Karen Marshalsay

Music

FEATURED SONG

Play
Play Next
Add to queue

Helen's Farewell

Album: Harp House

Released: May 3, 2006

Label:

1. Play
2. Play Next
3. Add to queue
Helen's Farewell
3:52
2,613 plays
1. Play
2. Play Next
3. Add to queue
Cuttie's Wedding and Glenlivet
1:39
2,229 plays
1. Play
2. Play Next
3. Add to queue
Culross
3:32
2,156 plays
1. Play
2. Play Next
3. Add to queue
Journeying extract
3:42
1,939 plays

Total Plays: 8,996 / Plays Today: 4See All Featured ►

General Info

Genre: Acoustic / Experimental / Folk
Location Glasgow, UK
Profile Views: 23316
Last Login: 5/24/2011
Member Since 5/3/2006
Website www.karenmarshalsay.com
Type of Label Major
Bio
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ....My music draws on a wealth of differing experiences, from work within the Gaelic and Scottish traditions to studies with Paraguayan harp master Rito Pederson, and has developed through the folk world of feisean, festivals and lessons with leading players such as Alison Kinnaird and Bill Taylor, rather than formal study, though I now teach in specialist music schools and conservatoires! .. I play various types of harps, modern gut-strung clarsach, wire-strung clarsach, Renaissance bray harp and Paraguayan. Each has their own sound and techniques and I love experimenting with different textures, using centuries old nail techniques on modern music, or Paraguayan effects in my Scottish tunes. This has led me, like harpers through the centuries, to writing a lot of my own material, and from there to composing for other instruments and larger ensembles. .. My repertoire ranges from modern, trad, Scottish, Latin, medieval and most things in between. I guess I just like a good tune. .. .. "one of the leading contemporary performers on the instrument" .. ..The Scotsman ............ Get ..free MySpace Layouts.. at MySpaceLayoutSupport.com.. ..MySpace Layouts.. | ..MySpace Backgrounds.. | ..MySpace Codes.... .......... ....Cute MySpace Layouts......
Members
Karen Marshalsay. I mostly play solo at the minute but have worked with Allan MacDonald, Iain Fraser, Gillian Frame, Mike Travis, Heather Yule, Seikou Sussou, Kakatsitsi and Elaine Rietvield.
Influences
Loads, from all over the place. The first albums I bought were Dusty Springfield and Louis Armstrong ... I still listen to a lot of jazz music, Renaud Garcia Fons, Esbjorn Svensson,Trygve Seim along with Omar Sosa, Radiohead, The Bills, Be Good Tanyas, Preston Reed, Nick Harper, Joni Mitchell, Tim O'Brien, Jarmila Xymena Gorna, Steve Reich and the Kronos Quartet. ..Improvisation with Brian Irvine... Harpwise, Alison Kinnaird and Bill Taylor have been really influential in my playing. Bill Morgan, Rito Pederson, Alfredo Rolando Ortiz, Ramon Romero and Andy Rigby have taught me a lot about Latin American harp music and techniques, and inspired me to have fun with the instrument. Andrew Lawrence King and Ann Heymann... Tradwise, Allan MacDonald, Gordon Duncan, Jeannie Robertson, Alison McMorland, Christine Primrose, Iain MacFarlane & Iain MacDonald, Fiddlers' Bid, Fraser Fifield, Lunasa...
Sounds Like
A harp! Actually they all sound a bit different - a clear rich gut sound, the evocative wire clarsach, the buzzing brays and the vibrant Paraguayan.