Serious Question about Moroccan Music

[Malik]

I hope that someone (Pianist you here?) can help me with some info. I am using a keyboard and I am wondering what are good keys and progressions for traditional Moroccan music. Just by ear it sounds a lot like minor keys and i-iv-v-i...???

[pianist]

hey Malik, sorry to be late to reply you..

Hmm, what sort of keybords you`ve bought?
i use the KORG company, a bit professional with huge sound bank and contains the latest range of sound technology...anyway, that is not the point! to play moroccan music, in general arabic music, you may need to have a keys with ability to tronsform the normal equal temperment:C-D-E...A-B, to arabic scale, which enable you to play the 1/4 of tune , not even the one or the 1/2 tune!!

feel free to aske me for any further informations.

younes_uk.

[Malik]

Right now I am mostly using an Akai MPC 2000XL master sampling MIDI controler and an Alesis QS6.1 as a synth keyboard (Korg makes great synths, I like the Triton... but I think if I get another I would get a Motif). I actually do not do a lot of live playing, rather I am more into production; rhythm and music programing. As far as I can tell my Alesis cannot perform quarter-tones. On the MPC I can take a sampled note and tune it to semi-tones, but I can assign it to a control slider kinda like a fretless instrament so I think that I could get away with it in that manner?!
Right now I am getting some ideas together to make Morrocan Dub music based off of traditional Berber music and Gnawa. What striked me was how simular it is to American blues and jazz (which I know a bit more about ).

Got any scales and/or progressions/licks to point me in the right direction? Anything is greatly appreciated.



By the way, I saw in another thread that your band went to do some recording, how did it go? I hope that you tore down the system!

[pianist]

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.

[Malik]

Actually it is not a pitch bend on the MPC, it is close though, it is an effects slider that I can assign pitch changes to it (the difference is that I cannot bend a note, I gotta wait for the note to finnish then change the pitch on the next note).
Some Morrocans artists use analogue organs and was thinking about what they do (most likely accenting the 5ths).
Thanks for the link!
I am not jumping right into the Moroccan Dub thing just yet, I gotta a couple of other things that I am working on at the moment and I wanna make this project sound good, not like some cheesey preset beats. Polyrhythms is a big part of what I do and I am a huge fan of electric pianos and plan to use it for accents... basicly making them lines jump so the kids can say WTF.
I would much enjoy to listen to your LP. Is the final mix down going to be done this week? Shoot, I know that that can take a long time! going through every possible way to mix it so it sounds just right (yet it gets all muddled in the head LOL).

BarakuLLAH fik ya Younes.

[pianist]

salam Malik...how good is your knowledge in the arabic music theory, arabic scales, which keys should be transposed down to a quarter tone??.have you ever heard by such names: RASSET, HUZZEM, BAYATY,HEJJAZ...??
and what about moroccan rhythms?? can you feel that Cha3bi, Gnawa..are in 6/8 beat? and Aqellal in 12/8??
do u know that musica andalusia is known by the music of 55? do you know why?
i would help, if you want to know more, just feel free to ask??
once again, you can use the arabic scale converter, to make your keys sound purely arabic, it is just a box with the twelve keys :c-c#-d-d#....-g#-b, connected to your instrument, once you press on one key in the box, (c as exemple), it traspose all the Cs in your keys by a quarter tones, up or down!..i never seen this arabic scale converter, in any shop here in London, give me some time i will ask the KORG distributor in Melten Keynes.

regards.

younes_uk

[Malik]

wa 3laykum asSalaam ya Younes,
Thank you for your informative reply. No, I am not well informed on Maghrebeyyah music, save what I listen to, and your posts have been a great deal of information to me and look forward to any other things that you are willing to share
My backround in music has started with trumpet playing funk and soul. I currently work with MIDI hardware production units and DJ gear, and have been learning theory in jazz and make lo-fi beats with low end melodies(that's were the butter is at).

So far what I have learned about Arabic and Moroccan scales, modes, etc. are:
-Chijaz (in G): G, A, 1/4Bb, C, D, Eb, F#, G
-Two main Moroccan rhythmic patterns are the Malfuf and the Tcheeftateli. Malfuf is the rhythmic pattern that keeps repeating itself again and the first beat is always accented with a low bass sound on a darbouka. In Tcheeftateli patterns the accent is on the second and the fourth beat, just like in jazz.
- The meters in Moroccan music are varied, and the most common ones are: 12/8, 11/8, 9/8, 8/8, 7/8, 6/8, 5/4, 4/4, 3/4.

So as you can see, I do not know a heck of a lot yet I wish to learn a bit what I can and just make some funk.