reminder--maqam classes start tomorrow

MAQAM CLASSES TAUGHT BY SAMI ABU SHUMAYS

Starting Tuesday October 23rd Sami will be offering two regular weekly classes in Maqam and Arabic music. Both classes will be ongoing drop-in classes.

Tuesday evenings 7-8pm and 8-9pm
at Pearl Studios http://www.pearlstudiosnyc.com/
500 8th Ave (35th/36th Sts.), 4th Floor in Manhattan.
$15 per class
$25 for both classes in one evening
$65 for a 5-class card

7-8pm Maqam singing
8-9pm Maqam for string players and other Arabic instruments

7-8pm Maqam singing
Open to anybody. No experience or musical skills necessary. Each week we
will cover a different maqam, and sing through typical phrases used in improvisation, and/or work on a song or part of a song in the maqam.

8-9pm Maqam for string players and other Arabic instruments
All string players (violin, viola, cello, bass) welcome; players of
other Arabic instruments (nay, oud, qanun, buzuq, etc.) also welcome, as well
as players of other fretless string instruments. Students should have at least moderate proficiency on their instrument. Each week we will focus on a different maqam, and students will imitate phrases typical of improvisation. We may also work on an instrumental piece in the Maqam.

Class dates until the end of the year:

Oct. 23rd
Oct. 30th
Nov. 6th **no class**
Nov. 13th
Nov. 20th
Nov. 27th **no class**
Dec. 4th
Dec. 11th
Dec. 18th & 25th **no class**

Maqam is the system of melodic modes used in Arabic music. I teach by imitation of basic melodic phrases that characterize each maqam, presenting the details as part of the whole picture. To get a feel for how I teach, please visit http://maqamlessons.com

�A maqam (Arabic melodic mode) is inseparable from the melodies and melodic phrases that give it its particular character; hence I present the theory and analysis of maqam through the use of melody, rather than abstract scales or formulas. Melodic phrases, like sentences in spoken language, contain all of the important musical information, all of the details of intonation, ornamentation, rhythm, phrasing, and modal attraction�as well as that indescribable quality we call �feel.� Melody is also something accessible to all, whatever their musical level or ability. The universal ability to imitate melody, I have found, is the best avenue for approaching both theory and practice�and learning how to build one�s sense of each maqam through the gradual accumulation of characteristic melodies is the most valuable lesson I can impart to students, scholars, and audiences.�

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Sami Abu Shumays
Arabic Violinist
http://www.samimusicworld.com
http://myspace.com/samiabushumays
Director of Zikrayat
http://www.zikrayatmusic.com
http://myspace.com/zikrayatmusic
Arabic Music Podcast: "Personal Performances"
http://shumays.libsyn.com
Online Maqam Lessons
http://maqamlessons.com
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