitars these days: wood drums and plastic drums. The sound quality depends on the material of manufacture. The best acoustic guitars are those with expensive wood drums. This instrument has a rich and pleasant sound.

Russian seven-string

At the beginning of the 19th century, a 7-string guitar became widespread in Russia. It was born as a result of combining the features of English and Spanish instruments. This guitar was called "Russian". She gained popularity thanks to the composer, musician and teacher Andrei Sikhra. He wrote a large number of works for seven-string guitar.

Electric guitar

This musical instrument appeared in the 20th century. The first electric guitar was patented by Rickenbacker in 1936. She had a metal one-piece body without a resonator, and she sounded with the help of an electromagnetic pickup. In the 1950s, Les Paul invented the electric guitar, the body of which consisted of a single piece of wood. But it didn't take long for her to become popular. The design of modern electric guitars after so many years since the invention has not changed at all.

jazz guitar

This instrument is a cross between an acoustic and an electric guitar. It can play sound with or without an amplifier. This is a 6-string guitar that looks like big violin. It is much larger than acoustic and has a convex soundboard. Jazz guitars also have f-shaped resonator holes, like violins have. Due to all these features, the instrument has a special sound.

guitar cost

Anyone who decides to master this musical instrument will certainly want to know how much a guitar costs. The price depends on the type of instrument, on what materials the body and strings are made of, since this determines the sound quality - the higher it is, the more expensive tool. The best acoustic guitars are made from mahogany, rosewood, or maple. Accordingly, they are expensive. Prices on different types guitars in Russia vary from 1,000 to 200,000 rubles.

- (or tap guitar, also Warr guitar, English Warr guitar) a stringed musical instrument designed by Mark Warr. It looks very similar to a conventional electric guitar, but it can be played with tapping, like on a Chapman stick, and also ... ... Wikipedia

- (Spanish and Provence guitara, Italian chitarra, from Greek kithara stringed instrument). 1) 6 string music. an instrument played by plucking the strings with the fingers. 2) an old cabby carriage, somewhat reminiscent of the shape of the above-named music ... Dictionary foreign words Russian language

GUITAR, guitars, female (Spanish guitarra from Greek kithara lira). A genus of stringed plucked musical instrument with a figure-eight resonator and a long neck. Seven string guitar. Dictionary Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

Guitar- (from Greek κιτηαρα cithara) stringed plucked instrument. G.'s ancestor was a medieval lute. G. appeared in Spain in the 14th century. (hence the name of the classical G. Spanish). By the 18th century the number of strings (6) has stabilized and the system is in fourths with a terts ... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Spanish guitarra, Italian chitarra, French guiterne, guitare, English gittern, guitar; original source: Greek kithára kithara, zither) stringed plucked instrument. It consists of a body with deep recesses on the sides and flat decks, of which ... ... Big soviet encyclopedia

- (Spanish guitarra, from Greek kitara kithara, Italian chitarra; French guiterne, guitare; English gittern, guitar) a stringed plucked instrument. It consists of a body with deep recesses on the sides and flat decks (of which the top has a round ... ... Music Encyclopedia

s; and. [Spanish] guitarra] A stringed plucked musical instrument with a resonator body in the form of a figure-eight and a long neck (first appeared in Spain in the 13th century). Seven-string, six-string d. Orchestral d. Electronic d. Sing along with the guitar. ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Check information. It is necessary to check the accuracy of the facts and the reliability of the information presented in this article. There should be explanations on the talk page. New Russian Acoustic Guitar (GRAN) with ... Wikipedia

The guitar is one of the most popular instruments today. Any vocal instrumental ensemble begins with a guitar. Tourists, going on a hike, do not forget to grab a guitar: it is so good to sing under it in the evening by the fire! The guitar sounds at home and ... ... Music dictionary

Books

• Russian seven-string guitar, M. Ivanov. The purpose of this essay is to remind the public about the Russian seven-string guitar, to briefly introduce its history, literature and musical means and thus contribute to the establishment of the correct ...
• Album by an aspiring guitarist. Seven-string guitar. Issue 19, . Album by an aspiring guitarist. Seven-string guitar. Issue 19…

What is the best guitar to buy? Which guitars are good and which are not so good? What are the types of guitars? Why does one guitar cost 3,000 rubles and another 30,000 rubles, although they look the same on the outside? These and many other questions torment a person who has decided to learn how to play the guitar. This article contains answers to frequently asked questions

(abbr. FAQ from the English. "Frequently Asked Questions").

1. I'm a beginner and don't know which guitar to choose / I need a guitar as a gift, but I don't understand anything about them...
Great, you are just in the right place! First, decide on the type of guitar. Do you need an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar or maybe a bass guitar? Think about it and read on...

2. What is the difference between a training guitar and a professional guitar?
In fact, this division is conditional. Any professional guitar can easily be used for learning. Professional guitars are distinguished by first-class wood, fittings, and high tuning accuracy.
But do not look for some special guitar designed specifically for learning. You can learn to play any guitar. Then what is the best guitar for beginners to buy? The main condition is that it does not fall apart in your hands and keep the system, otherwise training will turn into torment :)

3. Which acoustic guitar is better, advise something.
First, decide on the view acoustic guitar.

classical guitar: not very large body, wide neck, nylon strings, soft warm sound. It is better to choose such a guitar for beginners, primarily in terms of playing comfort. Nylon strings are softer on the fingers, and the body of the guitar is not very large and fits comfortably in the hands. In general, it is better to learn on such a guitar, it is often bought for studying at a music school.

Non-classical acoustic guitar(western, jumbo, dreadnought): large body, narrow neck, metal strings, bright, sonorous, loud sound. Such guitars are better for lovers of metallic sonorous sound, for playing with a fight, for playing blues and rock, for playing with "braces" and "slides".

Electroacoustic guitar : This is a guitar with a built-in pickup and the ability to output sound to an external speaker. The guitar is connected to the speaker through a cord, inside the case there is a small microphone that picks up the sound and transmits it to the speaker. The pickup is installed in both classical (less often) and non-classical guitars (more often).

Twelve-string guitar. It is closest in performance to a non-classical acoustic guitar. The difference is in the number of strings (12 pcs.) And the reinforced body, which is designed to contain the tension of the strings. The principle of playing and building a 12-string guitar is no different from conventional acoustics, the additional strings just duplicate the main ones, making the sound richer and brighter. 12-string guitars are presented in a separate section of our store.

Exclusive Acoustic Guitars: there are other varieties (seven-string guitar, resonator guitar, semi-acoustic guitar, etc.). Here we will not touch on this issue.
At the following link you can read their sound and specialization. And if you need detailed help with choosing an acoustic guitar, then contact this article .

4. I need an electric guitar, what do you recommend?
The question is also not an easy one, you cannot answer it with one sentence. Each electric guitar has its own tone of sound. In general, any guitar can play any music, but rock music will sound better on one instrument, blues on another, and jazz on a third. A big role in the choice is played by the quality of the pickups and the wood from which the body is made. Read more about choosing an electric guitar in this article .

5. What is a bass guitar?
The bass guitar is an electric musical instrument similar to the electric guitar, but with a lower sound frequency range (bass). The strings on the bass guitar are much thicker than usual and they sound lower. Usually bass guitars are 4 or 5 strings. For a beginner without special requests, a four-stringed instrument will be enough. The principle of choosing a good bass guitar is the same as with choosing an electric guitar. Read more about bass guitars in this article .

6. What is the best guitar to take for a child?
Often bought for children scaled down guitars . As a rule, children's guitars are marked in two sizes: 1/2 (half) and 3/4 (three quarters). These dimensions are relative to a full size guitar. Most often for children, they take a smaller acoustic guitar with nylon strings (they are softer for fingers), but you can also find smaller electric guitars (for example, the Cort G110 Junior BKS). More information about children's guitars you can find in this article .

7. What is the difference between an electro-acoustic guitar and a semi-acoustic guitar?
Electroacoustic guitar represents regular guitar with a built-in pickup inside the case. The pickup performs a complementary function, i.e. On such a guitar, you can easily play without connection, it will sound loud and without distortion. Electro-acoustic guitars presented.
Semi-acoustic guitar is a specific instrument - it is a hybrid between acoustic and electric guitar. The body of such a guitar is quite thin and is equipped with a non-standard resonator hole (usually in the form treble clef or small circles). Unplugged, a semi-acoustic guitar sounds quiet enough, but louder than an electric guitar (which doesn't have a sound hole at all). In terms of sound, semi-acoustic is also closer to an electric guitar and is most often equipped with electric guitar pickups. Often such a guitar is bought for blues and jazzmen, as well as as a gift for respectable men :) You will find semi-acoustic guitars in this section.

8. Which guitar is better: six-string or seven-string?
Both types are good in their own way. However, there is one "but": 99% of the guitars produced today are six-string, and very few seven-string instruments are now produced. Majority teaching aids, video courses and schools are also focused on six-string guitars.

9. I need a seven-string guitar, why are they so hard to find?
The seven-string guitar (also: Russian, gypsy, seven-string) is a rare species in our time, it can be listed in the Red Book. This type of guitar appeared in the late 18th - early 19th century and dominated Russia until the early 20th century. Mostly Russian romances were performed on the seven-string. Well, then most guitarists turned to the classical six-string guitar, then to non-classical modifications and electric guitars. The seven-string guitar gradually died out as a species and now only the older generation, who grew up in Soviet years. 7-string guitars presented in this section our store.

10. Which guitar is better: new or used?
A difficult question that causes a lot of controversy and discussion among guitarists. If you buy an inexpensive instrument (up to 10,000 r), then in general it is better to take a new guitar, because. inexpensive guitars are more prone to wear and tear over time various types defects. If you choose from guitars of the middle and high price categories (using solid wood in the body), then it is more difficult. On the one hand, a good tree sounds even better with time. Those. a good guitar is like wine: the older the better. At the same time, you will pay a price less than for a new guitar. On the other hand, if you are not good with guitars, then you may be sold an instrument with a hidden defect. Therefore, if you are going to buy a guitar from your hands, then be sure to invite a knowledgeable specialist to inspect and listen to it.

12. What is a pickup, what types of pickups are there?
A pickup in general is an electronic device that reads sound, converts it and transmits it to an output device (column). Roughly speaking, this is a microphone. It is known that microphones are different (speech, vocal, instrumental). In addition, the sound changes when the microphone location is changed. It is the same with pickups: in order to achieve a certain sound, guitarists often struggle for a long time with choosing a good pickup. In the following article you will find information about types of electric guitar pickups .

13. Why do some electric guitars have 7 or 8 strings and not 6?
Additional seventh and sometimes eighth strings are needed mainly for professionals. These strings are thicker and, as it were, complement the overall system. Often such guitars are chosen by amateurs heavy music playing in low order.

14. What is a truss rod and what is it for?
Anchor rod or bolt (anchor) is a metal rod that regulates the amount of deflection of the neck. It is located inside the neck of the guitar. Adjusting the neck deflection allows you to change the height of the strings above the neck. Usually this procedure is relevant when the season changes (winter / summer) or in conditions of a sharp change in humidity. Read more about the anchor and its settings. in this article .

15. What is kataway?
Kataway (from the English "cut away") - a cutout on the body of the guitar, facilitating access to the upper frets. There is an opinion that the cut worsens sound characteristics guitars. If so, then the influence is negligible, it is not worth giving special attention to this.

16. What are the best strings for a guitar?
For classical - nylon, for non-classical - metal, for electric guitar - electric guitar metal, for bass guitar - bass. Strings come in different thicknesses and are made from different materials. The thicker the string, the more difficult it is to clamp it on the fretboard. The thinner, the more likely the strings to rattle. The average thickness of 1 (thin) string for an acoustic guitar is 0.11 mm, for an electric guitar - 0.10 mm. .

17. How often should you change the strings on your guitar?
Strings are short-lived by nature. Over time, they accumulate grease, sweat and dirt from the hands, so they lose their beauty of sound. Nowadays it is enough to buy a new set. In general, with a daily play of 1.5-2 hours, the strings need to be changed every 1-2 months.

18. How to extend string life?
Wash your hands thoroughly before playing the guitar. Advice for poor students: Soviet time there was a shortage of strings and they were periodically brewed :) By the way, there are durable strings using nanotechnology (for example, Elixir), which, although more expensive than usual, last much longer.

19. Can I put metal strings on a guitar with nylon strings?
If you don't feel sorry for the guitar, you can experiment. The problem is that the tension of metal strings is much stronger than the tension nylon strings. In most cases, the classical guitar is not adapted to such loads, replacement can lead to damage to the guitar. There are also exceptions. Strunal (Cremona) has 2 models of guitars that differ only in strings: the 4670 has metal strings, and the 4671 has nylon strings. And the guitar is the same, which indicates the possibility of changing the strings. But if you decide to change nylon for metal, then pick up thin metal strings with the least tension.

The right choice of instrument is of paramount importance for a beginner musician, since the pace of learning depends on this factor. In particular, many beginners face the problem of choosing a guitar depending on the number of strings, which can be 6 or 7. And before you do final choice in favor of one or another option, you need to understand the difference between a six-string and a seven-string, related to the peculiarities of the sound of these musical instruments.

Difference between six-string and seven-string guitar

The six-string (classical or Spanish) guitar appeared around the end of the 18th century in Spain, which is clear from its name. After this musical instrument underwent certain structural changes, as a result of which its modern appearance was finally formed by XIX century. An instrument with 6 strings is in fourths (with the exception of one pair of strings, which are tuned in thirds). Such a system allows you to both accompany and perform songs that are distinguished by the ease of playing polyphonic works.

A seven-string (Russian or gypsy) is a guitar with one extra string, which appeared precisely in Russia. Due to the appearance of the 7th string, the structure of this musical instrument has changed - it has become a terts (the exception is two pairs of strings that are tuned to a quart). This influenced the playing technique - it became even easier to take chords, and the emphasis shifted towards accompaniment (as a rule, romances). In addition, a special system allows you to extract unusual overtones - overtones, which are very similar to Russian folk music.

Which guitar is best for a beginner?

There are 3 main arguments in favor of choosing exactly six-string guitar for a newbie:

• Most chords for most popular songs, as well as about 98% musical compositions famous rock bands and performers are written for 6 strings.
• Buying strings and other parts for a six-string is much easier, again, because of its greater prevalence.
• If you need to sell your old guitar, serious problems can arise if we are talking about the seven-string - now they are used by a very small number of performers.

And if you have already decided in favor of choosing an acoustic guitar with 6 or 7 strings, it's time to think about the form of training. The most convenient are video lessons from the author's school of playing the guitar, recorded on discs. With their help, you can learn the basics and raise the level of proficiency in this musical instrument as quickly and simply as possible.