Gifted by Andrew Heath
A few years ago now, I walked into a dusty, old music store. After nothing in particular and driven purely by my own idle curiosity, I spied an old autoharp in a corner on the floor. Hopelessly out of tune and rather cranky, I instantly fell in love with it’s sound. A completely evocative tone like the Cimbalom I had heard played in Budapest. I bought it (and a tuning key!) and set about modifying it by removing the ‘chord bars’ thereby making it more of a zither. The chord bars ‘damp’ certain strings so that, as you play by strumming the strings you can sound various chords. I decided I wanted to use it differently, hammering the strings, using my e-bow to create drones, plucking individual notes etc.
I have used it in various pieces since - it’s sound is unmistakable - and I recently had the idea that it would be wonderful to gather a few tracks together and celebrate this humble instrument. Finally, perhaps inspired by the gift of a second autoharp (in much better condition than mine), I therefore present ‘Gifted’.
Tracklist
| 1. | The Sun reveals our Shadows | 8:10 |
| 2. | Travels in the Lowlands | 7:45 |
| 3. | When we are all Gone | 12:39 |
Credits
License
All rights reserved.
Ambient, piano based, lower-case music. Quiet and intimate - it explores sounds from both acoustic and electronic sources, along with processed field recordings and gathered, ‘found’ sounds. This music is not static though. It drifts. It constantly shifts and creates new maps that are full of change but listen carefully and you’ll also hear quiet, random glitches or shimmering dissonances.