How to tune and string a Home Swinger (or Moodswinger)

This page informs participants of my Home Swinger workshop a bit more of how to string their instrument.

The Home Swinger is a 12 string instrument tuned in so called circle of fourths (this is the same as the more known circle of fifths, only counter clockwise)

E-A-D-G – C-F-A#-D# – G#-C#-F#-B

When I first started making the Moodswingers I used a chromatic scale with all 12 notes in a simple configuration. The disadvantage of that tuning is that you easily hit a bad sounding neighbouring note. The circle of fourths is avoiding that a bit since both neighbouring notes are always consonant to the one you wanted to pluck.

The system is also present on a accordeon and an array mbira.

Chords in every key have the same constellation. Barre is 1-2, Minor is 1-x-x-2. Major is 2-x-x-x-1. Each 5 neighbouring notes are a harmonic pentatonic scale.

Which strings on which note?

I use three types of strings. The three wound ones or the three plain ones of a regular guitar set of strings.

For E, F, F#, and G I use the thickest string (approx. the 0.48 for the wound ones, 0.26 for the plain ones)

For G#, A, A#, and B I use the middle string (approx. 0.40 for the wound ones, 0.18 for the plain ones)

For C, C#, D, and D# I use the thinnest strings (approx. 0.32 for the wound ones, 0.10 for the plain ones)

This leads to the following order (amounts within the () is for the plain thin stringing):

1 0.48 (or 0.26) tuned as E

2 0.40 (or 0.18) tuned as A

3 0.32 (or 0.10) tuned as D

4 0.48 (or 0.26) tuned as G

5 0.32 (or 0.10) tuned as C

6 0.48 (or 0.26) tuned as F

7 0.40 (or 0.18) tuned as A#

8 0.32 (or 0.10) tuned as D#

9 0.40 (or 0.18) tuned as G#

10 0.32 (or 0.10) tuned as C#

11 0.48 (or 0.26) tuned as F#

12 0.40 (or 0.18) tuned as B

Feel the strings. If it is too sloppy, use a bit thicker strings for that key. All notes are within one octave.

I recommend a string set with a light gauge. In the past some people used a set of 0.56 and this caused a bit of problems, since the home made instrument is not made of hard wood and bends a bit. Keep it light, the sound of the thick ones can of course be better on guitars, but for this kind of instruments it is not so required and causing more problems than pros.

In France I ran into a small problem, since musicians over there talk in Do-re-mi instead of the CDE-etc. I don’t really know how to translate it into that system.

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