Engine Room (tune-up)

Engine Room was written for guitarist Leonard Ranallo. The piece moves through six different tunings, each descending a little further towards what Lou Reed described as an “ostrich tuning”, where almost every string is tuned to the same note.

Built from open strings and harmonics, the music gradually shifts from floating, resonant textures towards an increasingly mechanical rhythmic drive. Because the guitar is repeatedly retuned by ear during the performance, it can never remain perfectly in tune. Small discrepancies in pitch accumulate throughout the piece, making instability an essential part of its sound world.