Thread: Lama Bada Yatathana Rhythm

Can someone ID the rhythm in this song for me. I know I've heard it before, and will likely smack myself when you tell me, but I'm just blank.

Here's a clip of the song played live.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEP0oEmxmIY]YouTube - Ahel El Nagam & George Wakim playing "Lama Bada Yatathana"[/ame]

I can't get the clip at work right now, but if it's Lama Bada Ya Ta Thanna, I'm pretty sure it's 10/8 samai.

I can confirm that!! ;-)

Yep to what Nisaa says.

Thank you both! And now I know why it sounds familiar - I learned it in a Jim Boz master class a couple of years ago!

slightly off topic, but....

I love Lama Bada... it's one of my favorites!

Originally Posted by aazura

slightly off topic, but....

I love Lama Bada... it's one of my favorites!

Embarrassingly, I have been ignorant of this song up until a couple of weeks ago when my teacher used at my private lesson. She was pretty surprised I've never heard of it. But I'm in love with it now that I've found it.

I swear, there is some kind of international BD zeitgeist. I chose this song as a simple veil choreography for one of my classes (OK, 10/8 aside), and next thing I know Bhuz is awash with posts about the song!!!!!

I am using the Mosovo Edit, which is very simple and accessible. All they'll have to do is count like maniacs and they'll be fine.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

I swear, there is some kind of international BD zeitgeist. I chose this song as a simple veil choreography for one of my classes (OK, 10/8 aside), and next thing I know Bhuz is awash with posts about the song!!!!!

I am using the Mosovo Edit, which is very simple and accessible. All they'll have to do is count like maniacs and they'll be fine.

And er ......our troupe were discussing how we loved and how we had heard different versions over the years and what a lovely choice for a veil dance.Spooky..g.:

Weeeeoooooeeeeooooeeeeoooooeeeeooo. There will probably be orbs all over the photos. Probably spirits going "OMG this is a MUWASHA don't these people know ANYTHING what are they doing dancing in BEDLEH."

Originally Posted by zumarrad

Weeeeoooooeeeeooooeeeeoooooeeeeooo. There will probably be orbs all over the photos. Probably spirits going "OMG this is a MUWASHA don't these people know ANYTHING what are they doing dancing in BEDLEH."

Ha! Ethnic Orbs!

Clustering over dancers' bellies in a futile attempt to cover them.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

Clustering over dancers' bellies in a futile attempt to cover them.

But they will be outnumbered by Tribal Fusion Orbs, who will distract the Ethnic Orbs by aligning themselves to spell out the words "Art evolves."

International orbs at that

..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,

I didn't know that "Lama Bada" could be so amusing!

Hmm, I was THINKING about this song earlier today, does that count?

It's a thousand-year-old song from Moorish Spain, yet it's so beloved still. That's what I was thinking about. The melody is so perfect with the 10/8 rhythm.

One of the first rhythms I learned to play was 10/8 and for a long time I could only play it by "singing" the melody to myself in my mind.

I think the orbs DO like this song. Hehe. Joking. But maybe they have a sense of humor, too.

You can laugh at my orbs, that's fine, I only report what happened. I don't understand it, either.

It's a very beautiful piece of music. Until the other day I knew very little about it, and then suddenly Bhuz exploded with Lama Bada talk!

loooove this song too. i dance to two different versions of it. thanks for posting about the rhythm, for some reason i had never stopped to count this one out, and today i was driving down the interstate shouting 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 over my ipod, hahaha. it makes so much more sense now!

While we're talking Lama Bada and samai, this seems like it might be the place to settle a little controversy that came up in class recently. Is every 10/8 rhythm used in Middle Eastern music a samai, or are there other 10/8s with different names? And are there samais that are not 10/8?

I took a quick look here: Jas's-- Middle Eastern Rhythms FAQ (for dumbec, doumbec, doumbek, arabic tabla, darabuka, tombak, zarb ...) : Rhythms for Dumbek and Belly Dance and it shows some samais that aren't 10/8. (ooh - and it lists this one: curcuna 10/8)

(Hi!!!!! Call me soon. ..g.:)

Originally Posted by Zana

While we're talking Lama Bada and samai, this seems like it might be the place to settle a little controversy that came up in class recently. Is every 10/8 rhythm used in Middle Eastern music a samai, or are there other 10/8s with different names? And are there samais that are not 10/8?

Thanks, toots! ..g.:

(Hi yourself! I'd call you now if I weren't already toast after class and rehearsal. Tomorrow for sure -- it's been too long!)

It's Samai.

In a count of 10

1-+-2-+-3-+-4-+-5-+-6-+-7-+-8-+-9-+-X-+-|
D-----------T-------D---D---T-----------|

Originally Posted by Zana

While we're talking Lama Bada and samai, this seems like it might be the place to settle a little controversy that came up in class recently. Is every 10/8 rhythm used in Middle Eastern music a samai, or are there other 10/8s with different names? And are there samais that are not 10/8?

There are 10/8s that are not samai thaqil, and there are also other samai rhythms that are not 10/8, such as darj samai. This page has a really extensive listing of rhythms:

Arabic Rhythms

Thank you, Nisaa! This is really helpful.

It was my understanding that there were other 10/8s as well as other samais, but then we recently encountered a VIBP [Very Important Bellydance Person] in who told everyone "If it's in ten, it's a samai." There has been some confusion. It's not terribly important on the level on which we currently work with rhythms, but I'm happy not to be wrong.

Originally Posted by Zana

Thank you, Nisaa! This is really helpful.

It was my understanding that there were other 10/8s as well as other samais, but then we recently encountered a VIBP [Very Important Bellydance Person] in who told everyone "If it's in ten, it's a samai." There has been some confusion. It's not terribly important on the level on which we currently work with rhythms, but I'm happy not to be wrong.

Oh, good lord, not a VIBP!!!!!!!! I'm curious, was this person Egyptian, or non-Egyptian?

There is also info here about the samai musical form (which incorporates the 10/8 and 6/8 samai rhythms):

Arabic Musical Forms

Originally Posted by dunyah

Hmm, I was THINKING about this song earlier today, does that count?

It's a thousand-year-old song from Moorish Spain, yet it's so beloved still. That's what I was thinking about. The melody is so perfect with the 10/8 rhythm.

One of the first rhythms I learned to play was 10/8 and for a long time I could only play it by "singing" the melody to myself in my mind.

I think the orbs DO like this song. Hehe. Joking. But maybe they have a sense of humor, too.

You can laugh at my orbs, that's fine, I only report what happened. I don't understand it, either.

Spain? I feel offended! ..l;,

"Muwaxaha" is more known, in medieval portuguese poetry, as a poetical structure than as a rhythm. It has a huge influence in our medieval poetry and language.
The origin of "Muwaxaha" in Iberia is both arab and hebraic (according to authors like Hartman and Nykl). The most ancient texts are from the begining of the XI th century. Egyptian "Muwaxaha" come mostly from hebraic andaluzian sources.
But there is also a thesis that defend a latin-roman origin to "Muwaxaha" (authors like Ramon Menendez Pidal and Pierre le Gentil).

For an example of a song in the non-semai 10/8 rhythm curcuna, check out Noubar, Noubar (aka Nubar or Nubor). Fun tune, even though I can't get the hang of the rhythm. I esp. like the recording by John Berberian.

And here I thought it was Persian all this time....

Hi there!

It's Lama bad yeta thena (the way she sways) Andalusian Moorish period poetry with percusison rhythm 10/8 (samaii thakil- samaii slow).

Most samaii's are variants of the 10/8 rhythm, just maybe a few notes more or less (i.e samii zarafat is 13/8). Songs are also named samaii according to the rhythm (i.e. samaii aryan). Most musicians will know Lama bada & Samii aryan. These pieces are beautiful & timeless.

All 10/8 are NOT Sami.This particular song bores me to tears.
Its hard to do well.