How the eight-string guitar makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the eight-string guitar belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
An eight-string guitar is a guitar with eight strings, or one more than the Russian guitar's seven. Eight-string guitars are less common than six- and seven-string guitars, but they are used by a few classical, jazz, and metal guitarists. The eight-string guitar allows a wider tonal range, or non-standard tunings (such as major-thirds tuning), or both.
Various non-standard guitars were made in the 19th century, including eight-string guitars played by Italians Giulio Regondi and Luigi Legnani.
Other lutes
Frequently asked questions
What does an eight-string guitar sound like?
As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the eight-string guitar?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322-5).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q5348940 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Eight-string guitar – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Plyta – Public domain