If you’re looking for songs to play on the 7-string lyre harp, you’ve come to the right place! 😁 I’ve been on a journey to find the best online resources for learning songs on the 7-string, including YouTube tutorials, books, and more. These resources will definitely help you with playing your 7-string!
1. Free Video Tutorials for 7 Strings
I compiled this list of songs. Most of them have notes / tabs in the video or in the descriptions.
- Game of Thrones theme – by Jo the Bard
- Hells Bells by AC/DC – by Jo the Bard
- The Dying Californian – by Tap the Forward Assist
- Taps (military tune) – by Tap the Forward Assist
- Amazing Grace – by CHERRY
- Mary Had a Little Lamb – by CHERRY
- Rain, Rain Go Away – by CHERRY
- Jingle Bells – by CHERRY
- Ode to Joy – by CHERRY
- New World Symphony – by CHERRY
- Song of Storms (Zelda) – by Wild Sparrow Strings
- Dragonborn Comes – by Wild Sparrow Springs
- Skyrim: Secunda – by Joshua Ennis (notes not written out; you’ll have to look at the fingering to find out the notes)
There isn’t a lot. But don’t despair! Did you know you can use tutorials for 16-string lyres and adapt them to 7 strings? Check out the method here.
2. Paid Video Tutorials for 7 Strings
Lyre Academy has a paid course for intermediate and advanced lyre players that covers these songs for the 7-string lyre:
- Nothing Else Matters (Metallica)
- Dust In The Wind (Kansas)
- What a Wonderful World
- The Godfather theme
- My Heart Will Go On
- Stand By Me
- Game of Thrones theme
- Star Wars theme
They have another paid course for ancient melodies, also geared towards intermediate and advanced players. The songs include:
- Hurrian Hymn
- Schema Musica Antique
- Parte di Canto Greco del Modo Hippolidio
- Delphic Hymn
3. Song Books for 7-String Lyres
For those of us who prefer to learn by reading, I’ve collected a variety of book recommendations from online communities and from my own research on the 7-string lyre.
Selection of Tablatures for a 7 Strings Lyre 1 & 2 by Lyre Academy
Lyre Academy has two tablature books for 7-string lyres (Gallic, Kravik, Greek, etc.) that use an original tablature system instead of standard sheet music. Each book has over 30 songs so there are a lot! While many song titles are in a different language (possibly French? I’m not sure), there are also a few in English.
Norþhærpe – How To Play Anglo-Saxon, Viking & Germanic Lyres + 80 Tunes by Paul Wilding
This is a method book with 80 songs for the Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and Germanic 6-string or 7-string lyres. The collection includes a large number of medieval tunes as well as newer and original compositions. The customer reviews are pretty good! Check out the author’s YouTube channel where he played some of the songs in the book.
I Love to Be Me: Songs in the Mood of the Fifth by Channa Seidenberg & Kingsley Little
This book is a collection of 32 children’s songs designed for 7-string pentatonic lyres, featuring colorful illustrations. It may be useful for parents and teachers looking to introduce young children to playing a musical instrument.
Ancient Melodies – A Collection of 8 Songs of Antiquity by Luthieros
This is a free e-Book that is kind of tricky to get! Go to Luthieros’ website and keep an eye out for a pop-up box on some pages (it doesn’t always appear), where you enter your email address to get the e-book. The collection features 8 ancient tunes written in standard music notation.
9 Easy Melodies for Beginners – Lyre Sheet Music by Luthieros
This is a collection of sheet music for lyres with 7 or more strings. The nine melodies are: Tetrasimon, Exasimon, Dodekasimon, Melody in 6/8 rhythm, Happy Birthday to You, The River, Kolon Exasimon, Old Times, and Embrace.
9 Ancient Melodies that Survive to This Day – Lyre Sheet Music by Luthieros
This book contains sheet music for melodies from ancient Greece to ancient Syria, also for lyres with 7 or more strings. The tunes are: Oktasimos – Dekasimos, Callimachus’ Hymn to Zeus, Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hurrian Hymn to Goddess Nikkal, Seikilos Epitaph, 1st Delphic Hymn, 2nd Delphic Hymn, Hymn to Muse Calliope, and Hymn to Nemesis.
That’s all for now. I hope you find this post helpful in your quest to learning the 7-string lyre!
