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Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Svang interview

May 28, 2024 Neil Warren Season 1 Episode 112

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Svang are a harmonica quartet from Finland

Jouko Kyhälä is the harmonetta player in the group

Tapani Varis is the bass player, having replaced the original bass player two years ago

First soloist is Eero Turkka

The group founded in 2003 and have released ten albums since that time

Have had good success throughout the twenty years they’ve been together

The group formed when Jouko was a teacher of two of the other band members at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki

Eero Grundström joined the group as the second soloist

Jouko had recently bought a harmonetta and so used that in the group, instead of a chord harmonica

Jouko thinks the chord harmonica is a cumbersome instrument, with the harmonetta much more versatile

Eero Grundström plays chromatic and diatonic harmonicas in the band, liking the low diatonics

The use of diatonic in a harmonica group

Tapani Varis plays bass harmonica, writes some songs and is the newest member of the group having replaced previous bassist Pasi Leino

Tapani plays a Suzuki bass harmonica, but didn’t play bass harmonica before joining the group, played bass guitar and wind instruments

Transition from bass guitar to bass harmonica was not easy, with the two instruments quite different

Use a lot of double stops when playing diatonics and like to make a different combinations of mixing different sounds

The band members write the songs and contribute different styles

Jouko has a Masters in Harmonica and then an Artistic Doctorate Study and a PhD from the Sibelius Academy and applied his learnings to Svang

The Sibelius Academy teaches different genres of music, not just Classical

The place the Svang group has had in their musical careers

Filip Jers is a dep for the band when either of the lead players can’t make a gig

Anne is the band’s booking agent and plays a critical role

The band usually learn from written scores and then apply them to memory

Use chromatics in different keys and write music out as transposed instruments (so write in the key of C)

Eero Turkka was taking an exam at the Sibelius Academy when Svang formed

Familiar with harmonica band tradition after Jouko introduced the band to the Harmonicats but that wasn’t the style of music the band wanted to play

Harmonetta is an important part of the sound of the band

Eero Turkka has lived in Bulgaria for the past twelve years, so they practise parts individually before meeting up before recording and tours

Can’t practise remotely using software, as that doesn’t work

The other three band members live in Finland, but not that close together, so they have ‘band camps’ where they play together

The Finnish approach to music that Svang applies to their songs

Play a lot of minor keys with Hohner producing the Echo double reed harmonica mainly for the Finnish market, which has minor one side and major the other

Have released ten albums covering lots of different genres

Released an album of the music of Jean Sibelius

Previously made an album of Chopin’s music

Audiences react well to Svang playing classical music, although Svang don’t necessarily try to play it in a ‘serious’ way, with Chopin inspired by folk music

Entertainment is part of the Svang act, including crazy hairstyles

They don’t put the type of ‘tricks’ into the act that some of the classic harmonica groups did, as they like to focus on the music

Audiences don’t know what to expect from a harmonica group, so they can look impressive with things that are relatively simple to play

Sometimes they embellish a song, like the Harry Potter song Hedwig’s Theme

First album, Svang, was released in 2005, and how the band has evolved over the years

Play lots of tango music, and released an album devoted to tango, which holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Finland

Haven’t played for tango dances but have had tango dancers perform with them

In Trad We Trust album was released in 2020, winning "Best Album" from British Songlines magazine

The numerous different types of folk music in Finland

Compose a lot of their own songs, and learnt a lot from each other

Latest album released in 2024, Svang Nuevo, celebrating their twenty years together

Svang Nuevo album title is down to the second incarnation of the band, with Tapani as new bass player appearing on an album for the first time

Have recorded with a classical orchestra, which they have called Svangfonia, which they will be doing again in Germany in 2024 with a concert in November

Several of the bands albums are with German record label Galileo, with Svang mainly playing in Germany speaking countries when outside of Finland

Concerts are usually the whole evening

Have played a good number of gigs through the years, with 70 a year in the best years, but less since the Covid pandemic

Appeared on the BBC’s Jools Holland Hootenanny New Year’s Eve show

Played in many countries, including Japan, around Europe, Mexico and the US

Have only appeared at one harmonica festival (Trossingen), enjoying the surprise of a harmonica band at non-harmonica events

Ten minute question

Use ear monitors which really help the band stay together

Mics used by Svang are small hand-held ones which allow more freedom of movement and some hand effects

Eero Turkka does use a mic on a stand when using the two-sided Comet harmonica

Tapani uses a Suzuki bass harmonica with a Suzuki mic attached

Bass mic can feedback easily, which is another reason to use in-ear monitors

Bass harmonica played acoustically is quite quiet

Use a PA for amplification and apply reverb effect on parts of the song

Microphone is an integral part of the sound as they never play acoustically

Don’t use amplifiers, partly because it’s easy when touring

Overdriven sounds can be obtained using software, which is not so good but works well enough

Mics they use are Audio Technica condenser, originally designed for violins or wind instruments

For effects use software during gigs, such as overdrive, reverb and delay

Sound is controlled via a combination of the sound engineer and the band

Advice for people interested in forming a harmonica group

Key to Svang’s success has been combining harmonica traditions with other music traditions

Other harmonica groups in Europe and Asia

The name Svang comes from Jouko, who used it to describe music that didn’t swing while he was teaching the others at the Sibelius Academy

There is the Swedish word ‘svang’ but that has a different meaning

Future plans is to perform the songs from the new album

The group plans to continue for the next 200 years (in different incarnations)

Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Svang interview

May 28, 2024 Season 1 Episode 112

Neil Warren

Harmonica group Svang join me on episode 112.

Svang are a harmonica quartet from Finland, who have been performing and recording for over twenty years now. They first formed in 2003 when Jouko was teaching at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and suggested forming a harmonica group with two of his students.

The group doesn’t play the typical harmonicas of a harmonica group, with a harmonetta used instead of a chord, and bluesy diatonics used as part of the sound alongside chromatic.

Their repertoire includes folk music from Finland and the rest of the world, but is equally influenced by classical music or Finnish tango. They have released ten albums to date, with the latest, Svang Nuevo coming out in 2024 to celebrate their 20 year anniversary.

Links:
Website:
https://www.svang.fi/

Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/svangharmonica

Concerts:
https://www.svang.fi/concerts

Galileo Music: (to buy their albums)
https://www.galileomusic.de/katalogsuche.aspx

Videos:
YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@SvangHarmonicaQuartet

Appearance on Jools Holland BBC TV show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwEkbFHpLTc

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
--------------------------------
The Harmonica Company. Use promo code: 'happyhour7'.
Email Jonathan at: sales@theharmonicacompany.com
--------------------------------
Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.com

Support the Show.

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Harmonica group Svang join me on episode 112.

Svang are a harmonica quartet from Finland, who have been performing and recording for over twenty years now. They first formed in 2003 when Jouko was teaching at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and suggested forming a harmonica group with two of his students.

The group doesn’t play the typical harmonicas of a harmonica group, with a harmonetta used instead of a chord, and bluesy diatonics used as part of the sound alongside chromatic.

Their repertoire includes folk music from Finland and the rest of the world, but is equally influenced by classical music or Finnish tango. They have released ten albums to date, with the latest, Svang Nuevo coming out in 2024 to celebrate their 20 year anniversary.

Links:
Website:
https://www.svang.fi/

Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/svangharmonica

Concerts:
https://www.svang.fi/concerts

Galileo Music: (to buy their albums)
https://www.galileomusic.de/katalogsuche.aspx

Videos:
YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@SvangHarmonicaQuartet

Appearance on Jools Holland BBC TV show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwEkbFHpLTc

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
--------------------------------
The Harmonica Company. Use promo code: 'happyhour7'.
Email Jonathan at: sales@theharmonicacompany.com
--------------------------------
Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.com

Support the Show.

Svang are a harmonica quartet from Finland

Jouko Kyhälä is the harmonetta player in the group

Tapani Varis is the bass player, having replaced the original bass player two years ago

First soloist is Eero Turkka

The group founded in 2003 and have released ten albums since that time

Have had good success throughout the twenty years they’ve been together

The group formed when Jouko was a teacher of two of the other band members at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki

Eero Grundström joined the group as the second soloist

Jouko had recently bought a harmonetta and so used that in the group, instead of a chord harmonica

Jouko thinks the chord harmonica is a cumbersome instrument, with the harmonetta much more versatile

Eero Grundström plays chromatic and diatonic harmonicas in the band, liking the low diatonics

The use of diatonic in a harmonica group

Tapani Varis plays bass harmonica, writes some songs and is the newest member of the group having replaced previous bassist Pasi Leino

Tapani plays a Suzuki bass harmonica, but didn’t play bass harmonica before joining the group, played bass guitar and wind instruments

Transition from bass guitar to bass harmonica was not easy, with the two instruments quite different

Use a lot of double stops when playing diatonics and like to make a different combinations of mixing different sounds

The band members write the songs and contribute different styles

Jouko has a Masters in Harmonica and then an Artistic Doctorate Study and a PhD from the Sibelius Academy and applied his learnings to Svang

The Sibelius Academy teaches different genres of music, not just Classical

The place the Svang group has had in their musical careers

Filip Jers is a dep for the band when either of the lead players can’t make a gig

Anne is the band’s booking agent and plays a critical role

The band usually learn from written scores and then apply them to memory

Use chromatics in different keys and write music out as transposed instruments (so write in the key of C)

Eero Turkka was taking an exam at the Sibelius Academy when Svang formed

Familiar with harmonica band tradition after Jouko introduced the band to the Harmonicats but that wasn’t the style of music the band wanted to play

Harmonetta is an important part of the sound of the band

Eero Turkka has lived in Bulgaria for the past twelve years, so they practise parts individually before meeting up before recording and tours

Can’t practise remotely using software, as that doesn’t work

The other three band members live in Finland, but not that close together, so they have ‘band camps’ where they play together

The Finnish approach to music that Svang applies to their songs

Play a lot of minor keys with Hohner producing the Echo double reed harmonica mainly for the Finnish market, which has minor one side and major the other

Have released ten albums covering lots of different genres

Released an album of the music of Jean Sibelius

Previously made an album of Chopin’s music

Audiences react well to Svang playing classical music, although Svang don’t necessarily try to play it in a ‘serious’ way, with Chopin inspired by folk music

Entertainment is part of the Svang act, including crazy hairstyles

They don’t put the type of ‘tricks’ into the act that some of the classic harmonica groups did, as they like to focus on the music

Audiences don’t know what to expect from a harmonica group, so they can look impressive with things that are relatively simple to play

Sometimes they embellish a song, like the Harry Potter song Hedwig’s Theme

First album, Svang, was released in 2005, and how the band has evolved over the years

Play lots of tango music, and released an album devoted to tango, which holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Finland

Haven’t played for tango dances but have had tango dancers perform with them

In Trad We Trust album was released in 2020, winning "Best Album" from British Songlines magazine

The numerous different types of folk music in Finland

Compose a lot of their own songs, and learnt a lot from each other

Latest album released in 2024, Svang Nuevo, celebrating their twenty years together

Svang Nuevo album title is down to the second incarnation of the band, with Tapani as new bass player appearing on an album for the first time

Have recorded with a classical orchestra, which they have called Svangfonia, which they will be doing again in Germany in 2024 with a concert in November

Several of the bands albums are with German record label Galileo, with Svang mainly playing in Germany speaking countries when outside of Finland

Concerts are usually the whole evening

Have played a good number of gigs through the years, with 70 a year in the best years, but less since the Covid pandemic

Appeared on the BBC’s Jools Holland Hootenanny New Year’s Eve show

Played in many countries, including Japan, around Europe, Mexico and the US

Have only appeared at one harmonica festival (Trossingen), enjoying the surprise of a harmonica band at non-harmonica events

Music awards

Ten minute question

Use ear monitors which really help the band stay together

Mics used by Svang are small hand-held ones which allow more freedom of movement and some hand effects

Eero Turkka does use a mic on a stand when using the two-sided Comet harmonica

Tapani uses a Suzuki bass harmonica with a Suzuki mic attached

Bass mic can feedback easily, which is another reason to use in-ear monitors

Bass harmonica played acoustically is quite quiet

Use a PA for amplification and apply reverb effect on parts of the song

Microphone is an integral part of the sound as they never play acoustically

Don’t use amplifiers, partly because it’s easy when touring

Overdriven sounds can be obtained using software, which is not so good but works well enough

Mics they use are Audio Technica condenser, originally designed for violins or wind instruments

For effects use software during gigs, such as overdrive, reverb and delay

Sound is controlled via a combination of the sound engineer and the band

Advice for people interested in forming a harmonica group

Key to Svang’s success has been combining harmonica traditions with other music traditions

Other harmonica groups in Europe and Asia

The name Svang comes from Jouko, who used it to describe music that didn’t swing while he was teaching the others at the Sibelius Academy

There is the Swedish word ‘svang’ but that has a different meaning

Future plans is to perform the songs from the new album

The group plans to continue for the next 200 years (in different incarnations)