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.

G Minor Blues Guitar Scale

Guitar scale in 7-string tuning — fretboard diagram

Tuning

Frets

G Minor Blues in 7-string — Notes and Intervals

The G Minor Blues scale is the definitive scale of the blues tradition. On Guitar, it contains the notes G, Bb, C, Db, D, F. By adding a chromatic tension note to the minor pentatonic, it creates the dirty and expressive grit associated with Chicago and Delta blues, essential for any player looking to add emotional bite to their solos. Commonly used in Blues, Rock, Jazz, R&B. Notable players include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy. Use over minor chords and dominant 7th chords in blues. The b5 is a passing tone — linger on it for tension, resolve to 4 or 5.

Notes: G, Bb, C, Db, D, F

Intervals: 1P, 3m, 4P, 5d, 5P, 7m

Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 5 b6

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

Number of notes: 6

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

Also known as: blues

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

GrittyExpressiveSoulfulBiting

The b5 'blue note' between the 4th and 5th creates the most expressive chromatic passage in blues. Bending from b5 to 5 is the single most iconic sound in guitar music.

Chord Progressions Using This Scale

I – IV – V (Rock & Folk Classic)Pop / Rock — Energy & Drive
bVI – bVII – I (Mario Cadence)World / Game Music — Triumph & Victory
I – I – I – I – IV – IV – I – I – V – IV – I – V (12 Bar Blues)Blues — Grit & Soul
i – iv – i – V (Minor Blues)Blues — Melancholy
I – bVI – bIII – bVII (Epic Borrowed Chords)Contemporary / Film — Epic & Heroic

Explore This Scale in Other Tunings

← All Guitar scales in 7-string tuning