Egyptian Music & Practice For Bellydancers

The booklet (included with physical CD purchase only) contains four chapters. The first has 21 rhythms used in Egyptian dances. It has two purposes: to guide you to learn and tap the rhythms, and to have you dance to recorded examples of each rhythm. Chapter 2 familiarizes you with the modes in two ways: musical scales and short melodies. Chapter 3 describes the musical instruments, and includes a photograph and a sound example of each one. Chapter 4 explains the main musical forms. Their understanding is crucial for your choreography because your movements must reflect the structure of the music. Dr. Sawa is an Egyptian trained musician (qanun player), theorist and historian. He has produced 'The Art of the Early Egyptian Qanun, vols. 1 and 2 featuring dances of Badia Masabni, Taheyya Carioca, Samia Gamal and spiritual dances from Egypt and the 17th-century Ottoman Court. Vol. 1 was nominated for a JUNO award in 2009. Michel Merhej Baklouk accompanied Feyrouz for 50 years and performed for both Taheyya Carioca and Samia Gamal. Suzanne Meyers Sawa studied drumming in Egypt. ('An Excellent Resource for Dancers,' Yasmina Ramzy, Arabesque, Toronto).