Moodswinger
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Moodswinger is a custom made string instrument made by Yuri Landman. Although it closely resembles an electric guitar, it is actually a zither, as it has neither frets nor a proper neck. The pickup and electronics are built into the neck instead of in the body like usual electric guitars.
In March 2006 the band Liars contacted Landman to make an instrument for them. After 6 months he finished 2 copies of The Moodswinger, an electric 12-string 3rd bridge overtone zither, one for guitarist/drummer Aaron Hemphill and one for himself. The instrument is used on the song Leather Prowler on the fourth Liars album. In reviews the sound of this instrument is often described as a grand piano.
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How it works
The 3rd bridge divides the strings into two segments with different pitches. Depending on where the string is played, a bell-like harmonic second tone is created. The string resonates more or less when the back side is struck, depending on the position of the 3rd bridge along the string. This can be explained by acoustic resonance and microtonality. At harmonic nodal positions, the string resonates more than at other positions. For instance, dividing the string 1/3 + 2/3 creates a clear overtone, while 24/33 + 9/33 creates an indistinct overtone.
Related background theory
Tuning and scales
In contrast to other third bridge guitar predecessors, the Moodswinger is more focused on an easy non-atonal playing technique. A mathematical scale is added to specify 23 harmonic positions on the strings. Because the instrument has 12 strings, tuned in a circle of fourths, it is always possible to play every note of the equal tempered scale. However some positions have a + or - indication, because the equal tempered scale is not a perfect well-tempered scale.
Tuning
The tuning of this instrument is a circle of fourths: E-A-D-G-C-F-A#-D#-G#-C#-F#-B, arranged in 3 clusters of 4 strings each to make the field of strings better readable.
Because of this tuning all five neighbouring strings form a harmonic pentatonic scale and all seven neighbouring strings form a major scale, available in every key. This allows a very easy fingerpicking technique without picking false notes, if the right key is chosen.
Scales
The instrument has 3 printed scales, used as guides for positioning the moveable third bridge and reading the played notes:
- The normal guitar (equal-tempered) scale
- An inverse scale (large steps between the frets at the top of the neck, small ones at the body bridge)
- A microtonal scale which shows "logical" string divisions in the following color-coded groups:
- Grey dot: 1/2
- Red dot: 1/3+2/3
- Orange dot: 1/4+3/4
- Yellow dot: 1/5-4/5
- Green dot: 1/6+5/6
- Blue dot: 1/7-6/7
- And a smaller subscale for the higher-pitched overtones near the body bridge in colored lines:
- Grey line: 1/8
- Red line: 1/9
- Orange line: 1/10
- Yellow line: 1/11
- Green line: 1/12
- Blue line: 1/16
Moodswinger overtone diagram
The sound of a 3rd bridged string is a combination of 3 tones. A soft sounding attack tone of the string part hit at the body side, the corresponding overtone of both sides and a resonating low fundamenal tone of the counterpart of the string at the head side. The diagram below shows the tone combinations of the overtone (above) and the low tone of the counterpart (below). The attack tone is in most positions exact the same note as the overtone. Exceptions are 3/4, 3/5, 3/7 and 5/7. In the 3/... positions the overtone is a perfect fifth of the attack tone, in the 5/7 positions the overtone is a major third of the attack tone.
See also
