What is the 7th string? Low or high?

I saw this band play last night, and the main guitarist had a 7 string. Is a classical guitar with 7 also an extra low string like for metal music?

http://www.grupofalsobaiano.com/music

Low

A 7 string is (Standard Tuning)

e
B
G
D
A
E
b (7th is a low B)

Notice it repeats, eBGDAEb(gdaeB)

wouldn't it be


e
b
G
D
A
E
B

?

think about it!

Why are some notes in lower case writing?

And aren't you two saying the exact same thing?

if you really wanted to have it be "correct" it should read:

e
b
G
D
A
E
B

Since you have two E's and two B's you might want to change the two unwound to smaller letters if you are wanting to make it easier on yourself.
Like reading a tab:

e-

B-

G-

D-

A-

E-

You make the second "E" lowercase so you can tell the difference between the two easier.
You would do the same with a 7 string tuned to Standard with the Low B.

It just helps make the visual easier/quicker to comprehend.

nope. on an 8 string the 8th string is an F#.

a seven string usually has a low B but i know people who have strung it with a high A so its really up to the player weather it goes higher or lower

I have an 8 string, there doesn't seem to be any "normal" way to tune it unless you are copying someone. I play
g
d
a
f
C
G
C
G'

which is basically "drop C" with an extra string on top and bottom. You cant get a guitar string to tune higher that high "a" so I don't bother I just use small diaddarios to get to g and I'm happy with the patterns it creates. They are fairly manageable.

The one tiny is asking about is either a Russian or more than likely a Brazillian seven string. The Russian standard tuning is open DGBDGbd but could have several alternate tunings as well. The Brazilian is typically tuned like a classical guitar, but with an additional C below the low E as follows: C-E-A-D-G-b-e.

The modern electric is really all the same. Basically like what DDave said. However you want.

With different tunings won't that change chord shapes?

@nullnaught,

Yes it does. Keith Richards is famous for this. I can't tell you how many songs he's done in open G. In fact, he actually removes the 6th string and essentially ends up playing a 5 string guitar. The chord shapes are indeed different but it allows him to play all the hammer on chord intervals that makes Stones songs so distinct like Start me up.

Similar question, on a 5 string bass is the extra string high or low?

The most common is to add a lower string B – E – A – D – G. But some like to add a higher string E – A – D – G - C. A 6th string bass will add a string on both B – E – A – D – G - C.

mac - it's funny you bring that up about Keith Richards. I read that one day after I had dedicated a guitar to try to learn some slide, and now my Les Paul is in Open D with no low E string. I'm not sure how long I'll leave it like that, but it's cool for slide because I always use the high strings, and never slide on the Low E or even that much on the A.

instead of thinking about it "unwound" strings, i would put the lowercase letters on top to refer to the fact that they are relatively higher than the lower strings.

when you write out

e
B
G
D
A
E

i think of the lowercase e being smaller, smaller wavelength, higher pitch, higher note.

yes we were saying the same thing. you can write them all out in capital letters if you want. the lowercase is just a method for differentiating two strings which are the same note on a different octave.

in some tunings, strings are tuned to the same note of the same octave. you could just use the same capital or lowercase for that because they're the same.

What's the symbol them for X-tra low? Ddave uses a sigle quote above.