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J​-​P Piirainen & Kim Edgar - It Only Takes A Silence

from CONSEQUENCES by Kim Edgar

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about

“If we can break the silence

We’ll know that they have seen us

We’ll rise up and do something

When tragedies begin

If we can break the silence

No walls will come between us

United voices gaining traction

Division cannot win”

J-P Piirainen is a talented fingerstyle guitarist and composer from Finland, who I met through Global Music Match. In 2020 he created a hybrid instrument that combines guitar and kantele (a traditional Finnish stringed instrument) into one body – he calls this the GUITELE. In his creative work, as in his instrument, he combines contemporary and traditional material.

I met J-P online to collaborate remotely on Thursday 24th February 2022, the day that Russia began a full scale invasion of Ukraine. The horrors of war and the individual responsibility on all of us to respond to this human tragedy were at the forefront of our minds as we worked together. For each of us, the concept of taking whatever action we can – whether that’s to speak up, personally and politically, when we see injustice, or to help, practically or financially, when we see others in need – became connected to the concept of moving from silence to sound, and we worked on a song that embodies this concept. It’s not much, but it’s what we have to offer – and it’s heartening to see that we are far from alone in articulating our solidarity with Ukraine through sound, art and creativity.

For those of you who, perhaps, like me, aren’t hugely familiar with traditional Finnish music, it’s worth mentioning that we wrote this piece in the time signature 5/4 which is typical of Finnish runo singing. Also, the chorus melody line and rhythmic patterns have taken inspiration from traditional style, with the beats grouped into 3 and 2, and lots of close intervals between notes.

The lyrics spoken by J-P in the song were gathered from old traditional Finnish texts about silence and being quiet, and are as follows:

Jo mie kaik’ virret unohi

Kaik mie laulut lakkaelin

Hiljaa, hiljaa nuohinainen

Hiljaa, hiljaa hiitelästi



They could be translated as follows:

I’ve forgotten all the hymns

I’ve stopped singing all the songs

Quiet, quiet young woman

Quiet, quiet quietly



Let’s not be bystanders…

lyrics

Small, yet heavy
Form unsteady
Not quite ready, lacking voice
Strains and stresses
Silence presses
Heavy burden, weighty choice

It only takes a silence
To sense no one has seen us
To stand by and do nothing
When tragedies begin
It only takes a silence
To build a wall between us
A moment of inaction
And then divisions win

Jo mie kaik’ virret unohi
Kaik mie laulut lakkaelin
Hiljaa, hiljaa nuohinainen
Hiljaa, hiljaa hiitelästi

[The Finnish text could be translated as follows:
I’ve forgotten all the hymns
I’ve stopped singing all the songs
Quiet, quiet young woman
Quiet, quiet quietly]

Fretful, guilty
Cannot un-see
Bystander regrets abound
Be the ones who
Rise, speak out to
Lift each other, make a sound

If we can break the silence
We’ll know that they have seen us
We’ll rise up and do something
When tragedies begin
If we can break the silence
No walls will come between us
United voices gaining traction
Division cannot win

credits

from CONSEQUENCES, released February 3, 2023
Written by J-P Piirainen & Kim Edgar

Kim Edgar: vocals, piano
J-P Piirainen: vocals, guitele, programming & production
Mikey Owers: brass, vocals

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Kim Edgar Edinburgh, UK

“Intense and thought provoking” (The List)

“Heart stopping…our very own Tori Amos” (Sunday Herald)

“An inspired empathy” * * * * * (Fringe Review)

Fuelled by a passion for social justice, folklore, and feminism, Kim Edgar crafts keenly observed details of people’s lives into powerful, understated songs that reach out and touch listeners. ... more

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