Hiya Malik, i`m not sure if using the slider ( the pitch bend) can help you in turning your scales into quarter tones, moreover, playing oriental music is totally different than if you perform western music, the notes are tied up to each other,(no toccato at all)which will not let enough time to transpose one key down to quarter tone. and the nature of arabic scales`s based music, the quarter tone varies from note to another in the same musical sequence, mainly in arabic music from the orient. i recommend the keys GEM is easy to turn it into arabic scale whenever you need to. visit:
http://www.generalmusic.com/
Blues, jazz, afrocuban music...have got the same roots as the the other african rhythms including Gnawa..and the pentatonic scale is the main tuning these music are based on..there are quite lot of jazzmen who did perform their music using some moroccan rhythms like Gnawa, try to buy "sentir" of Omar Sosa, a jazz pianist from Cuba, it may help you to figure out a good idea of what you`re thinking to creat. cuz i beleive in being moroccan you interfer blues or whatever into our music, sounds better than an non-moroccan performs a jazz or whatever mixed with any moroccan rhythms..it is up of how able you can feel the 6/8 moroccan rhythm ..i mean, our music is still looked as row material needs to be performed wordwidely.
yes, concerning our band first recording album, everything is going right, we will end it up this very wednesday..i will give you a copy then when i get it.
it`s all about traditional moroccan music, performed in different way, polyphonic backing vocals, rock beats...it is indeed morock`n`roll convention music.
younes_uk.