musifying

I had to put this project down for a few days as I was a bit under the weather. I am back on it.

I put the oud together, strung it, worked on the pegs. Played it. The tone is beautiful.. It is well rounded, clear, a bit dark, a bit frothy, just the way I like a oud to sound.

The bridge, as with my other Georgy Hanna Nahat is a little low. I was advised to make it higher to make the fingerboard work easier. I didn’t do that because that is certain to change the tone. I could have chosen a thinner pick guard wood which would have given me more play. But it’s on now, and I am not going to touch it. I will make minor adjustments to the way I play, if necessary. Read the rest…

Today is the big day. Come this evening, I will be playing this Nahat.

The new nut is already attached. It’s made of bone.

The fingerboard is ready to be attached. I ended up doing a little more plaining and smoothing in order to be able to lay the new fingerboard on top of the old one. I had originally intended to remove the old one, but decided against it because I was afraid of causing damage since the old fingerboard is attached so solidly, and I am not exactly an expert. The new ebony fingerboard is smooth as glass. I might need to do some more plaining if it buzzes. Extra careful measurements and calculations has resulted in a deliciously low action. But I will know for sure once I glue the fingerboard whether I can keep the low action or I might have to sacrifice some of it to prevent buzzing. Read the rest…

In a part 2 we identified three categories of behavioral patterns that prevent us from playing as well as we can. We dealt with the first category in part 3. Today we talk about the second category. Before we do, please notice that these solutions are by no means complete and may not apply to everyone. In fact, as I said several times in the series this discussion covers my experience and that of my students and colleagues with whom I discussed this issue. This is a limitation. It would be great if these articles were written by a psychologist who is also a musician, an educator, a philosopher a social scientist and a motivational speaker. However, they’re not. I am only a musician.

However, what I discuss here seems to have worked for me, and many other people..

Apologies out of the way, now we can discuss the real issue. The second category of patterns discussed in part 2 all stem from playing a piece before having developed an understanding of it. Here’s a quote describing the pattern: Read the rest…

The Arab Orchestra of San Francisco is Accepting Auditions
Here is why you shouldn’t audition

1. The music is very demanding in terms of intonation. You actually
   have to hear a 12th of a whole step. Semitones aren’t hard enough?
2. You have to improvise within the style
3. You have to learn to play Arabic ornaments
4. You have to be able to read music and also be able to memorize.
5. The AOSF repertoire is so diverse. You’ll have to learn all those
   different styles. Imagine playing in a western orchestra that plays
   Brahms and Bartok, but also Miles Davis and Charlie Parker, as well as
   original pieces that blends the styles..

Yes, OK, so you do receive training so that by the time you are ready
to sit on stage and perform you are completely ready to rock and roll,
so to speak.

But can you imagine the mental stress and the emotional distress of
having to be challenged with all these new things?

Does anyone need their craftsmanship and creativity pushed to the limit?

Solid blue skies today in San Francisco. The sun drenched sidewalks and I are listening to Matar Muhammad playing buzuq. On the face of it the music is catchy and easy to listen to. But there is so much to this music beyond the face of it.

Matar’s exquisite virtuosity and the energy of his performance are captivating. His genius is most glaring in the perfection of his improvised phrases. It is a very fine balance between what is familiar and accessible on the level of tradition, what is familiar and accessible on a deeper human level, and what is unfamiliar. Our familiars make it easy for us to remain engaged, allowing him to pass his subversive musical messages.

Lebanese buzuq master, Matar Muhammad died at 56 in 1995. Is that an age in which to die?

The CD is called “Tribute to a Master of the Buzuq” and is under the Inedit label.

Matar in Arabic means rain.

As I work on restoring the Nahat for hours on end (so far a few hours each day for the past two weeks), I have had time to think strange thoughts (try planing wood continuously and very carefully for an hour as a catalyst for strange brain activity). One interesting theme: How few words does it take to define something?

By the way. I didn’t count prepositions, “or” or “and” and neither should you.

MUSIC THEORY TERMS

• Arabic Maqam: Tonalmode consisting of one or more scales and rules governing melodic progression and cadences
• Maqamat: Plural of Maqam Read the rest…

This is a 1955 Georgi Hanna Nahat oud which I inherited about three years ago. It was sitting in a late friend’s storage who had rescued it years earlier from someones garage. I don’t remember the exact story but the oud was severely abused when Mimi found it and she kept it with the hopes of one day restoring it. She passed away before she had a chance to do that (may she rest in peace). Read the rest…

We’ve talked about the problem. We also talked about the behavioral patterns, habits, and feelings at play that are related to the problem, and now we talk a little about trying to deal with the problem.

First, a cautionary note. Many aspects of this subject are unique to each of us. Like I said earlier these are issues that I dealt with in my own experience as well as ones I encountered with students and colleagues.

So we’ve discussed three types of behaviors causing and or connected with the problem.

The first type was playing mindlessly, focusing on a small (usually technically challenging) part of the piece, or hearing the voices of different critics during the music making process. I lumped those together into one category because I am of the view that they can all be used to improve the music making process. I am also of the view that they are very similar in a few respects. Perhaps if we start from the similarities we can develop strategies for dealing with them. Read the rest…

The Arab Orchestra of San Francisco is looking to expand its membership. We will be holding auditions on Sunday March 16th 3-6PM at our regular rehearsal space at La Pena cultural center. Please feel free to forward..

Who we’re looking for

• Professional string players (no Arabic music experience is required, though it certainly is a plus). OR
• Advanced string students in a conservatory or university music program (no prior experience in Arabic music need. We train). OR
• Advanced players of Arabic instruments (oud, qanun, nay, percussion)

And..

• Confidence and stage presence (everyone plays solos, no exceptions) Read the rest…

In the previous post we saw how many of us play a piece of music mindlessly, without intentionality or grand design that holds the piece together. We also may only be focusing on specific small details while missing the most important relationships within the piece. In Arabic music (compared to western classical, for example) the problem is compounded because the composition style leaves more details to the performers to decide. When the performer is not consciously aware of all the decisions she has to make, a lot of those decisions go unmade. The result much of the time is dead music, or worse still non-music. Read the rest…