Buying a Piano In Riyadh

For a place that frowns on music in public, there sure is a lot of it around in private!  Ladies shake their booties to the latest beats at weddings.  Musicians are hired to back up crooning singers at private parties.  And the occasional hotel hires those self-playing piano's to provide background music as their guests dine.  Yes, there is a lot of music in this country supposedly devoid of it.  And I intend to add to the mix by buying a piano from a music shop here in Riyadh.  Well, actually it's more like an electronic keyboard than a piano.  But it makes piano sounds, so I'm calling it a piano!

This urge to buy a piano was reached after our friend bought her lovely self playing baby grand (you can pick one up from the music store in Akaria Mall if you're looking), and every now and then when I pass it in her lounge I lift the lid and press a key or two.  Ahhh...I love the sound of a piano.  Unfortunately my piano playing skills suck, every so slightly, so the lid is closed quick smart as I move on through to the kitchen for coffee, dreaming about what could have been.

You see, my parents determined, way back in my childhood, that I should take piano lessons.  My father was a self-taught piano player and I guess my parents figured that I, along with my two older brothers, could do with some cultural input - hence a piano teacher was engaged.  Mrs W (I can't actually remember her name, isn't that terrible, so Mrs W willl do), was an elder woman with fading reddish, coiffed hair, a pale powdered face and orange lipstick, and she would sit beside me each week as I tickled the piano keys.  Unfortunately, on the days she wasn't there, not much key tickling took place at all no matter how much my mother tried to cajole me into my piano practice.  So, after a few months, Mrs W suggested my parents money could be better spent elsewhere than on me and the piano.  There ended piano lessons.

Perhaps if she'd stuck with me she would have realized I quite like the piano.  Yes, I had a lazy left hand - but I was a kid!  How am I supposed to know my left hand needs attention.  Shouldn't the teacher have loved my left hand, coaxed it, encouraged it, been patient with it.  Maybe she had visions of concert pianist grandeur and I proved to be way off the mark.  Who knows.

Looking back I don't think I deserved to be given up on.  Imagine the emotional trauma I must have gone through being told, at 10 years of age (or thereabouts), that you're piano teacher has dumped you. (In truth when Mum passed on that news I think my response was more like, 'Really?  Can I go out and play now?  Woohoo!' but I was young and probably didn't fully understand the repercussions that being unceremoniously let go would have on my adult self in later years.....if you give me some time, I'm sure I can think up a few issues related to the occasion!...Ummmm, no.  Moving on.)

Anyway, my parents later discovered that my younger sister was, I have to say, a much better student than the rest of us.  And when, years later still, our youngest daughter said she'd like piano lessons, we borrowed a dear old aunts piano, found a tutor and it turns out the lazy left hand fell a mile away from the tree.  Killa has an electronic keyboard at her place, and we love to sit and hear her play when we visit.  (Occasionally I'll sit and hash over a few of her music sheets, for old times sake, but lets face it, I'm rusty!)  And Dad still plays, though with his Alzheimer's affliction the music can be somewhat random!


The upshot of all this is I quite like the sound of piano.
So I'm going to buy me one.
From the music shop in Riyadh.
As we live in a small one bedroom apartment, as much as I'd like a a self-playing baby grand, space dictates I get a smaller piano, hence the electronic keyboard.  I've already sussed out a piano teacher too should I decide teaching myself isn't achieving awesome results.  And I'm  having words with my left hand!



Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Singing In Riyadh's Choir.

People tend to make a song and dance about living in Saudi Arabia but, really, it's not that bad once you get the hang of it.  Finding things to do in Riyadh isn't difficult either if you keep your ear to the ground or ask around.   In fact, you could quite easily collect hobbies while living here.

The thing with living in Saudi is that, because there is so little to do, once you find something to do, even though you may not normally do it back home, you're more likely to be talked into doing it here because the other option, doing nothing, will make you go La La eventually.  I've tried my hand at a couple of things since arriving in Riyadh, just because.

Case in point, one day, late last year, a lady I met at a coffee morning (great places to get info, coffee mornings) told me she sang in a choir.  She said this very nice group of people get together regularly to practice various musical pieces and, every so often, they also put on a performance or two for friends, family and complete strangers who get talked into buying tickets.

That day, I was one of those complete strangers.  So impressed was I with the fact there was a choir in Riyadh that, after attending the show which, that year, was based on movie soundtracks, I decided to join. Contact details were obtained, emails sent and next thing you know, I'm at choir practice.  That my voice was a little rusty didn't matter.  Once upon a time I used to sing in the church choir in Kaeo.  Granted, my Aunty ran the choir and, in all probability, let me in because she knew my mother can sing.  It's unfortunate the gift wasn't passed on in the genes but God loves a trier, right?  And so does the Riyadh Choral Society.

On arrival I was asked if I was a soprano, alto or something I'd never heard of.

Ummmmm..... I don't know.
So do you sing high or low?
Ummmmm....

Talk about having a voice identity crisis!
Aunty never asked me any of these questions back in Kaeo.

Do you like to sing the tune or harmonise?
Oh, I can't harmonise to save myself.
You're on this side with the tune singers then.

It occurred to me, while standing amongst the tune singers, that I actually can't sing!  Or, at least, the lack of practice over the years had seriously choked up the vocal chords.  I wasn't daunted though.  Fortunately, some years back, we fostered a group of siblings and, one of them, we enrolled in The Australian Girls Choir.  The head of the choir told us that one way you can learn how to sing is to sit amongst singers and simply tune in your ears while mouthing the words.  I fell back on that advise when, every now and then, my voice went 'Arrrgh'  not  'Tweet'.

Unfortunately, my time on Riyadh's expat choir was short lived.  Not from lack of singing ability - of course not!   Life events served to interrupt my dreams of participating fully in the Riyadh Choral Society, and I haven't quite managed to get myself back there.  I remain, however, an ardent fan of this dedicated choir and  I am always promoting their existence to other Expats I meet who have reached that point where they are wanting to contemplate more than their navel while living in Riyadh.

If, one day, you meet a stranger selling tickets to a choral show in Riyadh, buy them, go, you may find yourself inspired to bolster the choir numbers.  And if this post has inspired you, click over to  Contact a Kiwi, drop me a line and I'll send you the Riyadh Choral Society addy.



Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Stuff you're unlikely to see in Saudi

I love surfing the net and finding 'flash mob' activity.
Here's some things I've come across lately that make me think: Would this happen in Saudi?



Given that music played publicly has questionable status for a certain sector of the KSA community, this may be asking too much.  And I'm not sure how many of the natives are classical instrument players anyway. Curiously though, there is a center for music that has just opened it's doors in Riyadh where youngsters can learn music (it's called Tune Music Center, phone 01 225 6729) and most major malls have music shops where you can buy musical instruments.  Just don't plan to use them in Saudi for busking.




This isn't exactly a flash mob but it's cute all the same. Even though marriages are arranged here something like this could happen on one of Riyadh's streets, don't you think?  On second thoughts, maybe not.  Women are not to be seen dancing in mixed company or in public.  Such activity is reserved for women only events or a saucy night in the boudoir with the spouse of your dreams.

And from home.


I wonder if the Riyadh's airport revamp includes dancing cleaners?  It might be a way for them to earn a little extra cash in the arrivals hall. 

Last, but by no means least...a Haka.


I wonder if the NZ Embassy could get together a kiwi haka mob in the middle of Riyadh? I bet they'd be keen as mustard to organise that :)

A bit of harmless flash mob activity would certainly add a bit of excitement to the Riyadh landscape and doubtless there are Saudi youth with enough nouse to put a flash mob together I'm just not sure what talent they would be flashing.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Saudi Hip Hop

Hip Hop is alive and well in Saudi Arabia.  At least, according to an article I read in Time Mag it is.  Hip Hop might be underground in Saudi, but where there's a will there's a way for musicians to present their art to a listening audience.

The article made me curious.  So a cyber visit to You Tube, a button click away was in order and soon the sounds of Saudi artist Blak-R were soon emanating from the computer speakers.

I was pleasantly surprised with what I heard.  A scroll through other artists featured on the page resulted in a similar response - I liked what I was hearing. 

What was refreshing was the lack of American style foul mouth language that completely turns me off the majority of western rap.  Perhaps that is showing my age, or my lack of understanding of the roots of American Hip Hop.   Whatever the reason, hearing rappers expressing themselves regarding local issues using a broader range of vocabulary, mixed with Arabic, sits well with me.

The article made two things (well, more than two but I'll settle on these for the moment) painfully obvious.

First, I have not given Saudi's local music talent a second thought since I arrived.  Though I was aware the younger generations were struggling to be heard, that's as far as my knowledge went.

To be honest, I think I presumed, quite naively (or maybe ignorantly), that local music would largely consist of tribal drum beating, probably because the popular (and only) image of Saudi music publicized to the masses is the men's sword dance.  And the night we did enjoy local music with Saudi women, hand held drums were the instruments of choice.

Our gym plays a lot of Arabic music via Orbit (NZ's version of Sky).  Apart from the songs being in Arabic, which I can't understand, it all seems very similar in style, presentation and, as I mentioned to a fellow compound dweller who hails from Egypt, the only thing they seem to sing is variations on the word 'Habiibii'.

Listening to local Riyadh radio channels is not something I do on a regular basis.  My desire for music is usually met via the tunes on my iPhone or streaming New Zealand radio stations (usually The Edge, The Rock, ZM or Flava) over the net. The only local radio I hear in Riyadh is in the taxi, and that is usually jiggy Pakistani music.

Even if I did tune in to the local radio, somehow I doubt that Hip Hop music makes it to mainstream air waves in Riyadh.

I was also faced with the horrible fact that my last 18 months living in Saudi Arabia have been as a closeted expat - and here was me thinking I'm so progressive getting out and about. 

In Saudi it is easy to pretend that the gym routine and the round of coffee mornings that expat women have a tendency to sink into once they've given up fighting against the rules (and resigned to whining about them instead while in their compound closets, compound buses and Saudi versions of Western Malls) is real life.

It's not.
It's time to broaden my horizons some more. 

The article that spurred this blog entry is in Time Mag.
If you're interested in a blog where underground music rises up visit Re-volt Radio

And here is a taste of Saudi Hip Hop...

I hope you enjoyed this Saudi Hip Hop selection.  I did.



Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Singing Our Thanks To Saudi Women

After being invited to share an evening with a local family, my daughter and I ended up singing our thanks to  Saudi women.

Singing for your supper Kiwi? Why is that?

Because, I was very aware we had no way of repaying these wonderful Saudi women for their hospitality.  We can’t invite them back to our home - they aren’t permitted on expat compounds unless they uncover, and they aren't about to do that.  What to do Pounamu?

I decided to do what comes naturally for we native folk from New Zealand.  A waiata was in order.  After explaining to my friend what we wanted to do and why, who then got permission from the grandmothers present, we were given the floor and we sang a Maori song.  At the time it didn’t even occur to me that music and singing is religiously banned in Saudi Arabia.

In hindsight, and given recent articles and discussions on music in this country, I do wonder were we insulting these Muslim women by exercising our own traditional custom in this situation.

Music is part of my culture and who I am….I was doing what felt right. By stating categorically that music is banned, does Islam in Saudi Arabia not respect or have room for anyone or anything but their own?  Were we, by raising our voices in native song and singing our thanks for these Saudi women, little more than wicked infidels?

From the response we received, I have my doubts.  The grandmothers and aunties loved the waiata.  I’m guessing, they remember a time when life was a little less repressed in Saudi Arabia, which, I understand, wasn’t that long ago.  They dug out some traditional instruments, drums mainly, and started singing what I gathered were traditional Saudi songs.

They were encouraging the younger women to sing too.  Though I don’t understand Arabic I recognize a chorus when I hear one and the younger generation pitched in for a few of those refrains but, and you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to figure this out, it’s hard for your daughters and grand-daughters to learn songs in their totality if they rarely hear them because of an imposed religious ruling that bans music and, I’m presuming, the nervousness attached with being caught flouting that rule.

On this particular night though, the elder women were letting their hair down, just a bit, and they were having so much fun.  It pays to remember life in Saudi Arabia isn't all bad.

There is a glimmer of hope that constraints on expressing oneself through toe tapping tunes, soulful ballads or gentle lullabies may be lightened, as a former Saudi Imam did something unimaginable recently – he researched the basis for current ‘No Music’ rulings and came to the conclusion they were unfounded.  Follow this link if you’d like to read about him Changing his Tune.

Of course, as is the norm, he was blasted for his stance.  I wonder what upset the critics most - that he dared firstly, to undertake research or that he had the nerve to admit his previous stand may have been wrong based on that research or for going public with what he found.  Most normal people would consider such a man in a positive light, wouldn’t they?  A man of integrity, honesty and good moral character.

How’s this for a suggestion that would allow scholars to reassess and reverse the ‘No Music’ rule without losing face.  There is a stack of scientific evidence that music enhances intelligence and has other positive effects on human health.  Perhaps scholars could, after perusing this evidence and being happy with its validity, (because I’m sure no scholar goes public or supports anything without having fully researched it first) can say something along the lines of ‘Music’s ability to enhance intelligence and, therefore, the capacity for learning will assist a person’s [Muslims] potential for studying, understanding and applying the Quran.  For that reason music of moral high standards, (meaning it must not through its lyrics lead to sinful acts, an opinion espoused by some scholars already) is allowable.’

I see this as a win-win action. Why?

You would think any resource that assists youth to take on board the messages in the Quran must be welcomed with open arms by scholars and clergy (is that the right word for Saudi religious leaders?).  Academic success is highly valued amongst Saudi parents and if music is going to enhance their child's educational outcomes I'm sure they will be very keen to have it incorporated into the curriculum.  And I’m certain there are musical artists in Saudi Arabia (singers, songwriters and musicians) just itching for a chance to work on and present their craft.  Not to mention the employment generated for Saudization - someone has to run the recording studios.  Yes, a win-win situation all round.

How successful are scholars or religious types going to be in continuing to try and muzzle music?

Saudi’s,  particularly the young generation, watch music shows via satellite and the majority have iPods or similar audio devices (thank goodness for the all-covering abaya and head scarf to hide those bits and pieces). There’s even a not so underground group of Saudi musicians and bands that 'do their thing' at private parties and over the internet.  Stories abound of the latest musical hits reverberating through function centers while women dance in their expensive finery till the wee small hours at weddings and, being a country that loves weddings, there are plenty to go to.

Yes, the religious rule might be saying one thing, but the will of the new generation is practicing another.

I know, because a large part of the evening prior to singing our thanks to Saudi women was spent dancing to the latest Arabic music downloaded from the internet, and the young ladies knew all the words to those songs.

Is music allowed in Islam?

Many Saudi experts on Islamic religion are of the opinion that music is evil and promotes, among other things, hypocrisy of the heart.

In the past, musical instruments were viewed so negatively that even being able to name them was taboo.  This article, ‘We see them, we hear them but we can’t’ name them’, written in 2005, sheds some light on that bizarre concept. I believe many restrictions mentioned in this article still stand – though I’m happy to be corrected on that.

Other scholars disagree with their colleagues and believe music and singing can be allowed under certain conditions, mainly if they do not encourage committing sinful acts.
But unfortunately, I think they are in the minority….

The Husband told me that music wasn’t allowed here.

We were shopping and I was singing - a habit that probably resulted from the marketing ploy used in every country, except this one, utilizing background music to create happy shoppers.  Being a typical consumer, I was lulled into buying mode to the sounds of Kenny Rogers and even used to enjoy singing along.

Hubster informed me that singing was Haram (not allowed).  This information was followed with a story about the guy who used to call the prayers at the mosque near our place.  Apparently, he got the sack because his voice was too nice – too musical. How sad is that! It explains why we currently have some loud guttural type, who coughs a lot.

It's understandable why music is not played in Saudi malls.  Shopping is one of the few things that Saudi women are permitted to leave the house for so music isn't required to encourage them.

Recently, I've noticed a couple of restaurants are playing background music - Kenny Rogers again (he's a popular background guy).  I did wonder if there would be a rush to turn down the volume the minute a bearded type walks into the establishment.

What is the result of a Saudi religious imposed ‘no music’ rule?

Well, the young mothers I meet don’t sing to their children. Yet, they buy musical toys that play western nursery rhyme music. They are a little embarrassed to say that they don’t know the words to these ditties, and ask me to sing them. I get the impression they would love to sing to their babies, it feels right for a mother to bond with her child in this way, but being told all your life that singing is evil probably acts as a handbrake.

One day I sang a lullaby to an unsettled babe.  Her young mother was impressed, especially as her daughter drifted off to sleep.  A query regarding Saudi lullabies met with ‘We don’t have any’ which I found astounding.

I’m willing to bet if I asked Saudi grandmothers, they would know lullabies. Music wasn't always banned. It couldn't have been because if you Google history of Saudi music you’ll find information on Saudi folk music and dance.

What, exactly, does the Saudi religious crowd find so evil about singing your child to sleep with words like ’Sleep my little one sleep, fond vigil I’ll keep’? What hypocrisy in the heart could this be creating?

You would think it doesn't matter if a parent teaches their own own children a few songs. But the religious zealots here have a history of dishing out violence - they killed a lot of people to garner compliance to the cause. (Much like every other religion I've studied).  Even today, care must be taken at all times regarding who members of the family interact with as, I've been told there are still rewards offered for those who dob in any ‘bad’ Muslims.   Talk about create an environment of trust along with your religion of peace.

After being told to stop singing because music isn't allowed in Islam a little internet research was undertaken, just to check Hubster's information.  Here’s a couple of comments I found on the net about women and singing.  And note, they are only about women and singing.  Obviously, yet again, men can do whatever they want!

"In Islam, the voice of women is ‘awra’, which means it should not be heard by a stranger,"

So, does this mean you can sing for you husband, family and child??  I'm guessing that's news to the mum's I know.


"Muslim women must refrain from adopting a voice 'muzayyana (adorned, soft and melodious) in order not to create' fitna (temptation) and arouse instincts,"

Arouse instincts?  Is it just me, or does it look like sex has reared its head again!  Why are Muslims in this part of the globe so obsessed with sex?

What happens if you come from a culture where music is the norm and valued?  Where singing is seen as an exchange of friendship and good will.  Like New Zealand Maori.  Well, Kiri and I sang for our supper one night in Saudi and we discovered that the general Saudi population has a slight difference of opinion regarding music and Islam.