During my
2006 tour to Egypt, I asked people along the way what was the highlight of
the event so far. Several people thought that the Tannoura show was
excellent, particularly the sagat player. I’ve been to Egypt many
times and have seen the Tannoura show multiple times, but each time it gets
better and better. The performers are more in tune with each other. The
venues have improved. The group has gotten larger, and the performances are
more complex. So, I had to agree that the show was a highlight and the
sagat player stood out in particular. It just seemed natural then that I
should ask the group if they would be interested in seeing if it would be
possible to study finger cymbals with him.
We found
out that the sagat player was named Adel Youssef and he was very
interested in tutoring us. He not only played finger cymbals, but he danced
and offered to teach us that as well. I wasn’t sure about his knowledge of
Raqs Sharki since that’s NOT what he was doing on stage, but we all agreed to
give it a go.
Before
we started class, Mr. Youssef made sure that we all had the same brand of
finger cymbals so that his ear was not distracted by a bunch of different
tones. He examined the sagat we already had and chose a pair among
those offered. We scattered to find ten more pair just like those.
The next
day’s class consisted of Mr. Youssef showing us the proper posture, how to
hold our hands for the best quality of sound, and how to breathe. We played
a triplet and a simple pattern for an hour while focusing on these
qualities. Each time someone dropped her posture or stopped breathing, he
corrected her. It might sound very basic, repetitive, and not very useful
to someone who wasn’t there, but I can tell you that it made a tremendous
difference to have sagat approached by a musician who focuses not on
what to play, but how to play.
Another
interesting thing that Mr. Youssef did was put himself in “performance
mode” each time he played- even if it was only to play two measures. You
could see him transform into someone who was on stage playing for an
audience each time his cymbals connected. It helped me to see that
practicing in performance mode not only assures that you will have a stage
face during the entire performance, but it makes the experience more joyous
to experience.
The second hour of class was
devoted to belly dance. It didn’t occur to me to ask about music prior to the
class, but it didn’t matter. We didn’t use any. Mr. Youssef instructed us to
get up one by one and dance to music in our heads. When he saw something he
wanted to comment on, he said, “Stop.” He’d then show us a way to make what
we were doing better. For some there were postural improvements. For some it
was dynamics changes. Others got hints on how to give more structure or
emotion to what they were doing. Whether you were watching or dancing, you
were getting something useful. All of his tips showed that he had a fantastic
eye for body line, movement, and aesthetics.
Mr. Youssef’s teaching was very
personal and targeted. I realize that his class is not what most Americans
want out of a workshop, but I think it’s more what we need to compliment
weekly technique classes. I wish he could come to the USA to teach, but his
limited English and the difficulty in getting a visa probably makes that
impossible. So if this is the type of instruction you desire, you are going
to have to go to Egypt to get it. You can see him Saturdays and Wednesdays at
the Tannoura show. He’s the only sagat player, so you can’t miss him.
… And tell him Taaj sent you!
