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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.

In March 2006 Landman contacted Liars 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 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. The pickup and electronics are built into the neck instead of in the body like usual electric guitars.

Contents 1 How it works 2 Fretboard scales 3 Moodswinger overtone diagram 4 The future 5 External links

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 fretboard has 3 different scales:

• 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:
  • White 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

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 postions 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.

Bridge position	Colour codes	Cents	Resonating fundamental of the counterpart related to open string	Corresponding overtone related to open string	Corresponding overtone related to fundamental of the counterpart
0		0.00	Unison
1/16	Grey line	111.73	Diatonic semitone	4 Octaves	Augmented fourth 21ma
1/12	Green line	150.64	Lesser undecimal neutral second	Just Perfect fifth 21ma	Just Perfect fourth 21ma
1/11	Yellow line	165.00	Greater undecimal neutral second	Greater septimal tritone 21 ma	Just major third 21ma
1/10	Orange line	182.40	Just minor tone	Just major third 21ma	Just minor tone 21ma
1/9	Red line	203.91	Major second or Just minor tone	Just minor tone 21ma	3 Octaves
1/8	Grey line	231.17	Diminished third	3 Octaves	Just Major sixth 15ma
1/7	Blue dot	266.87	Septimal minor third	Augmented sixth 15ma	Just Perfect fifth 15ma
1/6	Green dot	315.64	Just minor third	Just perfect fifth 15ma	Just major third 15ma
1/5	Yellow dot	386.31	Just major third	Just major third 15ma	2 Octaves
1/4	Orange dot	498.04	Just perfect fourth	Fifteenth	Twelfth
2/7	Blue dot	582.51	Augmented fourth or tritone	Augmented sixth 15ma	Just major third 15ma
1/3	Red dot	701.96	Just perfect fifth	Twelfth	Octave
2/5	Yellow dot	884.36	Just major sixth	Just major third 15ma	Just Perfect fifth 8va
3/7	Blue dot	968.83	Augmented sixth	Augmented sixth 15ma	2 Octaves
1/2	Grey dot	1200.00	Octave	Octave	Unison
4/7	Blue dot		Septimal minor third 8va	Augmented sixth 15ma	Just Perfect fifth 8va
3/5	Yellow dot		Just major third 8va	Just major third 15ma	Octave
2/3	Red dot	1901.96	Twelfth	Twelfth	Unison
5/7	Blue dot		Augmented sixth 8va	Augmented sixth 15ma	Octave
3/4	Orange dot	2400.00	Fifteenth or 2 Octaves	Fifteenth	Unison
4/5	Yellow dot	2786.3	Just major third 15ma	Just major third 15ma	Unison
5/6	Green dot	3102.0	Just Perfect fifth 15ma	Just Perfect fifth 15ma	Unison
6/7	Blue dot	3368.8	Augmented sixth 15ma	Augmented sixth 15ma	Unison

In December 2006 he met Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. Currently Landman is building an instrument for him too.

• The Myspace-site of Yuri's Instruments
• The Official Avec-A Site
• Oddmusic, Sounds of the Moodswinger on Oddmusic.com. A website dedicated to unique, odd, ethnic, experimental and unusual musical instruments and resources.