Thread: Songs every live band will know ?

So what would you all consider the standard repertoire for a live band?

I'm asking for 2 reasons -- one because I want to know (ballpark) what songs I might be able to request, and two because I want my mandolin and guitar players (my proto-band) to start working on some "standards."

The proto-band wants to play Greek, Turkish, Arabic, and Bluegrass (!) so I'm trying to find folky songs that would fit the bill (maybe not Bluegrass, but I think we can agree to disagree on that one.) I really can't see them pulling off something like Inta Omri, even though I'm sure it can be done.

If you're in a band, what are the top requests? What's actually as fun to play as it is to hear?

Many of the Abdel Halim songs such as Sawwah, Gana El Hawah, Neptidi M'neim El Hikaya (or Ta Mavra Matia Sou in Greek).

Zeina for sure. It's a fairly easy song to play. And I agree with Norma-Ta Mavra Matia Sou. Also, you could do some songs like Caravan or Misirlou which are very recognizable. Fayek Lamkinna and Erev Shoshanin are popular slower songs.

love love it!!! Is there a musician's top 25 anywhere? I think I can get these guys to learn 20-30 songs.

I put up a list a while ago but haven't updated it recently: LARaqs Resources

Please let me know if there are any obvious ones missing from the list!

For a list that covers more of the PanArabic repertoire, Scott Wilson's CDs and the songs on Dorku.com - Learn Middle Eastern Music could be a good start.

Absolute essentials I'd count on are Miserlou, Rompi, Shashkin, Uskudara.

Ai ya zein
Aziza
Zeina
Shatti Ya Dinya
Nassam Alayna El Hawa
Bint el-Shalabiyya
Lamma Bada Yatathanna
Aal Nadda
Ya Banat Iskindiriyya (Turkish)
Inta Omri
Leylet Hub
Ya Salaam

This is what my band has so far
I have a list of songs I am transposing since sheet music doesnt exist

This is good to see other peoples lists, so a dancer can know what to be familiar with too, when getting to dance with a live band.

Here's a mild thread highjack question pertaining to music. If you were to record some of these "classic" songs, on a cd that you might then sell, are they copyrighted? or are they considered traditional and not subject to copyright? Any musicians know the answer?

Originally Posted by jamielynn

Here's a mild thread highjack question pertaining to music. If you were to record some of these "classic" songs, on a cd that you might then sell, are they copyrighted? or are they considered traditional and not subject to copyright? Any musicians know the answer?

It depends. Some are protected by copyright (more recent compositions), others are not (older tunes, e.g., Lama Bada)

You can go on the BMI website and type in the titles on a little search engine they have and it will tell you if they have the rights to it or not. There are writers' rights as well as artists' rights.

Seems to me any of these four Egyptian artists would be copyright protected.

Abdel Halim Hafez Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Farid Al Attrach.

"Abdel Halim Hafez's song Khosara enjoyed international fame in 1999 when producer Timbaland used elements from it for Jay-Z's song "Big Pimpin'". Two complete bars from "Khosara" were rerecorded, not sampled, and used without permission from the song's producer and copyright holder, Magdi El-Amroussi. Jay-Z's use of a rerecording, and not a sample, may allow Jay-Z to avoid paying royalties for the use of the song."

I haven't read up the lastest changes in copyright law, but last time I checked, the composer's rights are what matters when musicians want to record a tune and sell CDs. So, for Enta Omri, the person to worry about is Wahab (or alternatively, those who got the rights during or after his lifetime - whether it is his heirs or somebody else to whom the rights were transfered). In the US, the composer's copyright is in place for 70 years after his death.

As far as sheet music goes, other than Dorku and Mary Ellen Donald, what are the options?

I have found a bunch of resources for sheet music, here are all of my sources, some for free others for pay. I've bought all of the books listed here and am currently going through them slowly as there is a lot of material! I also will start having reviews posted on my blog: .:: Majida Anwar's Blog ::.

Jas's-- Middle Eastern Rhythms FAQ (for dumbec, doumbec, doumbek, arabic tabla, darabuka, tombak, zarb ...) : Rhythms for Dumbek and Belly Dance - Jas's great percussion site, complete with midi sound clips

Jas's-- Middle Eastern Sheet Music -- Arabic/Turkish/Greek/Persian - Jas's resource for some sheet music, in ABC notation and sheet music

Middle Eastern Sheet Music Archive - Archive of Middle Eastern sheet music, amazing resource.

http://ifdo.pugmarks.com/~seymour/midipage/ - AMAZING site I stumbled across with stuff from all over the world

Alsiadi's Music Scores It's your one-stop source for classical Arabic & Middle Eastern Music - Has a great selection of free music, but you have to download scorch to see the music.

Dorku.com - Learn Middle Eastern Music - Carmine and Melissa's transcribing project, some free pieces and a lot for sale for about .99 cents each

Arabic Musical Scores - Buy Sheetmusic - For purchase sheet music, mostly Egyptian and Lebanese

Arab music sheets « Karma for Drums - Random blog with some cool stuff for free

CD's and Books Available for Purchase - Mimi Spencer's and Mary Ellen Donald books - great song books, clear and organized, some with song lyrics.

Hope this helps!

~Majda

My list of songs that if i ask from a band (arabic mostly) they know them:

ya binti sultan
gana el hawa
alf leyla wa leyla
aziza
zeina
shik shak shok
wahasthini
sawah
salamat
gamil gamal
enta omri
luxor baladna
ya baladi awad

,r:;

Kat and Norma provided nice lists on this thread (posts #9 and #13): http://www.bhuz.com/forum/music-trad...d-dahlals.html

I forgot about that list! Keep in mind however that many of these songs may require quarter tones which requires special intruments to play them. I know most keyboardists and guitar players have to have the extra frets added to guitars, and the keyboard has to be programmed with it.

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter_tone]Quarter tone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

Middle Earth in San Diego has violin, dumbek, oud, flute in the band...and they can play:
Tamerhanna, Inta Omri, Bir Demet Yasemin, Rompi Rompi, Uskudara Gideriken, Ya Mustafa, Leila Leila (I think has a different name is the Khaledji style song)
The band I work with at the local Greek Venue plays almost all mentioned above because there is keyboard and Bazouki player (not necessarily the Bazouki player plays along all Arabic but some Arabic songs are either origninally Greek/Turkish or vica versa so they go almost Internationally?

Thank you SOOOOO much!!!!! All these links and suggestions are SO helpful!! THANK YOU!!!!!!

gotta add ana fi intizarak