The Tuning of Lou Harrison's Jahla in the Form of a Ductia

from the Mode CD Por Gitaro: Suites for Tuned Guitars performed by John Schneider

Notes by Bill Alves


The fingerboard of John Schneider's guitar used in the recording of Jahla in the Form of a Ductia
Lou Harrison's Jahla in the Form of a Ductia (or, to use its full title Jahla in the Form of a Ductia to Pleasure Leopold Stokowski on his Ninetieth Birthday) is a work originally for harp and percussion. This tuning is a standard diatonic just scale in D. (For the definition of cents and explanation of the following lattice diagram, see the note for the tuning of the Serenade and for more mathematical details, go here.).

PitchD E F# G A B C#
Ratio from 1/11/1 9/8 5/4 4/3 3/2 5/3 15/8
Cents from 1/10 203.9 386.3 498 702 884.4 1088.3
Frequency293.3 330 366.7 391.1 440 488.9 550
Ratio between pitches9/8 10/9 16/15 9/8 10/9 9/8
Cents between pitches203.9 182.4 111.7 203.9 182.4 203.9

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