I thought I would tell you all a little bit about myself, my name is Marcus Larinen, a 26 year old finn born and raised in Sweden - and a long time aficionado of the castanets/castanuelas/crotales/etc!
Music in general is one of the major spices of live, one which I could not do without, and I believe the same goes for many of you! Ethnomusicology especially has been a particular interest of mine, even though ethnic percussion has never been 'my thing'.
The castanets, however, are a totally different story! Many people may find their sound uninspriring and boresome, but then they have never heard the likes of Lucero Tena or Emma Maleras! I remember my first encounter with real castanet playing, via a Youtube video with José Udaeta performing together with Consol Grau and Montserrat Carles of the TOCS - and I was hooked!
The virtuosity displayed by them, and the life with which they managed to imbue these small carved pieces both touched me and intrigued me, and of course I had to begin playing the castanets myself, and in the years since my first encounter my love affair as cooled and been lit aflame again many times, but they will never leave me!
I hope this blog might help any and all interested in the castanets, whether listener or practicioner! If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact me at crotalogia@gmail.com!
I thought I would end this first post with a picture of a recent purchase: an instructional DVD, one pair of fibre castanets from Castanuelas del Sur, and one in grenadilla from Castanuelas del Jale!
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