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Mårten Hagström
Mårten Hagström is the 8-string rhythm guitar wizzard from Swedish Metal band Meshuggah. |
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Marten Hagstrom 8 string Ibanez guitar
Bleed
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C major scale box shapes for 8 string guitar
The manufacturers recommended tuning for an eight string guitar is F# B E A D G B E - which is designed to allow power chords (F#5, G5, A5 etc.) to be played on the 8th and 7th string pair. As the F# on the eighth string is the same pitch as the note on E string of a 4-string bass at fret 2 the results can be pretty dire and you will definitely be stepping on the bass players toes. So why not tune up a further semi-tone (half-step) to G?
Tuning to G has the advantage that strings 8, 7 and 6 (G, B, E) will now all be exactly two octaves lower than strings 3, 2 and 1 (G, B, E) - plus all the scales, arpeggios and chords located on strings 1, 2 and 3 will now be directly transferrable onto strings 6, 7 and 8 respectively.
The other alternative tuning for an 8-string B E A D G B E A - where you have a 6-string guitar with an extra treble string tuned to A and an extra bass string tuned to B - has the disadvantage that the 8 string cannot be played as a standard guitar for chords using only strings 1 to 6. The reason being is that the high A string throws a spanner in the works. Hence the CAGED octaves recommended tuning for an 8-string guitar is as follows:-
String No. |
|||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Tuning |
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E |
B |
G |
D |
A |
E |
B |
G |
The disguised CAGED octaves method for 8-string guitar now follows:-
The 8-string guitar CAGED octaves sequence is shown for C natural in the diagram that follows:-
The diagram that follows shows all of the C major scale notes plotted over the 8-string guitar's
fretboard in both the and CAGED octaves styles:-
As always a more long term solution to fretboard navigation is to see scales/arpeggios as INTERVAL shapes rather than note names - as these are universal to all scales, arpeggios and chords rather than specific to one particular root note - with this in mind the intervals for the C major scale are detailed below for the 8-string guitar in the CAGED octaves manner:-
The table and tabbed panel below details all five box shapes for the C major scale for the 8-string guitar in the CAGED octaves style.
8-string guitar C major scale box shapes
- 7B5B2
- 8A5A3
- 8G6G3G1
- 6E4E1
- 7D4D2
- 7B5B2 at 12
- 7Z5Z2
- 8Z5Z3
- 8Z6Z3Z1
- 6Z4Z1
- 7Z4Z2
- 7Z5Z2 at 12
Selfcaged....Zon Brookes |