Russian guitar
A seven-string Russian guitar | |
| String instrument | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Plucked string instrument |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 321.321 (Composite chordophone) |
| Playing range | |
| Related instruments | |
| classical guitar, 6 string guitar | |
The Russian guitar (sometimes referred to as a "Gypsy guitar") is an acoustic seven-string guitar that was developed in Russia toward the end of the 18th century: it shares most of its organological features with the Spanish guitar, although some historians insist on English guitar descent. It is known in Russian as the semistrunnaya gitara (семиструнная гитара), or affectionately as the semistrunka (семиструнка), which translates to "seven-stringer". These guitars are most commonly tuned to an open G chord as follows: D2 G2 B2 D3 G3 B3 D4. In classical literature, the lowest string (D) occasionally is tuned down to the C.