three studies for decaoctochordon
The term decaoctochordon (Greek for 18-stringed instrument) is a variation on Dodecachordon (12-stringed instrument), a book by Renaissance music theorist Glareanus. These three studies explore the different sonorities of an alternatively tuned double neck electric guitar. The twelve-string, upper neck of the guitar is tuned to include all twelve pitches of the chromatic scale. The strings, usually tuned in octaves and unisons, are generally played in pairs, and now tuned to major seventh- and minor second intervals. The six-string, lower neck is tuned to a quarter tone sharp compared to the 12-string tuning. The discrepancy in tuning between the two necks provides an ambiguous tuning effect, especially through the use of harmonics. This can be heard especially in the third study. The first study is an expressive exploration of timbres. The second study consists of repeated iterations of the dissonant string-pairs with a regularly-metred delay effect.
Edward Top will perform the work himself during the 2018 Sonic Boom Festival
