Mike's Oud Forums

Anouar Brahem transcriptions

edisoned - 12-3-2007 at 10:35 AM

Has anyone come across any of Anouar Brahem's music transcribed. I really enjoy his compositions and his playing but having had time to transcribe anything from his recordings.
Thanks
Ed

dubai244 - 12-3-2007 at 11:09 AM

Hi Edisoned,

Anouar Brahem is Tunisian oud player. His compositions is in Modern western

style although he tried to make more arabic style by adding arabic rythems to it.

Basiclly, he is playing soft slow jazz with his oud. He is playing very simple and

easy to listen to it.

Thanks

journeyman - 12-3-2007 at 01:24 PM

Anouar Brahem is one of my favourite musicians and composers on any instrument Edisoned. I also have not had time to sit down and transcribe any of his tunes, but I will try to do so over the holidays. If I do I will post. For those who think that he plays only slow ambient music, I would suggest they give his first CD on ECM a listen. The CD is called Barzakh, and he shows that he can really rip it up. His sound is my favourite oud sound. His and Hamza el Din's.

Roy

Greg - 12-3-2007 at 09:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by edisoned
Has anyone come across any of Anouar Brahem's music transcribed. I really enjoy his compositions and his playing but having had time to transcribe anything from his recordings.
Thanks
Ed


One of my favouite pieces by Anouar Brahem is "Itr al-Ghajar." You can find a transcription by Issa Boulos at his archive site http://www.issaboulos.com/archive/index.php

Search the Composer field under "Anwar Ibrahim."

Regards,

Greg

Anouar Brahem transcriptions

edisoned - 12-4-2007 at 09:05 AM

Thanks,
that's a great site. I understand that Anouar isn't playing real traditional music but I think his compositions and playing is stellar and unique. I think his music will bring many fans to learn more about music performed on the Oud. It certainly did for me.
ed

Brian Prunka - 12-4-2007 at 01:12 PM

I have transcribed a number of compositions by Anouar Brahem. When I have time, I'll try to post some here. If you have any requests, I'll try to do those first.

somewhere in the forums is a transcription i did of Brahem's "lecon du oud" . . . you should find it if you search for it.

here are some that i have:
badhra
c'est allieurs
conte d'incroyable amour
danse II
halfouine
astrakan cafe
houdouth
mozdok's train
parfum de gitane

Anouar Brahem transcriptions

edisoned - 12-4-2007 at 05:44 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Brian Prunka
I have transcribed a number of compositions by Anouar Brahem. When I have time, I'll try to post some here. If you have any requests, I'll try to do those first.

somewhere in the forums is a transcription i did of Brahem's "lecon du oud" . . . you should find it if you search for it.

here are some that i have:
badhra
c'est allieurs
conte d'incroyable amour
danse II
halfouine
astrakan cafe
houdouth
mozdok's train
parfum de gitane

Thanks, I did find the one you posted and am working on it.
I've really be enjoying his cd's La Voyage de Sahar and Le pas duchat noir. I just ordered the recording he did with Dave Holland and John Surman as well.
Thanks for offering to post them.
Look forward to it.
Ed

zalzal - 12-5-2007 at 06:03 AM

Here you have Samir Makhoul playing easily (for students in summer course) Ither al Ghajar which is arabic translation for Parfum de Gitan

http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=6414#pid389...

Inside you have the sheet and the link to the clip of Samir

Anouar Brahem transcriptions

edisoned - 12-5-2007 at 09:07 AM

Thanks, that's a nice piece and I was able to play it.
Are there any recources for more pieces of this level to learn?
Ed

farid - 12-13-2007 at 07:27 AM

Thank you. I'm interested by anouar brahem's works too. I love his inspiration and his fabulous light playing... So If it's possible Brian I will be very happy to study his work with your sheets. I think I'm not alone....;)

thanx

regards

Farid

Oud Freak - 12-14-2007 at 03:48 AM

Which kind fo oud uses Anouar Brahem and Rabih Abou Khalil? What are the tunings?

Brian Prunka - 9-14-2008 at 04:26 PM

Okay, I'm finally getting around to this.
This one is from "Thimar". It's mainly in the samai rhythm, but there is a section in 11.
After repeated careful listenings, I'm fairly certain that the way they play it on the record is not how it was originally intended. There's a measure and a half where they sound unsure, and it deviates from the established meter at precisely that spot (around mm.5-6, if I remember correctly). Since there's no percussionist on the record, it's impossible to know for sure, but what I've written here is my interpretation of what I think they meant to play. You won't be able to play exactly along with the record, though.
I'll post more of Brahem's tunes when I get a chance.

Brian Prunka - 9-14-2008 at 04:35 PM

By the way, it's been mentioned before but Brahem mostly uses a high F tuning.
Most of his pieces are easily played on a standard Arabic tuning though.

Brahem transcription

edisoned - 9-16-2008 at 11:41 AM

Thanks Brian
That's great.
Ed

Brian Prunka - 10-11-2008 at 02:43 PM

There are other transcriptions of this one out there; this one is based on the way Brahem performs it on "Astrakan Café." The other versions I have seen are somewhat different, they may be based on the "Barzakh".

Parfum de Gitane:

Brian Prunka - 10-11-2008 at 02:45 PM

This is a simple one from "Astrakan Café." Note that the 8th notes swing, so they should be played as the 1st and 3rd notes of an 8th note triplet. Listen to the recording if you don't get what I mean.

The Mozdok's Train:

Brian Prunka - 10-11-2008 at 02:48 PM

This one is a favorite. Brahem embellishes the melody quite a bit on this one, using D and G pedal points against the main melody.
The last section is a little strange, I wrote it how Barbaros Erköse is playing it, Brahem himself plays a slightly simplified version.

Halfouine:

Brian Prunka - 10-11-2008 at 02:49 PM

Halfouine, p.2:

thrip - 10-12-2008 at 06:51 AM

Brian, thanks for these. Anouar Brahem is the reason I got into the oud in the first place!

Savoud - 10-12-2008 at 11:38 AM

Brian:

I am with Thrip. Brian, thank you so much for these (and also for your excellent risha advice on another post). Paul

Brian Prunka - 10-12-2008 at 06:20 PM

You're welcome guys. I'm glad to help out.

Brian Prunka - 11-3-2008 at 08:29 AM

David,

I'm sorry, there is no recurrent triplet in the spot that you describe. I tried to present the simplest version of the melody. If you listen to both the oud and the clarinet, you can hear that they play several subtle variations on the main theme. There are some triplets, pickups, and ghost notes added at various points, but none of them occur every time in both instruments and so can't be regarded as essential elements of the melody. Writing a lead sheet from a recording with ornamentation and variation always has some degree of interpretation. That said, upon listening to it again, it seems they usually play three quarter notes in the seventh measure instead of the two dotted quarters. Even that is not every time, though.

As for the maqam, it is definitely not Husseini.
There are no microtones in the melody. It is clearly B natural and E natural, not half-flat. They are playing the just tuning of the B and E, which is slightly (approx 22 cents, if I recall) lower than the equal-tempered (i.e., piano) tuning. But it is nowhere near the quarter-tone (approx. 50 cents).
It seems to be a version of the dorian or mixolydian scale (depending on whether you're considering D or G as the tonic), but as far as I know, there is no maqam equivalent. To my ear, it sounds like mixolydian, with the melody ending on the 5th.

cheers,
Brian

Brian Prunka - 11-4-2008 at 02:59 PM

Hi David,
Your approach, trying to write out the specifics of Brahem's oud part, is valuable. It helps to understand an "oud-y" way of playing the melody. A couple of things about the rhythm--there is most of the time an accent on the "and" of 3, matching the pattern in the drums, so I think you should adjust the rhythm of the melody to match that (where you have two quarter notes). Regarding the "swing" aspect, the 8ths are played kind of like in jazz, if you took a triplet (1-and-uh) and left out the middle note of the triplet (1- -uh).
I was deliberately not trying to write an "oud" part, but a more general version of the melody that could be played on any instrument.

periklistsoukalas - 5-5-2009 at 12:52 PM

Hello There.

Does anybody know which luthiers Anouar prefers ? (Their names)

Thanks
Periklis

zou - 5-7-2009 at 01:10 AM

hi periclistsoukalas,
anouar brahem use a gamil gergy oud but the face is changed by a tunisian oudmaker, but in thimar he used a abdo nahat oud.
ziad

periklistsoukalas - 5-7-2009 at 02:46 AM

hello Ziad.

Thank you very much indeed ! You're great :)
best
Periklis

Anouar Brahem

twogoodears - 8-4-2009 at 11:14 PM

Hi all!

I'm a new, freshly registered member to Mike's Oud and wish, as a long term browser and avid reader of the Forum, to thank you ALL for the superb, well informed and written posts.

My oud playing is costantly improving thanks to Brian Prunka's transcriptions and precious hints, but EVERY post opens new worlds for me.

Thanks, sincerely, from a guitar player who recently entered the ancient, magical world of oud/arabic music.

Stefano

http://twogoodears.blogspot.com/2009/07/oud-god-friendly-instrument...

John Erlich - 7-15-2011 at 03:26 PM

I found a really beautiful recording of Anouar Brahem's "Halfouine," available here: http://www.thearabicmusic.com/index.php?option=com_arabmp3&arti...

Best,
John