My music instruments & gear

Above: me with 10 string kantele made by Gerry Henkel

Me with my fully levered FULLSICLE  Celtic Harp sponsored by Rees Harps
 

I love Hammered Dulcimer. It's so fun!  still a newbie but one of the instruments I play more

Above: me with my favorite irish low whistle made by Burke. Photo by D. Alfaro

Me in the mountains with my Mountain dulcimer (Baritone) by Ron Ewing Dulcimers

Above: jamming with my Tribal Thunder OSCAR drum (sounds similar to a hang though more bell-like)

Above: Some of my  instruments in my home studio

Above: My  main keyboard  roland rd700sx with piano hammered keys.

Above: Tibetan bowl. I have several percussion items, shakers, stones to make sounds for the songs.

When I was 4 years I was given a piano toy. When I was gifted a mt-65 casiotone a few years later I was the happiest girl in the world and started to self-teach me and that's how it all started. Of course that evolved in different generations of vintage keyboards (I use use now a Roland digital piano rd700sx mostly) and I'd say that my voice and the keyboard are my main instruments, but learning to play new music instruments is my passion so I've ended up having my little collection of things I manage to play or at least that I'm enjoying learning to. (You can read a blog and see all my childhood keyboards here)

My music that can be tagged by some as "ethereal gothic/darkwave) is a mix of electronic and synthetic sounds and acoustic ones made with all sorts of instruments and random objects, So I guess people enjoy their hobbies... creating "soundscapes" is mine :).

Above:  Bowing glasses is fun and sounds ethereal!

I am not a collector. I use for the production of my music and play (with more or less success) all the ones that have ended up in my hand. Everything can be used to create sounds... I confess I've even bowed  metal rods to mimic Waterphone sounds, and made percussion with a frying pan and bottles of water! Creating sound textures and music is fun! The world is full of atmospheric sounds you can capture, and even if subtle I feel a great satisfaction of hearing then all those layers of sounds in my music even if I'm only the one knowing exactly where they come from. From Tibetan bowls, chimes, glasses... even the nature provides us of music when the wind resonates in strings or in the soothing sound of the waves.

In fact I ended up creating a blog called COOL MUSIC INSTRUMENT. I also want to thank my sponsors once more for allowing me to learn to play new exciting. My instruments inspire me to create music.

Recently I've been introduced to finnish folk instruments like the kantele and jouhikko. They make a lovely couple. Kantele sounds like a heavenly bell somehow in between zither and harp.  I have a 10 string kantele made by my dear friend Gerry Henkel, he's now building a custom 21 stringed one for me. My jouhikko bowed lyre  is a bit like a horse to be tamed, but I love challenge, and I really love the ancient quality of its sound.

Right: Finnish kantele and Jouhikko

I also have a lovely bigger kantele also courtesy of Gerry Henkel from kantele.com. It's more like a Gusli :) and the sound is really heavenly! :)

Bigger finnish Kantele

Late 2014 I won a guitar from LUNA GUITARS, actually it was precisely the model I had been looking for with a lovely dragonfly soundhole. I am barely a beginner with guitar but I've been practising and adding some tones and sounds to my late recordings, it has become a good companion in the forests too :). Isn´t it lovely?

If you are a luthier or a company that makes instruments or VST libraries and you want to sponsor us providing samples of the instruments you play (to me or my bandmates)  please contact us through coolmusicinstrument.

Me on stage performing  with Koshi chimes

Things I do not play (yet) and I'd love to: glass harmonica, waterphone, duduk, viol, hurdy gurdy, clarinet... oh so many! and anything rare and insteresting!

Above: Double ocarina sponsored by Hind Ocarina and  with custom Yidneth.
It can play two melodies at the same time! My most special wind instrument
 

If you're just someone who has an old instrument getting dust in your wall, an old student instrument you left and deserted, sad and unplayed... consider also  to contact me to see If I could make it happy :). There are so many things I wan to learn! I have a few orphaned instruments now happily being  restored, used and recorded by me or my band members.

I'm also looking for musicians playing unusual instruments to join my band so feel free to send enquiries about it too.

Me with my Bowed Psaltery made by Early Strings

I'll post some pictures of my home studio soon :). That messy place where I get inspiration!