Mike's Oud Forums

Semai

DaveH - 12-24-2008 at 12:17 AM

This is what I really like about this form - very poised and graceful. Lovely instrumental combination too. Does anyone have the sheet music for this semai?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1AbUUDKRkg&feature=related

francis - 12-24-2008 at 04:28 AM

I entirely agree with you, Dave.
The duet is amazing, with a great sound for the two instruments. The lavta is beautiful, with his simple ornaments, and sound gentle in melody playing.
Does someone knows who is the maker?

Amos - 1-3-2009 at 05:57 PM

Hi Dave,
Here are the links for the sheet music this beautiful Cevdet Cagla semai. Just copy and paste them and they should take you to the notation. Keep in mind that this is Turkish notation and needs to be transposed down a perfect fifth if you are playing in Arabic tuning.

part one : http://www.neyzen.com/images/notalar/acemkurdi/acemkurdi_ss_cevdet_...

part two:
http://www.neyzen.com/images/notalar/acemkurdi/acemkurdi_ss_cevdet_...

Amos - 1-3-2009 at 05:58 PM

actually part one is part two and and part two is part one, i just mislabeled them...good luck,
amos

DaveH - 1-6-2009 at 09:23 AM

Amos, sorry, I've been away - what a nice present to come back to! You're a star.

Can anyone explain for someone not so familiar with Turkish music how Acemkurd works? I haven't been able to look this up anywhere in english. I'm assuming it's a type of hybrid but can't work it out in this piece. I can see Ajam on C but the A-based tonality looks more like lami. And is the B half flat that crops up regularly integral to the maqam or more of an accidental?

Thanks!

francis - 1-22-2009 at 05:12 PM

Hello.

On the youtube video , I think that they are playing one tone higher than the notes on the sheet....
So it means that after transposing the sheet one fifth down we are playing one sixth under them ....Is-it right like this? I thought that the transcription is to play in the same tune rather than an adaptation to the different tuning between turkish and arabic oud.....
May be also the lavta is tuned to play in other pitches.....
I ask one more time to know if someone has informations about the maker of that lavta .....

francis - 1-23-2009 at 03:12 AM

On post above I wanted to write: " in the same tone ( key...step....) and not "in the same tune".........sorry for this bad english!

latva

MatthewW - 1-23-2009 at 03:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by francis
I entirely agree with you, Dave.
The duet is amazing, with a great sound for the two instruments. The lavta is beautiful, with his simple ornaments, and sound gentle in melody playing.
Does someone knows who is the maker?


C'est vrai Francis, the latva is indeed a beautiful instrument, and just listen to Simla's take on Hijaz:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=k31-Yck0X9o&feature=related

Does anyone who made her latva, or any contacts for other good latva makers? regards, MW

francis - 1-23-2009 at 06:35 AM

Thanks for the link, Matthew, but I must have listen and watched every Simla's youtube's clips.......Elle a tout pour plaire, cette fille!!!

Masel - 1-24-2009 at 12:17 PM

DaveH acemkurdi (in turkish tuning) starts like acem on F, passes through beyati on A and finishes as kurdi on A. The Eb accidental which reminded you of lami is common for this makam I believe, but maqam lami itself exists only in iraq, and has a different seyir.

Francish the turkish often play one tone higher than what they write. So the semai is written in bayat/kurdi A, but they play it on B. If you transpose the semai to arabic tuning you would be playing on D, but it would be easier to play it as written, in A.

francis - 1-24-2009 at 02:20 PM

Masel : Thanks for the information. While trying to play the semai with the sheet, I first play in A, but one octave lower than written and to my opinion it sounds very fine on my oud, from the middle range to the bottom F note.....