More taste of Arabic music

[Hany Hayek]

Here is a video of the young lady (Azza) I previously mentioned in other posts, and the only one I know of, playing mandolin in Egypt - though I know there are others I can't seem to find :(. She also plays with Nasser Shamma at the "Arab Oud House". On her right in the video is her husband "Islam". They came to my place once and we did play together. Islam was able to produce quarter tone notes on my tenor banjo by stretching the strings a little :)
The piece they play is a waltz called Qalby Dalily, which translate to "my heart is my guide".
This was sang by Laila Morad. Here is a link to where you can see the score sheet:
https://www.facebook.com/muc.no/posts/828399083860318
It's 3 pages. In the video I think she transposed, but I still am not sure if she is only one octave higher. The piece is quite simple, but she is playing it great.

Hope you enjoy this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT7DZKWH9ag&feature=youtu.be

[brunello97]

Thanks, Hany..... Good Stuff.

Was this performance held at the El Sawy Culturewheel? Looks like a muy cool place.

Mick

[Hany Hayek]

Hi Mick,

Yes, El Sawy Culturewheel is a cool place where a lot of young musicians get there chances to play in public.

[ollaimh]

sounds a lot like greek music

[Bertram Henze]

sounds a lot like greek music

I think there is a certain overlap, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyKKdxManAg) with fine distinctions and national animosities Greece/Turkey-wise. Imagine walking in that bar and telling them they sound Arabic :whistling:

[billhay4]

Cool.
do you know what kind of mandolin she plays?
Bill

[JH Murray]

So is that upright bass oud on the left a cousin of the mandobass?

[colorado_al]

Very cool!
I have a neighbor who is Palestinian and he plays the oud. We've been working on some songs together.
He's teaching me some traditional Arab tunes, though it is difficult for me to get quarter tones.
I've been teaching him some bluegrass. Our best so far is Wayfaring Stranger.

[Hany Hayek]

Hi Bill, I think she got the mandolin from Turkey (that's what she told me), I am not sure it has a solid top though; probably all laminates. But it does sound good with the sound system. Still you don't get to hear the bass, she transcribe to play mostly on treble.

JH Murray, I have no idea what instrument that is, but as you said looks like an upright bass oud. Nasser Shamma's idea is to get all the instruments that descend from the Arabic Oud , back to their origin in the Arabic world / Egypt "Arab Oud House".

Clorado_al, our scale is 12, Arabic scale is 24, using half flats and half sharps, and that's what stopping me from getting a Oud. I think Oud sound could fit baroque music perfectly. Billkilpatrick cafe member plays an Italian Saltarello (14th cent. Italian dance tune) on the Oud. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCqCWzHQN9s

[colorado_al]

Clorado_al, our scale is 12, Arabic scale is 24, using half flats and half sharps
According to Kareem, my neighbor, the term quarter tone is not quite right and that it isn't exactly a half flat or sharp. He says it is between a 1/2 flat and 1/4 flat and that it also is important to get the vibrato between the notes too. He says that it is similar to a bent note in blues, but instead of bending up it is like "bending down", and only really possible on a fretless instrument. I have tuned one of my mandolins down a whole step to make the strings easier to bend so that I can try to get some of the same notes by bending up 3/4ish of a tone. I think it is like learning a different language. If one is exposed to it at a young age, it is easy to hear the distinctions, but at my age, I can't yet make out the difference in small tonal changes. Still very interesting to try it. Also very cool as a cross cultural exchange. He's a Palestinian Arab American. I'm a Jewish American. Playing and teaching each other music has given us a way to communicate and get to know each other and cross the cultural divide.

[catmandu2]

That's terrific Al - a great example of how musical literacy functions to facilitate cross-cultural communication -

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Clorado_al, our scale is 12, Arabic scale is 24, using half flats and half sharps, and that's what stopping me from getting a Oud. I think Oud sound could fit baroque music perfectly...

There are various temperaments with varying numbers of tones employed - depending on region, origin, etc; check out this one (79-tone): http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=13818 - although "Turkish."

I like to play early/medieval music on oud (oud is really the early lute) - I particularly like flamenco and al-andalus. I listen to and play a lot of the material from Eduardo Paniagua, the Hesperion ensembles, etc.