TheCuddlyDevil
Oud Addict
Posts: 26
Registered: 5-12-2007
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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I need help with composing...
Hi,
I'm trying to compose some stuff but I'm having a bit of trouble. I want to write fixed pieces, mind you. Not taqsims. That's where my interest is
now.
My usual method is playing a simple melody contained within the lower jins. It is usually repeated a step lower. After that, to add more interest, I
play the same melody but it's transposed up to the upper jins (modulation?).
After that I'm not sure what to do. I would move on to something else but I can't ditch every piece I write. My main problem is that I feel I can't
write more than one melody within a jins, so I feel I have to constantly move around the maqam to keep it interesting, otherwise it becomes quite
repetitive and redundant.
(note: I am unable to get an oud now so I'm working with a very cheap synth. So not only is my range limited but I can't access quarter tones. I kno
this severly limits my options but I think it would be a good bit of practice to concentrate on Hijaz and Nahawand for now.)
Thanks in advance, guys.
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rebetostar
Oud Maniac
Posts: 96
Registered: 1-31-2007
Location: the East shore, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Ajam Ushayran
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My advice is to analyze a song/piece that you enjoy, and create another piece with the same structure, different mode or series of modes. A/B/A/B type
of thing. Most tunes have a simple overall structure. Depends if you want to write little tunes or a Symphony I suppose!
Keeping in mind if you're trying to achieve an Arabic-sounding piece in a certain maqam family you must listen to other pieces in that family and
learn the sayr of the maqam, not by thinking about theory but by listening and repeating.
Now to apply this advice to myself!
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dubai244
Oud Junkie
Posts: 490
Registered: 3-8-2004
Location: Dubai, UAE
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Hi Cuddly,
My advice is to record your self playing and then listen to it and keep modify the orignal melody you played. You will get what you want.
Listening is very important. Some time i feel like to play turkish style, so on that day i keep listen to turkish music and Taksim, to get the spirit
and then i play in my turkish oud and to get the sound and feeling of the turkish style.
Funny thing, i still have my records when i was young, trying to sing and play at the same time. When i listen to it, i hear some body making noise on
the oud and try to sing with donkey voice ........ !!
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TheCuddlyDevil
Oud Addict
Posts: 26
Registered: 5-12-2007
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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I have a problem. My mom heard me today playing the piece and she said it was Farid Al-Atrache's "wiyyak" song. Which I never heard.
Now I feel trapped. I feel whatever piece I'm playing is bound to have been played or sung before. Damn step-wise motion!
Help?
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TheCuddlyDevil
Oud Addict
Posts: 26
Registered: 5-12-2007
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Please?
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stringish
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Try to think of a composition as the development of a motif or group of motives, rather than as a irreducible melody.
Listen to compositions and try to hear it in parts, and how they fit together. Think of Beethoven's fifth, the whole first part is just one motif
(three repeated notes followed by a leap down) repeated in various ways, with variations and a small amount of contrasting material.
Think of rhythms, too, it really helps--maybe start with just a rhythmic idea.
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zou
Oud Junkie
Posts: 146
Registered: 10-25-2006
Location: France
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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very intresting brian...
can you please say hello to briget the nay player... it's from ziad the oud player of Angers (france).
many thanks
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