What is 7-string guitar tuning?

Standard 7-string tuning is B-E-A-D-G-B-E, which adds a low B string below the standard 6-string guitar. This gives you five extra semitones of low-end range while keeping all standard guitar fingerings intact on the upper six strings.

What scales work on a 7-string guitar?

All standard scales work on a 7-string guitar. The B natural minor, B Phrygian, and B Locrian scales are particularly popular in metal. The extended range also makes the harmonic minor and diminished scales more dramatic.

Is a 7-string guitar harder to play?

The wider neck takes some adjustment, but most players adapt within a few weeks. Standard 6-string chord shapes and scales work identically on the top six strings, so existing knowledge transfers directly.

D# Messiaen's Mode #4 Guitar Scale

Guitar scale in 7-string tuning — fretboard diagram

Tuning

Frets

D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in 7-string — Notes and Intervals

The D# Messiaen's Mode #4 scale is a symmetrical scale designed to have no single tonic. On Guitar, the notes are D#, E, F, G#, A, A#, B, D. Messiaen used it to create what he called the charm of impossibilities, evoking a sense of spiritual wonder where the listener loses their sense of direction. Commonly used in Contemporary Classical, Film Scores, Experimental. Notable players include Olivier Messiaen. Use for avant-garde composition and film scoring where traditional tonal direction should dissolve.

Notes: D#, E, F, G#, A, A#, B, D

Intervals: 1P, 2m, 2M, 4P, 4A, 5P, 6m, 7M

Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 #5 6 b7 8

Formula: H-H-WH-H-H-H-WH-H

Number of notes: 8

Tuning: 7-string (B-E-A-D-G-B-E)

About 7-string Tuning

The 7-string guitar adds a low B string below the standard 6-string tuning (B-E-A-D-G-B-E), extending the instrument's range into bass territory. This extra low end has become essential in progressive metal, djent, and modern heavy music, enabling crushing low-end riffs while maintaining access to standard guitar voicings on the upper strings.

Pioneered by jazz guitarist George Van Eps and later brought into the metal mainstream by Steve Vai and Korn, the 7-string guitar has become a staple of modern heavy music. Players like Tosin Abasi, Misha Mansoor, and John Petrucci have pushed the instrument's capabilities into new territory, using the extended range for complex harmonic progressions, polyrhythmic riffs, and sweeping arpeggios that span an enormous tonal range.

Progressive MetalDjentTechnical Death MetalJazz FusionAmbient

Notable artists: Dream Theater, Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Korn, Meshuggah

Best for: Progressive metal riffs, extended-range chord voicings, djent rhythms, and jazz fusion harmony

Musical Character

DirectionlessSpiritualWanderingAwe

Creates what Messiaen called 'the charm of impossibilities' — the listener loses their sense of tonal direction, creating a spiritual disorientation that evokes wonder.

Explore This Scale in Other Tunings

← All Guitar scales in 7-string tuning