What is 8-string guitar tuning?

Standard 8-string tuning is F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E, adding a low F# and a low B below the standard 6-string guitar. This gives you a full octave of extra range below standard tuning.

What scales work on an 8-string guitar?

All scales apply across the full range. F# minor, F# Phrygian, and the diminished scale are popular for exploiting the low range. The extended fretboard also opens up massive arpeggio patterns spanning multiple octaves.

Who plays 8-string guitar?

Meshuggah pioneered 8-string guitar in extreme metal. Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders) brought it to progressive metal. Other notable players include Misha Mansoor (Periphery), Javier Reyes, and many djent/progressive metal artists.

A# Mixolydian Pentatonic Guitar Scale

Guitar scale in 8-string tuning — fretboard diagram

Tuning

Frets

A# Mixolydian Pentatonic in 8-string — Notes and Intervals

The A# Mixolydian Pentatonic scale is a dominant-flavored five-note scale that emphasizes the relaxed, bluesy side of the Mixolydian mode. On Guitar, the notes are A#, D, D#, F, G#. It is an excellent choice for soloing over dominant chords when you want to maintain the simplicity and flow of a pentatonic structure. Commonly used in Blues, Rock, Country, Funk. Notable players include Jimi Hendrix, Dickey Betts, Derek Trucks. Use over dominant 7th chords (7, 9, 13). Simpler than full Mixolydian but captures the essential dominant color.

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

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

Degrees: 1 2 3 4 b5

Formula: 4-H-W-WH-W

Number of notes: 5

Tuning: 8-string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E)

Also known as: indian

About 8-string Tuning

The 8-string guitar adds both a low B and a low F# string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E), pushing the instrument's range almost into bass guitar territory. This massive tonal range has become the weapon of choice for djent, progressive metal, and experimental composers who need bone-crushing low-end and soaring highs in a single instrument.

With artists like Tosin Abasi, Meshuggah, and After the Burial leading the charge, the 8-string guitar has redefined what's possible in modern heavy music. The low F# string delivers subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest, while the upper strings maintain standard guitar voicings for leads and clean passages. Extended-range compositions often exploit the full span of the instrument, creating a wall of sound that covers bass, rhythm, and lead guitar roles simultaneously.

DjentProgressive MetalTechnical Death MetalExperimentalAmbient

Notable artists: Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders, After the Burial, Intervals, Monuments

Best for: Djent polyrhythms, extended-range metal riffs, experimental compositions, and one-instrument arrangements spanning bass to lead

Musical Character

BluesyRelaxedDominantEarthy

Emphasizes the b7 characteristic of the Mixolydian mode within a pentatonic framework, ideal for quick dominant-flavored runs.

Chord Progressions Using This Scale

I – ♭VII – IV (Classic Rock Loop)Pop / Rock — Energy & Drive
I – VI7 – II7 – V (Ragtime Cycle)Jazz / Soul — Playful & Vintage

Explore This Scale in Other Tunings

← All Guitar scales in 8-string tuning