Seven-string guitar - an excursion into the history, classical tuning

The seven-stringed guitar is perhaps the most mysterious instrument with a foggy history. Disputes about the origin of a lot, but there is no obvious evidence. Who invented the seven-string guitar? What are the origins of its occurrence? Alas, the bright popularity of the tool goes gradually into oblivion.

According to historical data, the peak of popularity of the seven-string was in the sixties of the last century. However, this instrument appeared thanks to A. Sikhre, the founder of the guitar art in Russia.

Being a gifted musician and having a superb six-string instrument, Sikhra decided to add one more string, making the guitar closer to the harp, an instrument that he also had to master perfectly.

On the one hand, the seven-string guitar really became close to the harp arpeggio, and on the other hand it was more convenient and melodic than the harp.

In the dictionary of Dal, the role of the creator of the "major-major" system is questioned. The seven-stringed guitar, according to Dal, was used in Russia long before Sihra (in 1799 a sonata for a seven-string guitar was published).

The version of the fact that the seven-stringed guitar appeared much earlier is confirmed by the newspaper "Petersburg Gazette", dated 1803, number 37. In the posted announcement, the bright guitarist of the time, Ganf, offered services for teaching the game on a seven-string guitar. It was Gran who released his "School of Play on a 7-string guitar," referring to the new system, which was recognized as the best in France, and as a proof he cited Schleider's article published in the Leipzig newspaper.

However, we must admit that the debunked Sikhra, possessing ingenious perspicacity, seizing on the new system, made an indisputable contribution to the tricks of the game.

On the role of the creator of a special system (and even a seven-string guitar in general) it remains to argue.

The mass distribution of the seven-string guitar was dictated by the general development of musical culture in Russia. And the first person who could really claim a significant contribution to the propaganda of the game on this instrument was Ignaz Geld, a forgotten Czech composer and guitarist, whose numerous works were once popular in Russia.

Whatever the case, the story left us great musicians and virtuosos playing the seven-string guitar: Andrei Sikhru, Sergei Orekhov, Vladimir Vavilov, Vladimir Vysotsky, Sergei Nikitin, Bulat Okudzhava, Yuri Vizbor, Pyotr Todorovsky, Vladimir Lantsberg.

The seven-string guitar is tuned according to the following principle:

• String 1 - note "re" (1st octave);

• String 2 - note "si" (octave small);

• String 3 - note "salt" (small octave);

• String 4 - note "re" (small octave);

• String 5 - note "si" (octave large);

• String 6 - note "salt" (octave large);

• String 7 - note "re" (octave large)

This setting is classic. There may be other construction, but we will focus on the most acceptable and common.

So, start with the string number 1 (the first, the thinnest). Adjust it to the sound of the note "re". Now go to the second string. We press it on the third fret, the first string is open at the same time. Adjusting the sound of the string number 2, we achieve unison between the first strings (# 1 and # 2). We press the third string already on the fourth fret and we achieve unison with the second one, also open. The fourth string is pressed already on the fifth fret, the fifth string - on the third, the sixth string - on the fourth, the seventh string - on the fifth (we achieve unison with the previous open string).