2023-10-26 12:54:12
Muhammad Shehadeh of the world had nothing but the space of his body, his creativity, and his machines! He dreamed and played in his own orbit, away from the chaos of life, and as for his fans who love rhythm, they have always been enchanted by his music! That is why you always find them closing their eyes wide open, then opening them as if they had returned from a long journey. The sounds of their enthusiasm intermingled with the whisper of his music, while their bodies alone were submerged under the bright lights that emanated from the heart of the night like a magical scene in a movie!
“Arabesque London” is honored to host the young artist Mohamed Shehadeh, one of the most distinguished percussionists, in an exclusive interview in which we discover the secrets of the magical world of his music!
Dialogue: Fatima Omrani
You started playing at the age of three, and at the age of six, you played on a stage for the first time. With a brilliant talent since childhood, you came from an ancient artistic family that has made you today one of the most prominent young percussionists. But in your own vocabulary, who is the artist Muhammad Shehadeh?
Muhammad Shehadeh is a person who was born in a house where music was played around the clock. I used to listen to music at all times and at every moment. The thing that motivated me most to enter this world was that I used to watch my father playing and practicing, and I used to go with him wherever he went to watch him play. And his exercises with his colleagues, and how he used to listen to music, until the idea of music became more firmly established in me before I was three years old. Since my childhood, I felt that I was in constant contact with percussion instruments of various shapes and sizes, and I had a very strong relationship with them.
I grew up in an artistic family, and grew up listening to music. Do you remember your feeling in your first moments on stage? Has Muhammad today achieved his childhood dream?
Yes, my childhood dream came true, and I was very satisfied with Muhammad Shehadeh today. I benefited from my family’s musical atmosphere, given that music was present in our home, and I was listening to it, practicing, and learning on an ongoing basis. During that period, there was no Internet, specifically in the year 1987-1988, that is, there was no Internet. I can take training lessons via the Internet, so my father was the one who taught me rhythm and music, and at a very early age I was able to go out on stage with all courage without any confusion or fear, and my father was the one who gave me a feeling of enthusiasm and passion because he was standing next to me on the stage.
In 1995, I represented the Syrian Arab Republic at the first Arab Children’s Forum, which was held in the city of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. In 1996, I also represented my country, Syria, in Tunisia, within the Arab Children’s Festival. I also achieved first places in percussion playing at the level of Syria during two consecutive years, specifically. 1994_1995.
I was founded by the Cultural Center Band in the city of Masyaf, Hama Governorate, and that experience influenced my musical identity and how I present music correctly, away from musical pollution. I also grew up on very important musical templates that established in me the identity of classical oriental music, including filters and monologues.
What instruments do you play? Which one do you prefer? What are your criteria in choosing musical instruments?
I specialize in percussion instruments, and as for what percussion instruments I prefer, I do not differentiate between one instrument and another. Percussion instruments, despite their differences, feel like they are my children. When I hear the drums or drums, they remind me of my childhood, and as for the criteria for choosing instruments, I also cannot distinguish between… One instrument and another, but with the technological advancement that brought with it new musical instruments, there has become a preference for styles and types of music, so the musician can buy the instruments that suit him, but I go back and say that I hear all the sounds of the instruments that I play with the same passion and love.
The musician “Ronnie Brak” is a distinctive feature in your artistic career. Tell us regarding your influence by his music?
In fact, musician Ronnie Barrack was for me the starting point of a new turning point in playing or music. I grew up in a musical family that played oriental rhythm, and at certain moments I had thoughts that playing percussion instruments was not in this traditional, classical way. That is, I was thinking of inventing ways. I was new to playing, and to play in a different way by deviating from the norm. For example, the drum instrument is played with both hands. I wondered at the time whether it was possible to play the drum with the fingernails or the edge of the drum. This proposal was timid until I saw a video clip of musician Ronnie Brak, who was able to change My life’s path to follow another path confirms to me that what I was thinking was correct, and therefore I was similar in my thinking to the thought of the musician Ronnie Brak, until I was influenced by Ronnie, whether by the way he wrote his music, how he composed and arranged, and how he played with rhythm, and I was also influenced by the charisma he possessed and his personality on stage. How does he interact with music in front of the audience?
It was a great moment when I got to know Ronnie Barrack’s music following 20 years, and that we played together, and today we have become friends and we present our opinions to each other every day or every week, and we may disagree or agree on opinions, and I am very happy that I belonged to Ronnie Barrack’s school, that school that has… Particularity in playing with Ronnie, who has a very large auditory and musical repertoire, and also has the ability to show off in front of an audience, which is not available to all instrumentalists or musicians.
You have worked with many artists. Who are the most prominent artists you have worked with? Do you prefer to play solo or with bands?
I was known with many musicians and musical projects. I can mention, for example, singers, including great artists such as the late Wadih Al-Safi and the late Azar Habib. Then following that, I was known with singers in Syria, including Linda Bitar, Hala Naqrour, and Lina Shamamian. I also played with the artist Hussein Atfa. As for the stars, I played with the artist Saif Nabil, Joseph Attia, Moein Sharif, and Melhem Zein, in addition to the artist Nassif Zaytoun, Alaa Zalzali, and Nader Al-Atat.
As for musical projects, I participated more than once in the Damascus Opera House concerts as part of musical projects, and I was known for the Tariq Salhia Project and the Kenan Kadnawi Project. I also played with the Kabi Sahyouni Project, and I was also known for the Helm and Hanin Choir.
Until the moment I reached the musician Iyad Al-Rimawi, here I felt a specialness in this work, as there is music that resembles me and expresses me, and I see that Professor Iyad Al-Rimawi is one of the best musicians in the Arab world, and he is one of the inspiring people and I had the honor of participating with him in several works. He played music and played the credits for many series, including Haramlek, Souk El Silk, Dabu Al-Shanati, Aziza Choir, and most recently the series “Mashghal Alayk Mushghal.”
You and DJ Bilal Hamsho form a distinguished duo, and you also have impressive experiences with DJ Kabo Keshishian. Tell us regarding your involvement with DJs in general at your parties? How do you describe the demand for concerts without a singer?
When I was in Beirut/Lebanon, I participated in some television programs, especially the Rabaa Al-Zayat program, and then I came to Syria in a state of longing to spread the culture of “show” in Syria, which I learned from Ronnie Brak’s music in Lebanon. Here I wondered to myself whether the Syrian public would accept this method. What was new in playing was performing in front of an audience with musical instruments, until I later became the embodiment of these performances with audiences everywhere in Syria.
In the beginning, I cooperated with Bilal Hamsho for more than one summer season, and we are still performing “show” concerts. I also got to know many musicians, especially Oqba Kayal and Kabo Kashishian, until “show” concerts became a trend among the Syrian public.
Later, I moved away from large orchestras, that is, I preferred small orchestras in which I might apply more than one genre, including jazz, funk, Latin jazz, house, and deep house. I felt that playing in this way contained a kind of passion and enjoyment with the audience.
You worked as a teacher at the Arab House Music Institute and founded the Grove Academy. How do you describe your experience in the field of music training?
I had the experience of teaching and training in music at a young age, as I gave private lessons to many students, and I trained at the Arab House of Music in Latakia Governorate, and I also taught at the Tempo Institute of Music in Latakia also with musician Kabi Sahyouni, whom I consider to be one of the best partners. With whom I shared music and friendship, Kabi is one of the people who has constant determination and perseverance.
When I achieved success in the field of training and teaching, I established my own education academy for percussion training. It was an important place for graduating students, some of whom completed their percussion studies in Europe, or at the Higher Institute of Music or the College of Music Education in Syria. Also, the first class to graduate from the College of Music was among them. A section of my students whose training I supervised.
As for my experience in the field of musical training, I describe it as a great trust, because I feel that the student or trainee is a trust in my hands, and the teaching or training profession made me grow up early, as I became a reference for many students when I was 19 years old, as most of them were My students are either my age or older than me, and at the present time I am studying percussion online through an online course, and I have students from all countries of the world.
You left a special mark on fusion music, which is one of the most difficult musical genres, as the player must mix musical styles, such as mixing Eastern and Western. In your opinion, do you find that Eastern music is familiar to the Western ear? What regarding the opposite?
I entered the world of fusion music because it mixes a group of musical elements, including jazz, rock, funk, and hip-hop. Therefore, it expresses the state of a professional musician who has experience and a good auditory repertoire, enabling him to play several types of music in different styles, and one of the best ideas is The idea of introducing the term fusion to Eastern Arab music, given that Eastern music has a special impact and character even to the ears of the West. The mixing in Eastern music between jazz and funk and the musical background being deep house gives Arabic music a special character and thus makes the public’s acceptance of it good, but with the necessity That fusion should not affect the Arab musical heritage, that is, something innovative should be presented with professional distribution that respects the specificity of the Eastern heritage in music.
What are the challenges facing Arab music today in general? What challenges did you personally face as a Syrian musician?
One of the challenges facing Arabic music today is incorrectly deviating from the norm, which has led to distorting the image of Arabic music to some extent, especially with the introduction of inappropriate and degrading vocabulary into pop songs, until the idea arises that these degrading songs are the ones that express traditional Eastern music.
But Arabic music is not like that. The music is Umm Kulthum, Abdel Wahab, Farid Al-Atrash, Baligh Hamdi and other great singers.
I still cannot imagine that one day profanity and profanity will be included in songs that do not express our culture and musical heritage. Many musicians have also begun to turn towards loud playing of instruments, as music has declined with the presence of pop songs that have dominated the art of music since… 15 years, but there is still a part of the audience that hears the ancient Eastern heritage, which makes us feel hopeful as musicians.
As for the challenges facing the Syrian musician, today there is no musician in the world who has more challenges and obstacles than the Syrian musician, and one of the fundamental problems I face is the inability to travel to certain countries due to the lack of visas or entry visas, and this is a problem I have been suffering from for 6 years. Although I performed a concert every month in a different country.
Among the difficulties that stand in my way are the living conditions and conditions that Syria is experiencing. I am currently producing my first music album, but I am facing financial difficulties and today I am unable to produce an album that includes five musical compositions. Therefore, we need supporters and financiers for our musical projects as musicians.
How do you view your artistic experience today? What are you currently working on?
I am not completely satisfied with myself today. I am currently preparing a music album for Mohamed Shehadeh, written by him. I imagine that music needs continuous training and education, as it is a sea of information and details. Therefore, I have to practice on a daily basis in order to learn something new and then reach the place. Which I aspire to.
What message would you leave for people who want to venture out and play music but aren’t sure yet?
The message that I want to convey to anyone who is coming or thinking regarding learning any musical instrument is not to think that playing is a difficult and impossible matter. Therefore, when he watches professional or international music, he should not say to himself that it is impossible for me to reach his place. Therefore, it is necessary for anyone who wants to… Entering the world of music requires setting a clear goal in front of oneself and striving to achieve it through work and diligence. Training requires patience, will, determination, and sufficient time until the individual reaches the goal he wants.
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