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I'd be interested to hear what you think...

I like it Man Seriously! :applause:

I think there is too long gap before the solo oud part.

I Like The background music. just add a climax part then resides downward to the relaxing outro point. Yeah :buttrock:

Flipo

Sazi - 11-23-2009 at 01:36 AM

I think there is too long gap before the solo oud part.

Flipo

Hi Flip, no oud solo in that one, you must be referring to this one?(Sheesha Dreams #1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9H3XQOFuuo

I Like The background music. just add a climax part then resides downward to the relaxing outro point. Yeah :buttrock:

Flipo

I'm glad you like it

nah, I'm not doing any more stuff like that, gone all traditional now

Thanks Bro

Ahh, sorry man, yeah you were right, (forgotten my own tune!) :rolleyes:

Maybe I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted to feature the oud or the voice... I think I wanted to feature both...

FLIPAX - 11-23-2009 at 06:19 AM

I'm glad you like it

nah, I'm not doing any more stuff like that, gone all traditional now

Good to Know Man. I like also some videos you post in youtube that has orchestra ensembles. Traditional Rules!

Take care Saz! :wavey:

Philip

Hatem_Afandi - 11-23-2009 at 02:44 PM

Hi Sazi,
This is beyond IMPRESSIVE. The way you feel the oud music is amazing and unique!!!!
Did you compose this as well?
I hope that you will keep up posting your beautiful music. I am sure we will hear a lot about you in the future.
Thanks for sharing your talent.
Keep it up young man!
Best regards,
Hatem

Sazi - 11-23-2009 at 02:53 PM

It's funny, I guess, like a lot of westerners who are drawn to the oud, I just loved the sound and wanted to include it in whatever music I made regardless of tradition.

But the more I got into it the more I realised what a rich tradition it has, and wanted to get some "roots" in it, learning proper techniques and ornamentations etc.

Who knows what the future holds, but for now I'm happy playing more traditional music, with innovation in keeping with the heritage of my chosen instruments... Luckily for me I like the Iraqi style which gives me plenty of room to move, if you know what I mean.

Cheers bro, S

FLIPAX - 11-23-2009 at 03:18 PM

It's funny, I guess, like a lot of westerners who are drawn to the oud

Same here Saz! :buttrock:

How's everything my friend? :wavey:

I just loved the sound and wanted to include it in whatever music I made regardless of tradition.

Good Music Is Good Music, Regardless of the Tradition!

Who knows what the future holds

I Hope we develop and Grow More Emotionally, Spiritually, Musically.......

Period

Catch u Later Saz!

Flip :airguitar:

Sazi - 11-23-2009 at 03:59 PM

Hey bro, things are good, hope they good for you too!

I Hope we develop and Grow More Emotionally, Spiritually, Musically.......

Period

That's the one, It's a great journey, polishing the playing is like polishing the heart

Cheers Flip :wavey:

Greg - 11-23-2009 at 04:14 PM

Hey S, I liked 'Sheesha Dreams #2' very much. I found it very filmic.
There seems no compelling reason why your traditional bent could not run in parallel with a continuation of your production work. But you would be the best judge of that.

The Delay Lama VST is wonderful. I just downloaded it and can't wait to use it.

Thanks for sharing.

Regards,

Greg

FLIPAX - 11-23-2009 at 04:44 PM

Hey bro, things are good, hope they good for you too!

Getting a Little Crazy on My Rectified Labella nylons. Its sucks a lot of sustain out of my notes.

Need to find better one's!

But Life is great. Very fortunate though.... I'm Good Man!

P:S:

Today I saw One guy here crossing the street got ram by a car and he totally flip far away and he died.

so sad.....

"After death, then Judgement Comes"..........

Flipo :airguitar:

Sazi - 11-23-2009 at 08:28 PM

Hey Greg, thanks.

I'm comfortable with your filmic reference, I felt the same way about it as it was coming together, it seemed to evoke a vast landscape, which maybe I was subconciously aiming for, being instrumental it tends that way anyway I guess.

Yes you're probably right about blending the two, traditional and production numbers, as I did with my che mali wali track, unfortunately I am currently unable to do any recording as I had to sell my interface in order to buy my lovely new Jihad oud that you saw and heard the other night, which is also why I haven't posted any new recordings using it.

The Delay Lama is indeed a wonderful vsti, if you have a keyboard controller with pitchbend you can vary the vowel sounds in real time as you play the voice. It's possible to get a very authentic traditional style harmonic voice, besides the ott almost operatic sound I got. I'm sure you'll have fun with it

Cheers, S

Sazi - 11-23-2009 at 08:33 PM

Today I saw One guy here crossing the street got ram by a car and he totally flip far away and he died.

so sad.....

"After death, then Judgement Comes".......... Judging from their works........

I'm sorry to hear that Flip, maybe you can turn it into a piece for the oud, really work on expressing that in the emotion /feeling of the piece?

All the best, bro, S

FLIPAX - 11-24-2009 at 06:08 AM

Hey Saz!

Howdy! :wavey:

Which Makam is good for this tragedy?

Maybe a Bit gloomy and sad.

Thanks Just dropping by

Cheers Bro! :buttrock:

Philip

Aymara - 11-24-2009 at 11:20 AM

Yes you're probably right about blending the two, traditional and production numbers, ...

Yes, he is right ... I wanted to tell the same, cause hundreds of oud players keep it traditional, but this Sheesha stuff is unique.

Sazi - 11-24-2009 at 04:42 PM

Which Makam is good for this tragedy?

Maybe a Bit gloomy and sad.

Hey Flip, you can't go past Saba for this one!

Aymara, thanks for the encouragement, I'll get another interface soon and see what comes out.

Cheers, S

FLIPAX - 11-25-2009 at 12:54 AM

Hey Saz!

I Got two hands on to you man :bowdown:

Chris is right many are doin traditional...and this is different and something fresh. Which it becomes more Interesting to my ear.

Which is Good. Keep doin this! :xtreme:

Cheers Saz!

Philip

Sazi - 11-25-2009 at 02:00 AM

Hatem, my apologies for somehow overlooking your post, ( I think you must have posted it while I was still replying to the post before) thank you bro, you're most kind.

Yes, I suppose I did compose it, although in reality I just made something up and recorded it, then just listened back and played along with it (a few times) until I thought it was enough, it's not written down or anything, and they are just Ideas really, not finished pieces, (I just tried to make them sound that way)

Thanks Hatem, S

Hatem_Afandi - 11-25-2009 at 06:19 AM

No apologies needed, Sazi.
I am both glad and impressed with the effort you exerted to create such a beautiful melody. I am sure it is just a beginning to something big. You are very talented.
Thanks for the U2U. I replied to it in error.
Please keep us updated with your activities. I am sure that you got the interest of a good crowd going.
Best regards,
Hatem

FLIPAX - 11-25-2009 at 07:18 AM

Hey Saz!

Just Want to say Keep doing what your Doing.....

Your have something Great Here to offer....

Happy Holidays and Eid Mubarak my friend! :applause:

Cheers

Philip :airguitar:

mrkmni - 11-25-2009 at 06:03 PM

I liked sheesha 2 more than sheesha one.
the first one is heterogenous ( the pictures are not from the same subject )
Good work Sazi... keep going..

Sazi - 11-25-2009 at 07:44 PM

Thanks guys

I agree, the first one is "disposable", don't know what I was thinking at the time...

The pictures (for all my vid's) are just whatever I had lying around the hard drive, with no cameras I just have to make do with what I've got...

Cheers, S

fernandraynaud - 11-26-2009 at 02:11 AM

Hi Sazi,

Both pieces work in the cinematic domain. But I like Dreams 1 a lot more. I love its ad hoc percussion, it sounds very thick and human. The Dreams 1 piece seems shorter than Dreams 2, because there's a lot of variety and balls in the rhythms and phrases. That snare & tabla really makes the day. I like the abrupt ending too.

The problem with 2 is that although the descending theme melody that the oud lays out at the beginning is very good, and the arrangement is clean, that "so familiar" minor progression with piano is "polished out" by about 2:10. What it needs, if you return to it, is like a 30 second digression, now that you're into maqamat, you could do it in a hijaz type maqam, or go in a Western direction with a major key, either way would work.

I dunno about this whole "traditional rules" business. Whatever makes us happy, I guess. Still, I doubt any of us westerners that are taking up the oud at this point are going to really connect with a lot with people that have been listening to and playing traditional all their lives. It's just not very likely. And to the Western listener I don't know if it means much either.

I was surprised at how interested I myself became in the very traditional Sharki music, so I thought I would study the Maqamat for a while, just like many people here, and see how I might apply them in my music. And indeed, for instance, it opens up new approaches to the necessary modulation B section in Dreams 2. But, frankly, the idea of all us westerners learning the "standard" taqasim strikes me as a little gonzo.

It's like the whole "World Music" phenomenon, that provides a sheltering category bin, and a labeled market, for a lot of fine music that would remain otherwise inaccessible, but "world" is also home to a lot of fake "traditional" nonsense. And what is the function/value of music without its social setting anyway? Complex subject. Anyway, I do prefer Dreams 1.

Sazi - 11-26-2009 at 04:48 AM

Hey Anthony, thanks for lending your ears to the tunes.

... I love its ad hoc percussion, it sounds very thick and human. .

Er..., thanks, I've spent quite a few years developing that human feel

I actually layered 2 full kits in there as well as the percussion, & my M.O. for this was to play the drums in by hand on my midi controller kbd, as well as play percussion over that, ad fills etc. I too like the thickness of it.

This track (#1) was started as a demo for a new tune for my band at the time, which included cello, indian tabla, egyptian tablahs, violin and oud, but it got a life of it's own... :shrug:

The problem with 2 is...

yeah, you've pretty much nailed it, you'll notice that @ around 2:15 is about where the voice starts fading back in, so it was definitely time for a change, but like I said in another post, these are really just ideas, like a sketchpad, that are unrefined and unfinished (a bit like me)

I had intended to give the stems to a producer, but about then I went and lived in a forest on top of a mountain, with no power, so all mucking about with computers came to an abrupt ending...

Got a lot of time on the ouds though

So the next lot of recordings, (when I get another interface sorted) will be a lot more Maqam-ically informed

I dunno about this whole "traditional rules" business. Whatever makes us happy, I guess.

I'm with you there!

Still, I doubt any of us westerners that are taking up the oud at this point are going to really connect with a lot with people that have been listening to and playing traditional all their lives. It's just not very likely. And to the Western listener I don't know if it means much either.

Well I don't know about that, when you consider "law of attraction", and "seek and ye shall find", which seem to come into play when you're on your own trying to find out as much as you can about things... I started seeking out concerts and musicians and I have been fortunate enough to meet some great musicians from Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Turkey, all over the place, some of whom I get to jam and perform with. They keep me on my toes!

But, frankly, the idea of all us westerners learning the "standard" taqasim strikes me as a little gonzo.

I agree.., only I take it further in that Taqasim are by their very nature, improvisations, which are "in the now" moments of inspiration, felt only by the person playing them at that time, and even famous ones that through exploration, refinement and repetition, cemented into pieces in their own right - were not always played the same way every time.

Someone once said that music was the highest of the Arts, as it was not "set in stone" or dried on a canvas, allowing it to truely belong to the moment...

Personally I don't like to play other peoples taqasim, I would rather go with my own flow, but I can see that studying them from respected masters is a good way of coming to an understanding of the maqam theory in practice.