Saarijärven kanteleen soitto-opas
A Guide to Saarijärvi kantele playing
KIJ 118, 2024
Authors of the book: Heiskanen Senni, Rantala Kati, Ryynänen Hanna, Syrjälä Pauliina, Venäläinen Jenni.
143 pages.
The Saarijärvi kantele playing is characterised by hitting the strings with a stick, usually made of wood, instead of plucking with fingers. The tradition, rescued from oblivion in the last moments, has lived its new heyday since the 1980s, one point of culmination being the Nordic Council Music Prize 2023 granted to Maija Kauhanen, the instrument's most famous ambassador of the moment.
The pioneering Saarijärvi kantele guide is the first of its kind. The authors Pauliina Syrjälä, Senni Heiskanen, Kati Rantala, Hanna Ryynänen and Jenni Venäläinen have devoted themselves to the instrument as pedagogues, scholars and artists both as solo performers and in various ensembles.
The guide takes the user through Saarijärvi kantele's playing styles and techniques. The almost sixty tunes included in the guide consist of traditional Finnish compositions, some pieces from neighbouring countries as well as specially composed new works, by Maija Kauhanen among others. The notes are labelled with clear and illustrative symbols indicating the playing techniques used, and each note include a diagram showing the finger positions. There’s several versions of many pieces and also six ensemble arrangements.
The guide is written in Finnish.
