The Secret of Song (invite only)

[Illial]

Illial settled on the floor with her legs folded, a short distance from Abashai, as he had the only chair. She had only ever taught one person before, her brother, and at the time he had been five years old and full of energy, completely unable to sit still. She was sure she would have no such difficulty with Abashai.

She shifted her lute into her lap and reached out to gently tug the cat towards her. It protested, but Illial would brook no argument; Abashai needed his hands to play. She lifted the cat in two hands and flipped it onto its back beside her. She began to scratch its stomach firmly, at which point Catti dissolved into ecstatic purrs and writhed with joy.

Returning her attention to Abashai, she spoke. "First, I would like you to play something you know. Something you believe is around your level, not too easy for you and not too hard for you. Then I can begin to teach at the same level."

It would also give her a chance to get used to the oud and see just how different it was from the lute.

[Abashai]

Abashai set his hands to the oud, ready to play. He looked down at Illial settled on the floor. It made him a bit uncomfortable, sitting over her like that.

"Do you mind," he stood up and moved the chair to the side, "if I sit on the floor too. I would be more comfortable."

He sat cross-legged on the floor across from the young woman, setting the instrument again on his lap. "I will play one of my favorite songs, it is benshiran, of course, since that is the only kind of music I know." He grinned, a twinkle in his crystal blue-green eyes.

He paused a moment in preparation, then began to play. The tune was uptempo and mildly difficult. Illial would note that Abashai was playing a melody, there were no chords. Also, the style was quite different, apparently played on a scale based on quarter steps, instead of the half-step scale used by northern musicians. The additional notes and added synchopations gave the desert song an exotic flavor. Abashai ended the song with a flourish. It was clear that he was a comeptent musician, at least in music of his own land.

The benshiran gave Illial a sheepish grin. "I have actually been practicing that with some other benshiran musicians in town and hope to perform it with them sometime. As you can see, desert music is not like your music. That is why I want you to teach me how to play like Syliran musicians, so I can play with them as well."