In the foggy depths of my early childhood memories, there is a strange clarity and ‘realness’ to the sound of my mother’s guitar. It pierces the clouds of time and brings with it a feeling of warmth and familiarity.

I’m often asked what it is that makes the guitar so special, and why in my youngest years, I had determined that I would spend my life making this sound. Many people say it is the closest in timbre to the human voice. For me, it is simply my voice – the perfect medium for communicating feelings, experiences, challenges, love, joy, despair and everything in between.

Karin Schaupp

Karin Schaupp. Photo © Cybele Malinowski

All these years later, that sound still holds a place of solace, reflection, warmth and above all, familiarity. When I feel lost, I can find myself and my true feelings if I sit down to play the guitar. When I am elated, playing will tip me into tears of joy, and when I am sad, playing the guitar allows my feelings to flow through me more cathartically.

After hearing this sound while I was still in the womb, I started nagging my...