Thread: Need music for beginning choreo

I just can't seem to find anything I like. Ideal music would be 3-5 minutes in length, upbeat,have some simple rhythm changes. Small drum solo included would be plus.

Songs I've used before and like but I need something new:

Efred by Hakim
Tigi ya Matigish
Zay el helwa

Oh any video clips or links to sound would be appreciated.

How about Zeina -short, fun, and changes in rhythm-I never tire of it ..g.:
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S2IMT6/ref=dm_dp_trk12?ie=UTF8&qid=1264780016&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: Zeina: Mohamed Abdel Wahab: MP3 Downloads[/ame]

1. This term I am using "Bellydance Mini-Show" from Amir Naoum Chehade's Bellydance New York album (Itunes). Time: 6:36, but I start it at approx. 3:00 so it goes like: a "Soode soode" part for brief entrance, then a nice chifte, then short drum solo, then finale. Perfect for beginners! Has that cool NYC retro kinda Turkish/Armenian sound. All instruments, not synth.
2. Pop song - "Khad Alby Ma'ah" (my love took my heart) Amr Diab. I use for beg. zill or non-zill, I cut a bit past 3 min. It's pretty, simple but not too reptitive and students like the perkiness. I use Amr Diab a lot for beg. chor. Amerain (cut) is nice, Habibi Ya Nour el ain (overused some places but not really where I live)
3. If you like Eddie "the Sheik" Kochak: "Velerie" from Vol. 6 [except for the abrupt ending that segues into veil, I usually have them clap or something to mask that] &then add #3 from Vol. 3 (not a drum solo but drummy) = 3:40 or so. For longer, I use Velerie with Nila for veil right after as it does segue so beautfully into slow. I like to use veil with beginnners, I know some teachers don't, but I find it helps them loosen up. Usually ..g.:
Have fun! Share with me some others that you have used... From your clips & reading your posts, I like your style!
...I don't really know how to post music & vid on Bhuz..

Mmmm. I should mention I haven't figured out how to edit music yet. I've just conquered the transferring VHS to DVD and backwards but haven't tackled music editing yet.

That Belly Dance mini-show sounds interesting though. I like the fact that it is on i-tunes form some of students are computer savvy but others aren't. Can you buy the CD somewhere? I definitely want to check that out.

You are giving me an idea. I do have a 5 minute Greek style "belly gram" from Conchi that I once used to teach a workshop in Chicago. I wonder if that would work? In the workshop I used veil but I suppose I could substitute slow moves. MI don't teach veil in beginners. Mmm. I'll have to listen to that again.

Zeina was actually a song I was considering but I'd prefer something more upbeat this term. I changed my format to include more up tempo songs to get more cardio as the majority of my students are taking class for exercise, only a few really want to learn to dance so I'm trying to find a song that meets both needs. A task indeed.

I have some Eddie Kochak stuff on tape. I'll give him a re-listen.

I was hoping to find an Amr Diab song I liked of the CD's I already own but the only one I do is Eleos. And for some reason I ruled it out.

I see I'm going to have to invest in some more CD's.

I like the CD "Belly Dancing For Fortune and Fame" for beginners. It has a nice mix of music and you could put a couple of short tracks together for beginners.

Norma, how 'beginner' are they? 6mos, 1yr, 2yrs?

Beginner!!!!! They are into the 3rd week of class. I have a 10 week class. I drill them for 5 weeks on basic moves then do a choreo the remaining 5 weeks. It's one reason I'm so picky with the music. I need something that's interesting enough for me to work with but that I can still break down real easy.

Originally Posted by norma

I was hoping to find an Amr Diab song I liked of the CD's I already own but the only one I do is Eleos. And for some reason I ruled it out.

Amazon has been slowly increasing its inventory of Arabic pop MP3s, and if you are looking for Amr, they have his last four albums online, including a free cut of "Ne'oul Aih" off the "Rotana Presents: Music From The Middle East " sampler. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KX0IJS/ref=dm_ap_alb1?ie=UTF8&qid=1264862763&sr=1-49]Amazon.com: Rotana Presents: Music From The Middle East: Various Artists: MP3 Downloads[/ame]Even though it's a pretty modern song (and possibly not your taste if you were looking for something traditional), you can't beat "free, legal download" for a teaching option, and there are six other options from that CD. If you want to bump up in price to the "just under a dollar" range, Amazon has singles from other major releases, too.

I've enjoyed teaching some of George Abdo's songs to beginners, including "Raks Araby", track #4 on this album available from Amazon. It has a fairly up-beat melody punctuated by solo tabla sections:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Belly-Dance-George-Flames-Orchestra/dp/B000S98YWY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1264866880&sr=8-7]Amazon.com: Belly Dance!: The Best of George Abdo and His Flames of Araby Orchestra: George Abdo: MP3 Downloads[/ame]

Good luck!


Khalida

Pop music is okay as long as it has some changes. I don't want the same rhythm all the way through.

Free downloads is probably the way to go. Most beginners don't want to spend anything more than the class fee.

Originally Posted by norma

Pop music is okay as long as it has some changes. I don't want the same rhythm all the way through.

Free downloads is probably the way to go. Most beginners don't want to spend anything more than the class fee.

"Ne'oul Aih" does go into a slight mood change where a violin comes in at the 3:00 mark, followed by a very short a cappella bit before the fade, but, yeah, it's mostly a disco song, and not my favorite by Amr either. My guess is that using it for an up-tempo veil piece would be the most interesting thing you could do with a song like that, since there isn't a lot of room to vary the dancing itself.

Did you listen to the other songs on that CD? They're not all throbbing crazy. "Baada aal bal" by Fadl Shaker is still pretty consistent tempo, but at least it's obvious sections of chorus and verse instead of continuous drum machine.

I forgot there was a Turkish pop sampler in the free area on Amazon, too. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002K2H1TE/ref=sr_1_album_1_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B002K2F11E&qid=1 264869558&sr=1-1]Amazon.com: Turkish Hits Vol. 1: Various Artists: MP3 Downloads[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Bellydance-New-York-Amir-Naoum/dp/B0014WV1RE]Amazon.com: Bellydance New York - with Amir Naoum: Amir Naoum Chehade;Elias Sarkar: Music[/ame]
Here's Bellydance New York on Amazon in CD form as well as single song $.99.
Yah, if you have a bellygram shortie that you like, just sub slow moves where U might have done veil.
Beginners for me are sometimes more challenging than more advanced - I still need to feel inspired by the music, yet it needs to be something they can feel accomplished about, so they come back for more!

Beginner beginner - I like Raks Araby or a short pop song. Also like the shorter versions of Habibi Ya Einy. I'm picking choreo music for beginners too, so I feel your pain. Trying to find something fun but not too repetative, interesting, and still ok for beginning students.

Originally Posted by LiesaB.

Amazon.com: Bellydance New York - with Amir Naoum: Amir Naoum Chehade;Elias Sarkar: Music
Here's Bellydance New York on Amazon in CD form as well as single song $.99.
Yah, if you have a bellygram shortie that you like, just sub slow moves where U might have done veil.
Beginners for me are sometimes more challenging than more advanced - I still need to feel inspired by the music, yet it needs to be something they can feel accomplished about, so they come back for more!

I'm keeping this as a back-up idea. I didn't buy the CD because it doesn't have the sound I'm looking for and I didn't care for most of the other choices. However, I noticed that it uses the song Raks Mustapha and after going through my CD's today, I was wishing for a shorter version of that song and it appears this may be it. So it's a definite maybe. If I go with it I'll just do a download.

Originally Posted by TexasRuya

Beginner beginner - I like Raks Araby or a short pop song. Also like the shorter versions of Habibi Ya Einy. I'm picking choreo music for beginners too, so I feel your pain. Trying to find something fun but not too repetative, interesting, and still ok for beginning students.

Yes, beginners are so hard. I've spent the last year trying to find a new song and I'm down to the wire now! I've got 2-3 weeks!

I've been listening to various versions of Habibi ya einy and just can't find one that's right. They Maya Yazbeck is a perfect tempo for beginners but her lalala gets on my nerves plus it's too hard to find. I like the Nancy Ajram version and that's an option but there isn't much variety of rhythm.

SO! After listening to hours of clips on line and going through my CD's I decided it was time to buy new music. I just splurged and bought all 7 volumes of BDSS. I know, hard to believe I didn't own any. At least the songs are edited and they have a good range and selection of songs. I own some songs already on original CD's but there are many songs I don't have.

There goes the first paycheck! Sigh.

My favorite version of Habibi ya einy: the Sultans! On old records :-) & on the CD Best of. I also like the version on Amira Mor's CD, a nice 4 min. I used that once in a beginner class.

I used to love the Sultans! I got to dance with them once at a festival in Kalamazoo!

Originally Posted by norma

I used to love the Sultans! I got to dance with them once at a festival in Kalamazoo!

Cool!

I've always used George Abdu for choreographies for complete beginners. It is usually for their first public performance. If the music is too complex or there's too much for a nervous beginner to remember the result can be memory blanks on performance night leading to loss of confidence. My aim is to ensure that their first public outing is a good experience for them and not too nerve wracking. I look for the type of music that has musical cues and 'tells them what to do'. I try to teach those crucial listening/interpreting skills in the early days as a tool for later improvs with live musicians when you really don't know what's going to happen next.
So, for a first choreography I look for music with no surprise changes of rhythms, a steady pace though this doesn't have to be slow, maybe a couple of simple accents points to keep it interesting. I like GA as many of his pieces are the right length (3 mins approx) and 'Western' enough sounding so the beginner students can relate to it, as often they've never heard true Middle Eastern music of any type before. (LOL, I introduce my students to the mizmar waaaaay further down the track.)

'Layla' from Bellydancing for Fortune and Fame - it's just under 3 minutes, has clear sections, uses two different rhythms, and is a (short version of a) classic tune.

Yes! I've used this a bunch too. And others from the CD as well for class.

Salaam Allay, by Kairo by Night. :)

Here's a clip of my beginner class (and me) performing to it on Saturday:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytmIrlMSmkE]YouTube - 2010 Mini Hafla Las Vegas[/ame]

Okay you bunch of enablers! In desperation I ordered 2 CD's recommended: Belly Dance for Fame and Fortune ( I've heard so much about it on bhuz, I gave in) and Belly Dance New York just because I needed another $11+ dollars to qualify for free shipping on Amazon!

I would have ordered the Sultans but I didn't find them on Amazon.

Anyway...despite all that, I may have found a song. You will think I'm crazy to pick it for beginners but I think I can do it if I can work out the transititions. It's Tales of the Sahara.

Just for my own edification, because I'm pretty sure this is the song I want to do, I'm posting youtube clips of this song. I've figured out most of what I want to do while dancing in my car while driving. But I'm always interested in how someone else interprets a song.

I've discovered that Amal Gamal and I have the same taste in music.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHgfqkiT0-U]YouTube - Belly Dance SuperStar Amar Gamal 1 Tales of the Sahara[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY6M-n24_S8]YouTube - Tales of the Sahara, Lebanese Raqs Sharqi[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngZkhkP9rig]YouTube - Helene - Tales of the Sahara[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExdArB8fbeY]YouTube - Tales of The Sahara - Hawaii[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRlbwzR_W7I]YouTube - group "Amani" - "Tales of the Sahara"[/ame]

This is my music, I'm convinced. It has so many possibilties, from basic beginner to advanced solist. Some more clips.

I won't be using veil and spins of course as my ladies are too raw for that. But most of the traveling steps and basic BD steps are doable for beginners.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToJisPCb1Uk]YouTube - Sausan dances to Tales of Sahara - رقص شرقي - سوسن[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvSpN001z7U]YouTube - Tales Of The Sahara-Veil Dance in Korea[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SayLrYtGtQ]YouTube - Ozan - Tales of the Sahara[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EA0dPg8bB0]YouTube - Alia Belly Dance[/ame]

Well and HOLY COW!!!! I just started posting clips and didn't realize how popular a song this is!!! I haven't heard it much in my area. The first time I heard the song was from my friend Katya Faris. I remember her telling me it was popular but I had no idea! In my neck of the woods, live old classic music still reins even though the king is faltering from his throne.

Perfect! That will be an exciting beginner choreography! The down side of Bellydance NY CD & Belldancing for Fame & Fortune (or Fortune & Fame never can remember which LOL) is the spare, small band sound. I like it for beginner chor. , practice, parties, but Tales of the Sahara for ex. has a much lusher sound.
Do you remember RAJA?! Some of his stuff I don't care for, but Journey Into Rhythm has some great cuts. I had a student whom I coached for first solo, I had suggested Tales of the Sahara to her, as well some others including "Dancingly Yours" by Raja - she chose the Raja!
I don't think there are any Sultans albums that even made it to cassette!! The Best of the Sultans, produced by Omar Faruk Tekbilek, is on CD. Google it & there is somewhere you can buy it, don't remember where I got.
In the 80's, Ibrahim Turmen, Sultans' dumbek player, came here to lil ole Plattsburgh NY with Dahlal (my teacher knew her) to do a workshop, WOOT! Dancing & drumming oh my! He had these mini clay doumbeks & I bought one from him. So envious that you danced with the band, how cool is that.

Yes, I remember Raja!

Ibrahim Turmen was so cute back then. It was cool dancing with him. I remember he gave me a copy of their first cassette which must have recently been released at the time. Mmm. I wonder if I still have that?

Anyway, I'm excited about Tales of the Sahara. It's taken me over a year and about $300 worth of CD's to find something that I like enough to bother with breaking it down and writing a choreo so I can use it in the future.

I always kind of wonder, when people say they want to teach, do they realize how much effort goes into it?

I just got my Belly Dance New York CD. I wish the instrumentation was richer then it would rack up there as one of my all time favs. But even so, I think this is a great starter CD for beginners. It's definitely old school, but I like the fact that it names the rhythm of each selection. And apparantly it is paired with an instructional DVD Bellydance Show Basics for Beginners.

Originally Posted by norma

I just got my Belly Dance New York CD. I wish the instrumentation was richer then it would rack up there as one of my all time favs. But even so, I think this is a great starter CD for beginners. It's definitely old school, but I like the fact that it names the rhythm of each selection. And apparantly it is paired with an instructional DVD Bellydance Show Basics for Beginners.

Yes, that is my feeling about the CD as well. Great tunes, well done, but a bit "thin" sounding, definitely a keeper though! I did get the DVD by Tanna. PM me if you wish, I'll share my view on it.
Liesa