Biink.com, David Beardsley News

 

the Mystery Tuning from Main Street

 

1.

 

Genesis of a Tuning

 

In the mid 90's, I was working on singing Just Intonation ratios. I was singing along with an accoustic guitar and started tuning the stings to an open chord. As far as I have experienced, open chords on a guitar are usually a major or minor chord with no seventh.

 

I was tuning a string to 1/1 (the fundamental note of the tuning) and another string to the ratio 7/4 (the seventh harmonic) as a reference note for singing. Once I started using a slide, tuning the third to a 9/7 (a septimal major third) instead of 5/4 (the fifth harmonic) brought the tuning into the seven limit territory.

 

For the Mystery Tuning from Main Street, the guitar is tuned = 1/1, 3/2, 7/4, 9/7, 3/2, 7/4 low strings to high strings.

 

2.

 

The SomewhatMysterious Tuning from Main Street Goes to Brooklyn
for multiple just intonation guitars, cosmic zither and percussion.

 

In July 2009, I was invited by James Ross to perform at a venue in Brooklyn, NY. I suggested using the Mystery Tuning on one standard guitar and tuning the same tuning a 49/48 higher on a second standard guitar. An autoharp with the chord keys removed uses the sum of that tuning. In this performance, the remaining notes were added by Alex Carpenter. On the guitars, we’re also using a additional near just fretted notes.

 

Since it’s a bit of a challenge playing a slide guitar solo on the second 49/48 guitar, I’m instead also playing a lap steel guitar tuned to the Mystery Tuning from Main Street.

 

 

David Beardsley

July 18, 2009

 

 

 

The SomewhatMysterious Tuning from Main Street Goes to Brooklyn
for multiple just intonation guitars, cosmic zither and percussion.

David Beardsley, Joseph Benzola, Alex Carpenter, James Ross


Monday, July 20, 2009
9:00pm
Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY