Shimmy Mob - Washington, DC
Shimmy Mob - Washington, DC
Official team site representing our Nation's Capitol
How To Listen
How To Listen
Like a common orchestra, these instruments play in layers and is heavily percussive.
An orchestration usually begins with a prelude which the dancer is introduced.
It is the audible cue to the audience that the dancer is about to come on stage.
At times, they are pretty lengthy ranging up to nearly a whole minute of music.
The music that follows, is often called, a mejance, or 'entrance phrasing' and is
where the dancer enters and greets the audience.
Next are the drumming sounds. There are 2 easy distinct sounds: the 'doum' and the 'tek'. You will notice it is the rhythms that can be tricky but they repeat. After a listen, it will be easy to anticipate when the cycle repeats or changes. There are several popular rhythms found even in modern Egyptian pop music.
There will be flourishes from other instruments that sometimes makes the music sound faster that it really is. Other times when there is no drum accompaniment, it is usually referred to as a 'taqsim' -- it is marked by a very slow and emotional output from that particular instrument.
A wonderful resource for this music and it's history is The Foundation for Arab Music And Research
Happy listening!