Learning to Play Well with Others

[Abashai]

Timestamp: 40th Day of Fall, 509 A.V.
Location: Syliras - the Temple of All Gods, Office of the Benshiran representative to the Cultural Council
Thread Status: Self- Mod Training- Stringed Instruments, Oud

The morning sun streamed through the small window high in the wall, filling the small office, and illuminating the pile of parchment scrolls laid out on the worn wooden desk. The yellowed pages were covered in inky Shiber characters. After poring over the ancient writings for more than an hour, Abashai paused to close his eyes, digesting the wisdom he had fed on from the Penitas. After several minutes, he thanked Yahal for the encouragement of the sacred writings, raised his head and opened his eyes.

He carefully rolled up the scrolls that once belonged to his father and returned them to their leather tube. Abashia then laid them on a small shelf he had hung near the desk specifically for them. The benshiran councilman then rearranged the curious collection of items that adorned his desk. A smooth river stone, a hawk's feather, a scrap of a brightly colored silk, the skull of a mink. In fact, the room boasted quite a menagerie of sundry nick nacks from handfuls of shell beads to a mosquito encased in amber. They were all gifts from his kelvic bondmate, and he displayed them proudly. Finally he reached down to his boot and drew out a knife and set it on the table. The weapon's sheath was covered with stamped designs, another gift from Nya, his favorite because she decorated it herself. He always kept it with him, even in the Temple.

Reaching for the ould in the corner, Abashai kicked his feet up on the desk and began to idly pluck the strings. Soon the bells in the fortress rang out, and before the knell of the ninth and final bell had faded, a man appeared at the office door. Abashai removed his feet from the desk and greeted the visitor with a smile. "Falim, Adin. I was not certain musicians saw this hour of the morning!" He taunted. The subject of his joke was a tall, thin man in his mid 20's, wavy dark brown hair cropped just below the ears, he sported a beard like Abashai, but not as neatly trimmed. The young man wore a traditional long tunic, in a sublte blue, and a long tan coat over it. His feet were clad in sandals and he clutched an oud in his hand. "I told you I would be here, and look, not even a chime late." Adin chided.

Adin was one of a handful of Yahebah-born benshiran musicians that had made their way to Syliras. Abashai had found that the Benshira from the sacred city clung less to the rigid family structure than their nomadic kindred, and found it easier to follow the ocassional caravan that traveled beyond Eyktol.

"Please sit down." Abashai waved at a chair next to the desk. The young musician sat and rested his stringed instrument on his lap. "So," Adin grinned, "you want to learn to play well with others."

[Abashai]

Abashai laughed lightly at his new friend's pun. "Yes. I had learned to play parts while in school in Yahebah, but did not get to put it into practice. I've played alone a lot. When I would play with others in the desert, I would play main melody, since I was not comfortable with other parts."

The music of the peoples of Eyktol was quite different than that which was played in the north, the benshiran discovered. Where music in Sylira is played in chords, that is, one instrument may play several harmonic notes at once, desert musicians play single notes and employ a group of instruments, some playing versions of the melody and different harmonies, others rythymn, still others inserting riffs and such. Likewise, where other formats of music employ scales of notes in half steps, Eyktolian music was played in structures of quarter steps, providing more available notes for each key. Emphasized by syncopation, this method of music-making created rich, multi-faceted, intricate layers of sound that fueled the desert people's dances, from the euphoric dances of worship among the Benshira to the exotic dances of seduction of the Eypharians.

Indeed, Abashai could hold his own when he played, but his lone melodies lacked the richness typical of his people's music. The novice musician was not satisfied to play alone anymore, but needed a little practice to boost his confidence.

"Very well then, we'll start simple." the younger benshiran started, turning to a more somber tone befitting an instructor. "Lets play Night Fire. I'll take the main melody, you take the mirror, one octave up." The musician tapped his foot on the floor in a brisk tempo and the two oud players sprang to life. Fingers slid across the fretless necks, plectrums striking strings in quick succession. The sound filled the small room, drifting out the window into the street. The song was lively, with an air of daring, but repeated lines and segments made it relatively easy to play.

Without interrupting the song, Adin instructed. "Now, play the same thing, two and a quarter steps down." Abashai had to stop playing and think a moment. Looking at the oud's strings, he finally began to pick out the notes, missing a few, having to pause periodically. Adin continued without ceasing, forcing Abashai to keep up.

By the time the song returned to the familiar chorus, Abashai had found a groove, and was able to stop concentrating enough to actually listen as they played. The sound now had more depth with his harmony, a hint of a true desert song. He wasn't playing real harmony, there was more to it than mirroring the melody, but the rich song echoing in the room made him feel happy.

Adin brought the song to a flourishing close with a fury of fingers picking out a rapid stream of descending notes. Abashai felt his pulse race, gave out a hoot and clapped his hands. "That would get any fire dancer's poi swinging," he laughed. "Now give me a minute to recall my theory classes, and see if I can play some true harmony."

[Abashai]

The young benshiran musician began the song again, and Abashai joined in, concentrating on his accompanying harmonic part. It was a valiant but completely unsuccessful attempt. Abashai stopped playing halfway through the tune. Seeing his friend's struggle, Adin ended the song.

"Hmmm....things aren't coming back to me as easily as I would like." Abashai laughed a little, somewhat disappointed in himself. Adin saw his friend's frustration. "No worries. Did you learn to read music?" Abashai nodded an affirmation. "Yes, some, but it's been a long time."

Adin picked up the mink skull from the desk, looked at it curiously then set it down again.. "Can we meet again tomorrow? I'll have something for you that may help."

"Sure," Abashai replied, "but I hope you don't think you're leaving yet. I still want to play." He smiled, strumming his fingers across his oud's strings.

Adin returned the grin,"Hik no, you need all the practice you can get!. Let's do Night Fire again, you take the melody." The desert musicians picked up the tune again, filling the temple's lower level with sounds from the sands of the Burning Lands.

After a couple more tunes, Abashai passed his teacher a gold miza and aranged to meet again the next day.

[Abashai]

The next morning, Abashai slung his oud over his back and struck out with Nya to do some shopping before he went to his office at the temple. The kelvic knew her bondmate sometimes passed the time during his office hours by playing his oud, but Abashai had not told her he was taking lessons. he wanted to surprise her by taking her to hear him play with the group of benshiran musicians. Nya loved music and he was excited to show her what he was learning. But the novice musician was still a bit too rusty.

After picking out some fresh bread, ingredients for a stew and some apples for Sus, Abashai took a hunk of the warm bread, gave Nya a quick nuzzle (he was growing more comfortable displaying affection in public) and watched her head off towards Traveler's Row before heading to the Temple of All Gods.

To his surprise, Adin was waiting for him outside the office. Abashai unlocked the door and the two benhsirans entered. "I promised I would have something to help you." Adin spoke up with a smile. The lanky musician produced a sheet of folded paper from his coat, handing it to Abashai. The older man opened the sheet, quickly recognizing the musical notations. It was a roughly scribbled score to the song "Night Fire", featuring the harmony that Abashai had struggled with.

"This is great, thanks Adin!" Abashai replid gratefully.

"Work on it this morning, this afternoon you are going to practice with us outside the main gate." The young musician grinned, turning to walk out. "See you then," he called out over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall.

Abashai studied the music, trying to recall the meaning of all the symbols. He laid it on the desk and picked up his oud, beginning to pluck out some of the notes. He sung the melody in his head as he stammered through the song. He stopped several times, losing his place, then picked up again. It was difficult to learn without the other instruments and, though he would get his chance to practice with the other musicians, he also was a bit nervous. It had been a long time since he played with anyone else. He huffed in resolution, sat up straight and began the song again, his fingers seeking their perfect place on the oud's fretless neck.

[Abashai]

Syna's sun was almost two bells past its zenith when Abashai strode out Syliras' main gates, his oud in hand. He trod down the road a ways before spotting three men sitting under a large oak. Seeing Adin, he turned from the road toward the group. Abashai grinned as the three desert musicians hugged thier coats around them, fending off the chill of the autumn breeze. Approaching the barren oak, he joked in Shiber ,"The fall air is not kind to those of us with the burning blood of Eyktol in our veins!" The men agreed, laughing.

Abashia recognized the other benshiran men, Eli and Josiah. They appeared to be Adin's age, mid-twentyish. Eli was clean shaven, while Josiah, a thin, gangly man, sported a full, dark beard. They had been in Syliras before Abashai's arrival, and had seemed to aclimate to the new city and culture well. Next to Josiah was a tablah, a small drum shaped like a vase with a goat-skin memebrane over its wide head. Eli held a nay, a simple reed pipe.

Adin patted Abashai on the shoulder. "Ready to give it a go?"

"Sure," Abashai replied, with less than total confidence. He sheepishly pulled the sheet of music from inside his coat. Sitting next to Adin, who was fine tuning his own oud, Abashai set the music on the ground in front of him and placed his instrument on his lap. At a nod from Adin, Josiah began a rythmnic beat on his drum. All of one accord, the other three musicians joined in, and the lively benshiran tune of "Night Fire" began to fill the cool afternoon air. Abashai leaned over, concentrating fiercely on his fingers, attempting to match the brisk tempo, following the scribbled notes on his sheet. Adin's strings sung out the melody, while Eli's flute raced around the song with trills and riffs.

Though there were a few missed notes, and one place where he actuially stopped, Abashai was happy. The music sounded so much like home. It did not necessarily stir his heart to homesickness, but simply brought joy. Hearing the intricate music all around him conjured up fond memories, good memories, unlike those that recurred in his dreams. Abashai couldn't wait for Nya to hear.

"Well, since brother Abashai is warmed up now," Adin quipped with a grin, "let's try it again!" The musicians did not hesitate a beat and the pounding of the drum resumed, the interwoven sounds of the instruments swept in again, and the four benshiran were lost for a couple bells in the strangely displaced atmosphere of a desert night's masha.

[Abashai]

As the sun tilted towards its resting place in the west, Abashai shook the stiffness from him hands and wrists. The benshirans had been playing almost constantly for two bells, but Abashai didn't mind. He enjoyed every minute of it, though he struggled to keep tempo with the young musicians. With his oud in hand, the amateur stood and stretched.

"Not bad Abashai. " Adin commented. "You are welcome to play with us anytime." He playfully patted the slightly older man on the shoulder. Abashai grinned. "Thank you Adin, all of you, for letting me play along. Its much easier to learn with a group." Josiah and Eli nodded in agreement. Abashai shoved his plectum inside his coat. " I should be getting back to the city. Malim friends and take care!"

Giving a wave to the band he turned to walk the short distance back to the city gates. He felt much more confident in his playing, and would take up Adin on his offer to play with them again, maybe Nya could come listen too. In the meantime, he would practice. Then, perhaps, he would begin to learn to play northern style music.

[Colombina]

Always a pleasure to read your threads, MMV! They are wonderful snapshots of a fully imagined idea and setting. I formally award 3xp in Oud playing And Lore of Benshiran Instruments

[Abashai]

OCC: Sorry SFH, I meant to thank you for the XP award. I don't want you, or any of the mods, to go uappreciated!