Lyre Improvisation#1 on an Ancient Egyptian Scale...

[cmspitler]

A beautiful piece. Thank you for sharing.

[blasfemuz]

Hi Klez excellent your work,,, very great! now.. could you send me by private message the order of the Middle Eastern scales ? the most commonly used to compose the music Middle Eastern folk regions (Egypt, Israel, Marocco, Ariab Saudi) please i'm very interested for learn .

[VonHendrixTV]

WTF kind of instrument is that? and is it possible to play that scale or whatever it was on a guitar?

[Klezfiddle1]

@VonHendrixTV The instrument is a lyre - similar to the lyres played in he New Kingdom of ancient Egypt...some 3500 years ago! All details on my "ancientlyre" website (URL for this on my Youtube Channel Page). This minor pentatonic scale certainly could be played on guitar...happy experimenting!

[Kingleazard]

Sounds like the music from the "dove" advertisement ;)

[Cathain78]

Actually sounds Japanese to me.

A lot of ancient / folk music sounds "exotic" because they use different scales from the scale normally used on modern western music. If you listen to some Irish folk music, it sounds Arabian or Indian too. Not because it is, but because it often utilises similar scales that aren't commonly used today in mainstream music (Pentatonic, Myxolodian, etc)

[raisetheflag88]

I wish to learn this

[JayArpeggios]

so what is it tuned to? what is this egyptian scale? intervals or notes... but i want to know what the scale is thanks!

[Klezfiddle1]

Please see the "Historical Details" section of my ancientlyre website for full detailsof this tuning & how it was derived - the URL is given in the video description...

[alikimarkan]

hi from Aliki M. ancient greek lyra performer. i like your tunes. There are a few musicians here in Athens Gr playing this instrument. Please visit myspace/ghithalassa

[tpmcras]

ajajjajajaa

[EasyMeditation]

I made a video using Michael Levy´s music (he agreed, of course), about ancient Greece and Atlantis:

/watch?v=g1cG8X3vBEE

Thanks. :-)

[PodgeDreadz]

Wow, very nice. That scale is beautiful, and very well played.

[Theonedue]

Kelz, what is the fundimental difference between Jewish, Egyptian, and Greece lyre playing? They all sound similar and contain a minor sound or mysterious meoldy. But Ive been hearing that the Egyptains used lyre music to put people into trances and/or sexually seduce people, thus making it evil, but Im sure they used it for religious or cerimonal purpoeses that we good as well.

[Klezfiddle1]

This is the thing which really fascinates me - the lyre played in the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, the Lyre of the Ancient Hebrews (from about the same time), and the slightly later Ancient Greek Kithara are virtually identical! My new MP3 album, "An Ancient Lyre" will feature improvisations on ancient Egyptian scales and the actual music of ancient Greece, as well as the 3400 year old Hurrian Hymn from Mesopotamia - keep an eye out for my bulletins!

[Theonedue]

Nice. Ill be sure to look out for more of your tracks.

[forevermore23]

it shows clearly between sumerians, egyptians, greeks and japan have some connection

[HisHeartMyTabernacle]

Each and every piece you offer is so amazingly bewitching and so BEAUTIFUL! And your personality is...er...intriguing..haha!! No, but you are an irreplacable soul! :D

[MaterTaenebre]

Be careful not to wake up the Pyramids stones!

[SteveMontuno]

yes ,,,be carefull not to awaken the nephilim dude,,,lol

[SteveMontuno]

cheers dude,,looks like a lot of fun ,,will have a play now im back off hols;)

[SteveMontuno]

sounds great.... whats the scale your using from the thinest string dude ,,,,wouldnt mind tuning my guitar up to it

[Klezfiddle1]

For this improvisation, I tuned my lyre, bottom string to top string:

Bb D E F A Bb D E F A

Another improvisaion on this amazing ancient Egyptian minor pentatonic scale, can be heard on the first track of my CD, "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel" - I called it "The Music of Moses"...which can also be instantly digtially downloaded as a single MP3 track from Apple iTunes!

[Ewokman08]

i absolutely love this style of music! it sounds so mystical! its almost hypnotic!

[Klezfiddle1]

Glad you like it...I just hope Osiris doesn't strike me down! ;o) The 1st track on my CD "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient israel" is a spontaneous improvisation using this same ancient Egyptian Scale, which I called "The Music of Moses"...in which I tried to convey the link between ancient Egypt & the ancient Hebrews. This CD & my 2nd album, "Lyre of the Levites" are available from cdbaby (all details on my Youtube Channel Page) & individual tracks can be downloaded from Apple iTunes...

[scaleshort]

Microtonal scale - super! I play the same sistem. But I play fretless guitar. COOL MAN!

[PainkillerArg]

this is pretty amazing dude, but this sound scares me!

[andyonaidu]

Yeah scares me somewhat too! Not exactly a friendly sound is it?!

[Klezfiddle1]

Oops...I probably awoke the entire ancient Egyptian pantheon of gods from 3000 years of slumber though this video!!! I tried wiring the lyre up to my VOX Valvetronix guitar amp for a more "etherial" ancient sound, but the somewhat excessive reverb I used here, makes it sound decidedly spoooooky instead! :- O

[Moomitrolly]

Absolutely fascinating....Encore!

[philomelodia]

Very interesting. The sound reminds me of a Japanese Koto in some parts. It's very exotically beautiful.

[mjay22]

Yeah, it does remind me of a Japanese Koto too and I thought this player has posted the wrong video at first. I was like how did the Japanese manage to travel to Egypt in ancient times? Then, I noticed it's just the sound of the instrument that's making it sound so.

[Klezfiddle1]

This is because the ancient Egyptian minor pentatonic scale used here in this improvisation, as deciphered by the late Prof Hans Hickmann of the Museum in Cairo, is still heard today in Japan!

[Diminished5]

No wonder it first sounded like japanese to me, what is the name of the scale in japanese?

[glorplaxy]

miyakobushi

[244466666]

glad i'm not the only one that thought so,it's cool that people so far apart can come up with similar concepts

[voltronsky]

Really cool seeing and hearing such an ancient instrument. It sounds amazing!

I just uploaded a short History of Music and mentioned the lyre and other ancestors of the guitar myself. Enjoy!

[Klezfiddle1]

Glad you like it! Would you be interested in ordering a copy of my CD of solo lyre music?? I am in the final stages of recording, and the album should be ready hopefully by the end of the month :o)

[Divineice0]

Do you have a chart with the

egyptian scale? I am interested in trying it out.

[Klezfiddle1]

Go to the link to John Wheeler's essay on Chironomy in ancient Egypt, in the "About this Video" section; the deciphered scale is notated there

[FunnyByDefinition]

Ha, thanks. I'm going to go check that scale out now and see if I can play around with it. I love the sound of Egyptian music.

[nectarguru]

Excellent!!! Do you have any works for sale or download?

[Klezfiddle1]

Thank you! There is a freely downloadable MP3 of this piece on my Myspace site(URL on my Youtube Channel Page)I am also considering making my first CD of lyre music, featuring this improvisation - any other you would like to hear on this album?

[nectarguru]

Your myspace material is great, makes me want to take up the lyre. If you were to make a CD I'd like to hear more Egyptian or Jewish work, pretty much the stuff featured on your page, but in the end its your say! I'll keep my ears open.

[Klezfiddle1]

If you want to learn the lyre, I have posted 13 "HOW TO PLAY KING DAVID'S LYRE" lessons on my Youtube Channel. The replica Kinnor Lyre I play is mass produced in Pakistan,& is available from anywhere in the world - I got mine for just £140 from the Early Music Shop in Bradford, UK!

[Nupharluteum]

Great work as usual. Respects.

[MissRefaat]

the awesome thing is that we still use this in egypt...but now it is called the q'nun...egyptian music really hasnt changed very much.

[Klezfiddle1]

Fascinating! Is it exactly the same scale used here?

[666Aristo]

to me sounds more of anceint japanes than egyptian in most parts of the tune !

but very very very impressive ! i have watched your other video's and i would say... very good job to have such a great intrest in anceint tunes. your doin an impressive job !

you have my support !

(am a musician as well :] )

[Aljokuli]

Yeah, very Japanese indeed and the lyre sounds like a koto, just a little softer. But I think there's one note more in this scale than in the "modern" japanese scale?

[Nupharluteum]

Ancient Music from Greece and Egypt sound very close to Far East Tratitional music.

[Nupharluteum]

In fact the primitive nays played pentatonic scales. By persian influence heptatonic, arabic-like scales evolved.

[Klezfiddle1]

Tell me more! I recently found an interesting article on the Net about ancient Egyptian scales being discovered by the playing of exact replicas of ancient Egyptian flutes - this Persian scale is actually mentioned; what are the notes of this scale? What other pentatonic scales are played on the Nay?

[PuckMedia]

Stunning and amazing. It was a pleasure listen at this experiment. Bravo!

[SpiralTrance]

Awesome. You've convinced me to buy a lyre and learn to play it.

[Klezfiddle1]

Cool! In that case, check out my latest Youtube series of "How to play King David's Lyre" instructional videos!! I bought my replica Kinnor lyre from the Early Music Shop in Bradford,UK...for just £140!!

[SpiralTrance]

Thanks. I was searching last night for somewhere in the UK for them.

[OriginAndAbsolution]

can you send me the notes of that so i can do the same theme vary it a bit onto different instruments please?

[Klezfiddle1]

As I was improvising this entire piece as I went along, I could not even begin to be able to even TELL you what notes I sponaneously came up with here! However, if you read the "About this Video" section, I have given a URL link to the online article which discusses how this haunting, ancient Egyptian scale was finally deciphered - last heard in ancient Egypt, some 3500 years ago!!

[benedictoboquense]

Simply beautiful..... I feel I'm dreaming.... just great!

[MusicOfEpirus]

my friend this is great stuff... i'm in love with ancient sounds.

please keep posting :)

[blacklightvortex]

Nothing technical to say. Just love to hear you play.

[luftspiegelung]

thank you so very much, this is so rare. i never heared a lyre before in my life. god is music, you are music:)

[Barklord]

Thank you Klez. You are the coolest YouTuber on Planet Yutoob.

[teamim]

In fact this video is so oozing with coolness that I've decided to put it on my Web site -- right under the chart illustrating Hans Hickmann's decipherment of the scale you use here. :)

[Klezfiddle1]

I have just uploaded a freely downloadable MP3 file of this little musical experiment on my Myspace site - the URL can be found in my Youtube profile

[teamim]

Very, VERY cool! :D You've outdone yourself on this one!

Thanks for the reference back to my site and its discussion of the scale you used.

Hey, I picked up on the quote of the First Delphic Hymn immediately! According to Curt Sachs, Grecian lyre players commonly tuned their lyres pentatonically (as you have) and stopped the strings to get the rest of the chromatic scale.

***** (יוחנן רכב)

[Klezfiddle1]

Thanks! It was fascinating to find truly authentic ancient Greek melodies which perfectly fitted this ancient Egyptian scale -I think there are facts about ancient musical history which can only be truly discovered by a bit of "experimental archeology" like this humble little musical experiment...

[teamim]

Pentatonicism is common in many nations' music, even when diatonicism is the basis of their scales. In the case of some ancient Greek melodies, the accompanying lyre was pentatonic, even though the scale system of the melodies was diatonic. Experiment is a great tool for both the amateur and the professional (and those in between, like me). :)

[salman5748]

Cool!