Moodswinger

In 2006 luthier Yuri Landman built the Moodswinger, a 12 string overtone zither.

The Moodswinger is a twelve-string electric zither with an additional third bridge designed by Yuri Landman. The rod which functions as the third bridge divides the strings into two sections to cause an overtone multiphonic sound. One of the copies of the instrument is part of the collection of the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

History

In March 2006 Landman was contacted by the noise band Liars to make an instrument for them. After 6 months he finished two copies of The Moodswinger, an electric 12-string 3rd-bridge overtone koto, one for guitarist/drummer Aaron Hemphill and one for himself.^[1] 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 2008 the Moodswinger II was released as a serial product. Jessie Stein of The Luyas owns a copy.

A Home Swinger

In 2009 Landman created a derivative version of the instrument called the Home Swinger, for workshops at festivals, where participants built their own copy within four hours. In 2010 the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix included a Moodswinger as well as a Home Swinger in their collection as two of the pieces of the Dutch section of musical instrument inventions.

Physical background

Tone combination^[2]

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. The color dotted scale indicates the simple-number ratios up to the 7 limit (on the Moodswinger II to the 8 limit.) On these positions just intoned harmonic dyads occur.

Tuning and scales

The Moodswinger is focused on a 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.^[3]

Piano keys translated to Moodswinger 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.

Moodswinger scale, based on overtone positions

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
  • Cyan 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

On the Moodswinger II the 1/8, 3/8, 5/8 and 7/8 are Blue dotted. On the Home Swinger the same color system occurs.

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 fundamental 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.

Moodswinger overtone diagram, click for full-size image

Bridge position	Colour codes	Attack tone related to open string[4]	Resonating fundamental of the counterpart [4] related to open string	Corresponding overtone related to open string	Corresponding overtone related to fundamental of the counterpart	Cents of string parts[5] Body : Neck
0		Unison	Unison
1/16	Grey line	4 Octaves	Diatonic semitone	4 Octaves	Augmented fourth 21ma	111.73 : 4800.00
1/12	Green line	Just Perfect fifth 21ma	Lesser undecimal neutral second	Just Perfect fifth 21ma	Just Perfect fourth 21ma	150.64 : 4302.00
1/11	Yellow line	Greater septimal tritone 21 ma	Greater undecimal neutral second	Greater septimal tritone 21 ma	Just major third 21ma	165.00 : 4151.30
1/10	Orange line	Just major third 21ma	Just minor tone	Just major third 21ma	Just minor tone 21ma	182.40 : 3986.30
1/9	Red line	Just minor tone 21ma	Major second or Just minor tone	Just minor tone 21ma	3 Octaves	203.91 : 3803.90
1/8	Grey line	3 Octaves	Diminished third	3 Octaves	Just Major sixth 15ma	203.91 : 3600.00
1/7	Blue dot	Augmented sixth 15ma	Septimal minor third	Augmented sixth 15ma	Just Perfect fifth 15ma	266.87 : 3368.80
1/6	Green dot	Just perfect fifth 15ma	Just minor third	Just perfect fifth 15ma	Just major third 15ma	315.64 : 3102.00
1/5	Yellow dot	Just major third 15ma	Just major third	Just major third 15ma	2 Octaves	386.31 : 2786.30
1/4	Orange dot	Fifteenth	Just perfect fourth	Fifteenth	Twelfth	498.04 : 2400.00
2/7	Blue dot	Augmented sixth 8va	Augmented fourth or tritone	Augmented sixth 15ma	Just major third 15ma	582.51 : 1782.51
1/3	Red dot	Twelfth	Just perfect fifth	Twelfth	Octave	701.96 : 1901.96
2/5	Yellow dot	Just major third 8va	Just major sixth	Just major third 15ma	Just Perfect fifth 8va	884.36 : 1586.31
3/7	Blue dot	Septimal minor third 8va	Augmented sixth	Augmented sixth 15ma	2 Octaves	968.83 :1466.87
1/2	Grey dot	Octave	Octave	Octave	Unison	1200.00 :1200.00
4/7	Blue dot	Augmented sixth	Septimal minor third 8va	Augmented sixth 15ma	Just Perfect fifth 8va	1466.87 : 968.83
3/5	Yellow dot	Just major sixth	Just major third 8va	Just major third 15ma	Octave	1586.31 : 884.36
2/3	Red dot	Just perfect fifth	Twelfth	Twelfth	Unison	1901.96 : 701.96
5/7	Blue dot	Augmented fourth or tritone	Augmented sixth 8va	Augmented sixth 15ma	Octave	1782.51 : 582.51
3/4	Orange dot	Just perfect fourth	Fifteenth or 2 Octaves	Fifteenth	Unison	2400.00 : 498.04
4/5	Yellow dot	Just major third	Just major third 15ma	Just major third 15ma	Unison	2786.30 : 386.31
5/6	Green dot	Just minor third	Just Perfect fifth 15ma	Just Perfect fifth 15ma	Unison	3102.00 : 315.64
6/7	Blue dot	Septimal minor third	Augmented sixth 15ma	Augmented sixth 15ma	Unison	3368.80 : 266.87

References

1. Article on modernguitars.com
3. "BAIN: The Harmonic Series (Overtone Series)". Music.sc.edu. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
4. "List of Intervals", Huygens-Fokker.org (in English)]
5. "BAIN ATMI 2002: Cents/RatioToCents Appl". Music.sc.edu. Retrieved 2013-06-25.

External links

• Moodswinger on hypercustom.com