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13 tet & my "steel guitar"

🔗Ed & Alita Morrison <ESSAIM@TEXAS.NET>

5/14/2000 1:53:51 AM

I thank all of you for your answers to my 13 tet questions. I will try these ideas. They sound like fun. My "steel guitar" is a lap type instrument. It is somewhat like Ivor Darreg's megalyras. I made it of lumber yard wood with the simple hand and electric tools. The string lengths from nut to bridge are 70.5 cm (the same as my homebuilt 6-string mountain dulcimer with moveable wire frets). The "steel guitar" has previously used piano tuning metal pegs. This side has 9 guitar strings selected to tune in thirds and other commonly used intervals. The other side of the board has 5 bass guitar strings 80 cm from nut to bridge also tuned in commonly tuned intervals. On the board below the strings I put a strip of cardboard with markings to indicate fingering of whatever tuning I want. The cardboard strips can be for just about any equal tempered and other tunings. Whenever I change boards I must retune strings to suit the tuning I am using. Thus this is an unfretted "guitar" that can be played many tunings. Several years ago I described this instrument and got many comments. I like to make things out of wood especially when I can make something simple and fun to use. I don't want to buy a factory made steel guitar. However, I should not make too many things because I end up making and not having time to use them! Alita Morrison