Folk songs are often the most simple and beloved songs in the Middle East. They are easy to learn often because they are repetitive. Folk tunes are often very happy and soul-full. They are timeless, and then never get old or out of style. They also teach you the most about musicality, in my opinion.

And when I say “Folk”, I’m not talking about Bob Dylan or Billie Bragg…

 

It was about 1994 and I was growing up in the suburbs of Vancouver, BC, where it’s mountainous, lush green, and it rains a lot. I was about 10 years old, and I was just beginning to immerse myself in Persian music…

Driving around in the rain with Mom, all we listened to was the Kamkar ensemble…

 

When I write music, I think that is what I strive for… I like to reach into that the timelessness of music, and write something that everybody can listen to and enjoy. Baba Bahri and Sidi Mansour are some of those songs that will always be timeless.

Baba Bahri turned out to be a really easy song to teach and learn. So how do you make it sound professional?

It’s all about adding soul and a couple extra techniques to fill it all up.

There is really only one technique you need to know to make Baba Bahri sound more exciting… The Short Tremolo Burst, or Three Stroke Accent.

You’ll also learn a cool trick to add some African flavour to this song.

Folk songs can teach you a lot about musicality…

 

Check out Baba Bahri with advanced techniques below!

(OH yeah, and if you want to hear me sing, there’s a little bit of that here too.)

Notation?

Farid Al Attrash

Next week we’ll do something different. You’ll learn the musicality of Farid Al Attrash’s Oud taqasim. Want to be the first to see the video? Sign up below!