What is your favorite tuning system? Why? Lois V Vierk, Composer

What is your favorite tuning system? Why? Lois V Vierk, Composer

Lois V Vierk Photo by Kurt Ritta Many of my pieces use glissandi, but only a few of my works are actually microtonal. Of these, my favorite tuning is in “Go Guitars” for 5 electric guitars. Each guitar is tuned as follows: lowest string is low E, next string is middle E quarter tone down,… Read more »

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NewMusicBox Staff

Lois V Vierk
Lois V Vierk
Photo by Kurt Ritta

Many of my pieces use glissandi, but only a few of my works are actually microtonal. Of these, my favorite tuning is in “Go Guitars” for 5 electric guitars. Each guitar is tuned as follows: lowest string is low E, next string is middle E quarter tone down, next is middle E normal, next is middle E quarter tone up, next is high E quarter tone down, highest string is high E normal. I love the richness of the sound and how powerful it is, especially when all six strings are strummed together. A lot of the piece uses slide, glissing between different “chords“, sometimes with strums (16th or 32nd notes) and sometimes without.