Need some songs for 7 strings...

[GuitarIv]

Cheers guys,

long story short: a friend of mine borrowed me his Schecter 7 String for an indefinite amount of time and now I'm looking for stuff I can play on it, as I'm fairly new to this whole 7 String stuff. I don't wanna tune down to Drop A as I hate Drop tunings and much prefer Standard, so this axe will be in BEADGBE.

Any bands you can suggest that use standard 7 String tuning? Or other suggestions where to start?

Thanks! :)

[Lezard]

This is not what you're after and will be of no actual help, but check out George Van Eps and Howard Alden, (both together and separately).
Be warned, it's jazz and it's drop A and sometimes drop G but well worth a listen I think.

[Kiichi]

Trivium for example did stuff in the Shogun era. Love to play Down from the Sky until after the second chorus, cause after that you need a tremolo...
Sides that Dream Theater have done a lot of 7 string stuff.

If you wanne go hard you can always go Vai too.

[Nadz1lla]

+1 for Dream Theater. Try "The Mirror" and "Lie" (you kind of have to play them together) and "The Glass Prison". Also "Pull Me Under" and anything from "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory".

[JDC]

Last 4 albums of Nevermore are in Bb standard on a 7, would highly recommend their Godless Endeavour album, the sweep sections are insane!!!

Most of Scar Symmetry is B Standard, old Meshuggah is Bb standard (everything before Nothing album)

[Cam_H]

Have a look at Steve Vai's Passion & Warfare album. That has a lot of 7 string in it. The song "The Audience Is Listening" is a great example. Got a real cool heavy riff down on the B-String. I've been thinking of getting a 7-String sometime soon. How do you find switching between the 2? I'm thinking of getting the Ibanez Sabre in 7-String and having it repainted Chameleon Violet :)

[Jamie]

I've been thinking of getting a 7-String sometime soon. How do you find switching between the 2?

Not sure about anyone else but I seem to have no problem switching from a 6 to a 7 when gigging. However if it is the other way around there seems to be a short cross over period where I can get confused sometimes. I get comfortable with the 6 fairly quickly but I am always apprehensive I will keep messing up during the first song of using it.

[Kiichi]

Once you are used to both the switch is real easy. No harder then going from standard tuning to drop d or such. When I have not played my seven string for like 2-3 weeks the reajustment takes me up to 1 song, usually less. I find it a little more confusing when I play full chords and such, but anything normal rock you just click and go.

[JJretroTONEGOD]

try playing some Bach harpsichord riffs!

[GuitarIv]

Thanks for all the input guys!

Lezard, I actually do enjoy Jazz (as long as it's not Free Jazz :P) and will certainly look those up!

Dream Theater is one of the bands that put me off because of the singing, but I will give it a try nonetheless. As far as Trivium goes, never got into them but might change that if it helps for the 7 String approach. And for Meshuggah I'm thinking right now "duh, how come I didn't think of them firsthand, it's one of my favourite bands" :lol:
Vai will get a spin very certainly as well!

And JJ: you must be kidding me? xD

Cheers

[Kiichi]

On the note of Trivium 2 things: a) they did evolve during their career, so you might know a different trivium
b) they did evolve a lot during their career, so you gotta pick one where they actually played 7 strings. Ascendancy was 6 string drop D, Crusade I think has 7 and 6 string (mostly 7 if memory serves), Shogun is 7 string and with In Waves they went back to 6.

So mostly look at shogun stuff for 7 string, maybe some Crusade.
Personally I think they have just gotten better and better. Ascendancy was great, Crusade good (some really nice stuff in there), Shogun was pretty darn great and In Waves was bloody amazing, so many cool songs on there...the In Waves riff alone is so freaking cool.
Canīt wait for "Shark Sandwich".

Just learn Dream Theaters Dance of Eternity and I will give you a cookie! Great song for you, no singing =)
But really there is a lot of Dream Theater stuff that from a playing perspective is pretty darn amazing. Also great sweept parts for you in there!


Also early Fear Factory I think.
Additionally I think At the Gates played 6 strings in B standard, so that might be nice =) Old school Gothenburg meldic death.

[Nadz1lla]

I also dislike James LaBrie's vocals. I used to be obsessed with DT for a long while, but I just got sick of his voice. :/

I'd like DT better if they had another singer, heh. Just try to filter his vocals out with your brain and you'll be okay.  :lol:

[Kiichi]

I also dislike James LaBrie's vocals. I used to be obsessed with DT for a long while, but I just got sick of his voice. :/

I'd like DT better if they had another singer, heh. Just try to filter his vocals out with your brain and you'll be okay.  :lol:

Or just listen to "When day and dream unite", which I have yet to do as well. There they actually had a different singer.

I also must admit while I do like LaBrie, some eras are less enjoyable then others. Mostly after the vocal damaging incident it did kinda hurt him. Still, at the very last on Black Clouds and Silver Linings he is as strong as ever I feel.

[Cam_H]

I also dislike James LaBrie's vocals. I used to be obsessed with DT for a long while, but I just got sick of his voice. :/

I'd like DT better if they had another singer, heh. Just try to filter his vocals out with your brain and you'll be okay.  :lol:

Or just listen to "When day and dream unite", which I have yet to do as well. There they actually had a different singer.

I also must admit while I do like LaBrie, some eras are less enjoyable then others. Mostly after the vocal damaging incident it did kinda hurt him. Still, at the very last on Black Clouds and Silver Linings he is as strong as ever I feel.

Have you heard Dream Theater cover Master Of Puppets live? His voice goes through me on that. Also, doesn't he remind you of a Native American Indian lol. But for the record, I'm a big Dream Theater fan.

[GuitarIv]

Thanks guys! I'm certainly going to start with Bleed by Meshuggah, as it's one of my favourite songs and seems to be an amazing workout for right hand technique, from there on I will be moving into DM territory. Will hit you up with a cover maybe, depending on my progress, cheers! :)