Middle Eastern Dance - What's New?
Qanun Qrazy
by Cassandra on 04/09/14
It's been quite a while since the last part of the Music section was completed but we've finally gotten back underway and the newest portion of the Music section to be completed is the Qanun pages. Now you can learn all about the beautiful instrument that creates such mesmerizing ripples in the music.
Riqs, Daffs, and other Frame Drums
by Cassandra on 12/26/13
Well it's finally completed. The frame drum section is updated. There is a lot of new information in this section of the Music pages. There's a lot more information abbout frame drums and there's a wealth of new rythyms now with notation more specific to the frame drums like the Riq, Daf, and Tar as opposed to a copy of the common tabla rhythms that used to appear with this section. Happy holidays to those of you who have celebrations right now and happy reading, I hope you enjoy these new pages.
All about the Music
by Cassandra on 11/15/13
That's right this time it's all about the music. The 'About Middle Eastern Music Section is completely finished! That brings us to about 40% completion of phase III of the website renovations. It's been a long process but I'm very happy with the new pages and their expanded content. This portion of the Music section is for learning (as the name so subtly suggests) about Middle Eastern music. There are three pages in this section.
The first is a list of Middle Eastern musical genres. The list is probably the most extensive list of Middle Eastern musical genres you will find on the web. Right now the page is mostly a list but after the main phases of the website remodel are completed we'll be adding a page for each genere individually (linked from this list) which will contain information on the genre. It will give examples of the music, any dances that are generally performed to it (or if dancing to it is not approptiate) as well as popular artists in the genre.
The second page is all about the structure of Middle Eastern music. This page is only a brief introduction meant to simplify the concept to make it easier to understand this complex musical form. It also links to several informational links to let you read more if your ready for it.
The third page is about Musical Trends in Middle Eastern music which follows it from what we know about 13th century Medieval Arabic music through colonialism, nationalism, and westernization/globalization. It's sort of a condensed history of Middle Eastern music. It contains music videos (or audio set to video/stills) to show examples of the overall influences and trends.
So be sure to check out the new pages under the Music section.
It's Zilltastic!
by Cassandra on 10/23/13
Regular visitors to the site are probably already aware that updates to the site tend to be somewhat sporadic. They usually happen in clusters. Well today, I finally finished off the Zills portion of the Music section. I'm happy to announce the new and improved zills section contains a more detailed history of zills, better care instructons, and expanded zilling patterns and playing tips. The new zill patterns are written out to let you count out the patterns using numbers, right/left hand alternation, and mnemonic phrases. In addition each pattern has notes on which rhythms it works well with. The only thing I didn't finish and decided I could update slowly over time is adding videos of the playing patterns. Unfortunately there aren't that many decent quality videos freely available to embed so, when I find them I will update the page. To view our newly updated zills section click on any of the following links
Totally Tabla
by Cassandra on 04/16/13
It has been a long time coming but the Tabla and drumming pages are finally completed. There's a lot of great information there especially for those who are jst starting out learning about Middle Eastern and North African drums and rhythms. So be sure to check out the new pages
