Áine O’Dwyer

“But I do believe in invisible scores, and also relating to the space in which you play”  (Some extracts from an interview with A.O)

AO I guess the first place to start would be my own body, what I carry around with me, my memory, and in the case of Music for Church Cleaners this definitely comes into play. As to the church organ itself, it seemed almost like a sample machine, like it could tap into sounds from different eras or different times. It was kind of like a time machine, for me. I find that some instruments have the capability to do that.

/It’s really lovely to bow the lower base steel strings of a harp. A lengthy piece of rubber cable also creates a nice drone. Playing on dampened strings comes in handy. (excuse the pun) Drum brushes work beautifully. I like to lay the harp down flat and play it as a hammer dulcimer too, given the chance. Metal or glass slides work very well along the strings. If I want a guitar or lute sound, I pluck the string closer to the sound board rather than in the center. Playing it backwards is fun! After that, there’s plectrums, harmonics, tremors, string bending……So, plenty of possibilities there before I ever think of plugging it in”