Hey guys! Welcome to Dat8StringGuy. I decided to start this small blog because I find that, considering the huge rise in popularity of extended range guitars (7 strings and up), the resources were a bit lacking. I’ve had too many friends who wanted to get in the 8 string game, but didn’t know how to approach it, felt lost with their chords/scales shapes, etc. I’ll upload here resources I’ve created to help you tame that new 8 string beast, as well as useful links, videos, sound excerpts, reviews and the likes. Have fun!
For any questions/suggestions, or if you want to submit an article/resource you created on my blog, you can contact me at simon.besozzi@gmail.com
Hello fellow 8 extended range players! The first thing that struck me when first looking up 8 string resources was the fact that except from a few videos on Youtube, there’s practically no resource to learn new chord shapes with roots on the 7th and 8th string. So I mapped out a few of the ones I use for basic jazz chords (more will come, don’t worry!) and made a neat .pdf file just for you! They’re all transposable shapes, meaning that you can use those same shapes on any root of your 8th or 7th string, and it’ll work. Example; You can take the Maj7 shape and play it with the lowest note (root) being the 5th fret of your 8th string (Which is a B) and you’ll get a Bmaj7 chord! Take that same shape and play it on the 6th fret of your 7th string (F) and you get a Fmaj7! It’s that easy. Now you might ask yourself “Why would I take the time to learn chord shapes on my lower strings? I thought those were just for heavy riffing, palm muting and 000000000s!” Well, for a few reasons actually.
Ditch your bassist! Jokes aside, playing roots on your lowest string provides a really low accompaniment for the rest of the chord, kind of like playing with a bassist who empowers your chords with roots. You can even throw scalar runs between your chords to create a sort of walking bass feel. Seriously, bring your 8 string to your school’s band practice, and with those new shapes you can politely tell your bassist his services won’t be needed anymore! (just kidding, but it’s great if you play in a duo, or trio without bass!)
Adapt to your new fretboard! Playing your freshly learned shapes on your 2 extra strings (assuming you’ve switched from a 6 string to an 8 string) will make you feel more comfortable with note names on the 7th and 8th string and overall with your wider (and probably longer) neck. They’re also great stretching warming up exercises.
Creative ideas! Since they’re in a low register, those chord shapes can add a bit of dissonance in your songs, without going too far out with a really dissonant modal chord.
So, dive in and have fun with these chord shapes! I’ve also mapped out the intervals in relation to the root (like most chord guides/books). These chords are mapped out for standard tuning (F# B E A D G B E).
for low res, just right click – save as the image above.
Here’s how you can plug these chords in your comping. This video includes most of the chords above!
For all you Guitar Pro users out there, here’s a guitar pro file of the song I play in the video above. Learn it to familiarize yourself with the chord shapes in a comping context! Feel free to add your own solo over these chords, i’m curious to see what you can come up with!
A few tips to enhance your 8 string comping:
Play the root of the chord and then the upper part, it reinforces the feeling of hearing a separate bass player.
Throw in some scalar runs on your lower strings between your chords, it’ll create a walking bass effect.
Don’t be afraid to use voicings you already know on your upper strings, you can still play open low strings to empower them!
Ever wondered where to find a good and reliable source for 8 string scales and modes? Stop searching. Rob Silver’s blog has it all. He mapped out the 7 basic modes (Inonian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian) and other basic scales such as the Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Blues Scale, Voodoo scale, etc. I won’t reinvent the wheel, so I’ll link you to his website. I’ll eventually add more complex scales that Rob didn’t map out (Diminished scale, Be-Bop scale and a few other exotic scales/modes) but in the meantime, Rob Silver’s blog gives you a bunch of insightful resources to practice!
Dat8StringGuy 