Using A Six-String Guitar As A Seven-String Guitar
6-string guitar (6/7ths guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3)

So you want to learn how to play 7-string guitar but you don't have enough readies to go and buy one.

Well fear not boys and girls because Zon Brookes always has a work-around solution under these types of circumstances.

Get yourself an old 6-string electric guitar with a Strat scale length i.e. 25.5" and a new set of 13 gauge strings.

The C major scale is shown below on the GuitarPro6 fingerboard for 7-string guitar with a low B string:-

GuitarPro6 7-string guitar C major scale

A standard 6-string electric guitar represents strings 1 to 6 of the previous 7-string; as shown in the next GuitarPro6 fingerboard:-

GuitarPro6 6-string guiatr C major scale

Instead of tuning your 6-string EADGBE why not tune it BEADGB which represents strings 2 to 7 of the previous 7 string?

The C major scale is shown below on the GuitarPro6 fingerboard for a 6-string guitar tuned BEADGB:-

GuitarPro6 C major scale

Won't a 25.5" scale length be too short?.... I hear the purveyor's of all guitar wisdom cry from afar.

Well follow this link to check out the specifications of the Ibanez UV777 to quell any fears you may have on this front - scale length of 25.5" I do believe.

Again the guitar-wise are shouting the strings will be too slack.

This is where the 13 gauge strings come in useful and if you want to do a full string tension calculation check then follow this link to the D'Addario strings design chart (very useful for this precise purpose).

So to quote those of an American persuasion y'all set.


BAGED octaves : 6-string guitar (6/7ths guitar tuning - BEADGB)
C major-minor arpeggio : General

In this BLOGoZON we take a look at the C major-minor arpeggio for
6-string guitar (6/7ths guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) forming one long BAGED octaves chain.

BAGED octaves logo : 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3)

The BAGED octaves sequence is shown for C natural in the diagram that follows.

BAGED octaves fingerboard : C natural octaves


The diagram that follows shows all five of the BAGED octaves shapes for use with the
box shapes for a 6-string guitar (6/7ths guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3)

BAGED octaves : C natural octave shapes

GuitarPro6 fingerboard : C natural octaves

GuitarPro6 C natural octaves


The diagram that follows shows all five of the BAGED octaves shapes for use with the
box shapes for a 6-string guitar (6/7ths guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3)

C natural octaves pdf : BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3)

The diagrams that follow show all of the C major-minor arpeggio notes plotted over
the 6-string guitar's fretboard in the BAGED octaves and GuitarPro6 styles.

BAGED octaves C major-minor arpeggio fingerboard notes : 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3)

GuitarPro8 fingerboard : C major-minor arpeggio

GuitarPro8 C major blues scale

As always a more long term solution to fretboard navigation is to see scales 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-minor arpeggio are detailed below in the BAGED octaves manner.

BAGED octaves C major-minor arpeggio fingerboard intervals : 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3)

The tables and tabbed panels below detail all five box shapes for the
C major-minor arpeggio in the BAGED octaves style.


BAGED octaves : 6-string guitar (6/7ths guitar tuning - BEADGB)
C major-minor arpeggio : YouTube videos & pdf files

YouTube icon

Flash iconGuitar Pro 6 icon

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio: 6B4B1 box shape pdf
BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio: 4A2 box shape pdf
BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio: 5G2 box shape pdf
BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio: 5E3 box shape pdf
BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio: 6D3D1 box shape pdf
BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio: 6B4B1 box shape at 12 pdf

BAGED octaves : 6-string guitar (6/7ths guitar tuning - BEADGB)
C major-minor arpeggio : Box shapes on YouTube

  • 6B4B1
  • 4A2
  • 5G2
  • 5E3
  • 6D3D1
  • 6B4B1 at 12

GuitarPro6: 6B4B1 box shape

GuitarPro6: 4A2 box shape

GuitarPro6: 5G2 box shape

GuitarPro6: 5E3 box shape

GuitarPro6: 6D3D1 box shape

GuitarPro6: 6B4B1 box shape at 12


BAGED octaves : 6-string guitar (6/7ths guitar tuning - BEADGB)
C major-minor arpeggio : Box shapes & TAB

  • 6B4B1
  • 4A2
  • 5G2
  • 5E3
  • 6D3D1
  • 6B4B1 at 12

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major blues scale: 6B4B1 box shape

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major blues scale: 4A2 box shape pdf

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major blues scale: 5G2 box shape pdf

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major blues scale: 5E3 box shape pdf

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major blues scale: 6D3D1 box shape pdf

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major blues scale: 6B4B1 box shape at 12 pdf


Once the individual box shapes have been assimilated all five shapes should be linked together and played in one continuous exercise (with the first shape - 6B4B1 - being repeated at the 12th fret).

The video shown to the right demonstrates the BAGED octaves chain-linked sequence for the C major-minor arpeggio box shapes.



The complete TAB for the previous exercise follows:-

GuitarPro8:  6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio box shapes


The box shapes for the previous exercise follow:-

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio box shapes

BAGED octaves : 6-string guitar (6/7ths guitar tuning - BEADGB)
C major-minor arpeggio
Box shapes pdf & GuitarPro8 TAB pdf

Flash iconGuitar Pro 6 icon

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio box shapes pdf

GuitarPro8: BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio box shapes pdfGuitarPro8: BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio box shapes pdf


BAGED octaves : 6-string guitar (6/7ths guitar tuning - BEADGB)
C major-minor arpeggio : Overall fretboard box shapes

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio box shapes : entire fretboard notes

BAGED octaves 6-string guitar (6/7th guitar tuning - B1:E2:A2:D3:G3:B3) C major-minor arpeggio box shapes : entire fretboard intervals


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Black Dog....Zon Brookes

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