What's in a Name?

In my previous entry, we listened to several songs set to a rhythm that repeats every four beats. If those songs were represented in Western musical notation, you would see this: 

The 4/4 symbol is called time signature. It indicates the meter of a musical composition. Meter is the number of beats per measure and the time value assigned to each of those beats.

In this case, the upper 4 represents what we have been talking about: that the rhythm of these songs has four beats per measure. 

For our purposes, we don't need to learn about the lower numeral but let's define it anyway: it indicates which note value (time value) constitutes one beat. In this case it's a quarter note (remember those pesky fractions in grade school?) This is the quarter note symbol:  

So... 4/4 means that for each measure there will be 4 (upper numeral) quarter notes (lower numeral).

This is the eighth note symbol:  An eighth note is half the time of a quarter note. A time signature of 9/8 would indicate that there are 9 eighth notes per measure: 

To make things easier to read, eighth notes get tied in groups:

The beauty of Western musical notation is that anybody who has studied it—regardless of language and country of origin—is able to read it and interpret it the same. A Japanese violinist can play with an American orchestra, even if he doesn't speak English. But if I go to Germany and tell a bellydance student to do a chassé, she might look at me as if I had two heads. Why? Because she calls that movement "step-step-step". Dance doesn't have a standardized nomenclature*, let alone a written symbolic system**. But in the music world, on paper, 4/4 means the same whether it's printed in Europe, America or the Middle East.

Which brings me to my disclaimer:

Here (on this continent), in the "classroom," we analyze and separate elements into neat packages. We give things names. We do it so we can teach and learn faster. But the origins of this music and dance are quite different. Raqs Sharqi (Oriental Dance) was originally done only in homes, passed on by imitation, and learned the way we learn to speak: naturally and from childhood. And Middle Eastern music has grown organically in a vast number of countries and cultures. Therefore, you may find that: 

• Similar rhythms overlap
• A rhythm may have different names
• The same name may be used by some to call a rhythm, by others to call a style of dance, by others to refer to a music style.*** 

I will be teaching you the names as they make the most sense to me, giving you footnotes with other names you may encounter. The names are secondary, the most important thing is to develop your musical sensibility.

Now that we got that out of the way, let's mention that the basic Bellydance Rhythms in 4/4 meter are: Baladi, Maqsum and Saiidi.

Let's explore their deliciousness.

- Blanca

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RHYTHM & DRUM SOLO WORKSHOP
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* The dance form that comes closer to a universal nomenclature is classical ballet, but even this is far from being so. 

** Labanotation is a system for body movement notation but, in actuality, very few people know and use it. It costs thousands of dollars to get a dance notated by a professional, plus film and written notes are necessary to supplement the information.

*** This is a fascinating subject. I just took a weeklong workshop with Morocco where she and Tarik Sultan explained many questions that had been burning my mind. I can't wait for her to finish her book. In the mean time, you can read her informative articles.