The Finnish Cabin and Fiddle House • Casey Driessen & Esko Järvelä [OTHERLANDS: Finland]

This recording is the 23rd in a new multi-episode project by Casey Driessen titled - OTHERLANDS: A Global Music Exploration.

LOCATION: Kaustinen, Finland
DATE: Apr. 10, 2020

CREDITS
Song: Kouon Frouva / Orpolasten Polska (Traditional)
Music Arranged by: Casey Driessen & Esko Järvelä
Fiddle: Esko Järvelä
Fiddle, Audio & Video: Casey Driessen
Production Assistant: Emmette Driessen

Special Thanks: Hanna Järvelä


EQUIPMENT
The following Shure microphones were used in the making of this collaboration. If you’re interested in learning more and/or purchasing one, please use the links below. This helps to support the music I make. Thank you.

Shure KSM44 [large diaphragm condenser] (https://amzn.to/2OMSAR9)
Shure KSM141 [small diaphragm condenser] (https://amzn.to/3bjbQ1U)
Shure BETA 181 [fig-8] (https://amzn.to/2S47FQf)
Shure BETA 181 [cardioid capsule] (https://amzn.to/2vcNdU1)
Shure MV88+ [stereo video mic] (https://amzn.to/3bftnZ5)
Shure A75M [universal mic mount] (https://amzn.to/2tzylyR)
Shure A53M [shock stopper] (https://amzn.to/2Ox3hqx)

ABOUT THE COLLABORATION
Upon landing in Finland, we headed straight to Kaustinen, a small town known for its fiddling tradition and the musical Järvelä family. I had plans to meet with my fiddler Esko Järvelä. The coronavirus was becoming a real issue around the world and having just traveled, we needed to quarantine.

To learn more about Esko and his musical projects, please visit:
• Instagram (  / esjarvel  )
• Facebook (  / esjarvel  )
• Website (http://epicmaleband.com/)

After two weeks of isolation, Esko and I decided it would be okay to meet for a few tunes at Pelimannitalo. It was a large old community/music center-type building in town, away from people, and with a room big enough for us to play without being on top of each other. For the next 2-3 hours, we shared tunes, and Esko introduced me to two current favorite polska melodies from an out of print book titled Vanhoja Pelimanni-Sävelmiä, commonly referred to as VPS. After isolation, it felt good to be playing music with each other, and we set another date for the following week, with plans to record.

The 3/4 polska rhythm has always been a bit tricky for me, but I love it. The book had no chord changes so I decided to figure out my own. I was eager to meet him in a few days to try out these ideas in person and to hear how he hears them.

#51 Kouon Frouva
At first listen, I didn't find myself able to lock onto this solemn melody. It was beautiful, but not catchy, and in fact, it was quite hard to memorize. But once I did, I felt each part as a whole phrase, rather than a collection of smaller motifs. We decided to not fix the chords. Instead, we would harmonize the way we each heard it when the other was playing the melody, which gives a feeling of through-composed developing harmony throughout.

#99 Orpolasten Polska
This 3-part tune, was full of 16th notes and felt more familiar to me. The phrases were more even with many repetitions of motifs. However, there were many subtle variations in the motifs that made it challenging to remember the correct order in which they were played. As with #51, Esko and I played our own chord changes for a collaborative blend of interpretation.

Playing with Esko is very comfortable and fun, and we have a good deal in common. With both of us on 5-string fiddles, we can trade roles easily, from melody, harmonies, chopping, to improvisation.

If you’d like to read more about our collaboration and process to learn the tunes, please visit:
http://www.caseydriessen.com/blog/fin...
~~~

To follow along the OTHERLANDS project, please visit:
OTHERLANDS Webpage (http://www.CaseyDriessen.com/Otherlands)
Instagram (  / caseydriessen  ,
Facebook (  / caseydriessen  ,
or this YouTube channel.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
OTHERLANDS: A Global Music Exploration follows GRAMMY-nominated 5-string American fiddler Casey Driessen as he travels with his family to various countries across the globe to meet with local acoustic-based musicians with roots in their own traditions. Musical exchanges and travels are documented via audio, video and photography elements with collected materials released over the course of the project via his website and social media outlets and official musical releases likely to come at the end of travels.

OTHERLANDS is an independently designed and produced project that is self-contained with a small collection of audio and video equipment. All engineering and recording, including any post-production, can be set up, operated, and completed by Casey wherever on the globe he happens to be.

For more information and to follow the project, please visit — http://www.CaseyDriessen.com/Otherlands