Meat and Potatoes Scales and Arpeggios

Now available for FREE download.

MEAT & POTATOES
SCALES & ARPEGGIOS
FOR LOW G TUNED
8-STRING GUITAR

WARNING this file is
over 500M bytes big!!!!!

To download file without crashing your machine right-click on either the cover image (left) or the link above and then select the
Save Target As... menu option
next save the pdf file to your own
Desktop.


Mårten Hagström

Meshuggah logo

Mårten Hagström is the 8-string rhythm guitar wizzard from Swedish Metal band Meshuggah.

Mårten Hagström

Ibanez logo

Marten Hagstrom 8 string Ibanez guitar

Bleed

Ibanez M8M


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

E

B

G

D

A

E

B

G

The disguised CAGED octaves method for 8-string guitar now follows:-

ZZZZZ octaves logo

The 8-string guitar CAGED octaves sequence is shown for C natural in the diagram that follows:-

ZZZZZ octaves C natural

GuitarPro6 C natural octaves

The diagram that follows shows all of the C major scale notes plotted over the 8-string guitar's

fretboard in both the Guitar Pro and CAGED octaves styles:-

GuitarPro6 fingerboard :C ionian mode (major scale)

ZZZZZ octaves C major scale notes

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:-

ZZZZZ octaves C major scale intervals

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

YouTube icon

Guitar Pro 6 icon

Flash icon

7Z5Z2 pdf
8Z5Z3 pdf
8Z6Z3Z1 pdf
6Z4Z1 pdf
7Z4Z2 pdf
7Z5Z2 at 12 pdf


  • 7B5B2
  • 8A5A3
  • 8G6G3G1
  • 6E4E1
  • 7D4D2
  • 7B5B2 at 12

7Z5Z2 box shape

8Z5Z3 box shape

8Z6Z3Z1 box shape

6Z4Z1 box shape

7Z4Z2 box shape

7Z5Z2 box shape at 12



  • 7Z5Z2
  • 8Z5Z3
  • 8Z6Z3Z1
  • 6Z4Z1
  • 7Z4Z2
  • 7Z5Z2 at 12

7Z5Z2 box

8Z5Z3 box

8Z6Z3Z1 box

6Z4Z1 box

7Z4Z2 box

7Z5Z2 box at 12


Mårten Hagström

Selfcaged....Zon Brookes

Alive


Return to top of page ^