A bit of rhythm, a bit of soul

Brazilian guitarist Ahmed El-Salamouny on how his life revolves around music

November 02, 2016 03:13 pm | Updated December 02, 2016 01:29 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

AhmedEl-Salamouny is having his lunch when I meet him at Goethe Zentrum Trivandrum. The renowned Brazilian guitarist, who hails from Germany, was in the city to lead a workshop on the Brazilian guitar at the institute. Between spoonfuls of biriyani, the musician talks about his journey in music. Excerpts from the interview.

The music begins

As a child, I enjoyed listening to a wide range of music. I was a huge fan of the Brazilian musician Villa-Lobos and recall playing his tunes with my friends on the guitar. Music was never a part of my childhood dreams; I leaned towards filmmaking. However, when I passed a music entrance exam, I decided to follow the path in music. Although I studied Western classical guitar, I soon realised my heart lay in Brazilian music and started focussing on it. Music, for me, is not a career; it’s essential, it’s my life. Brazilian music has both rhythm and soul, something I enjoy sharing with my audiences.

A break into the music industry

I am now 59 years old. When I entered the music field 35 years ago there were just a handful of German musicians who specialised in Brazilian music. Now, there are a lot of Brazilian guitarists. In fact, these days no event in Germany is complete without a samba percussion group performing.

I got my first break when I participated in a prestigious German music festival right after college . I was the only German who played Brazilian music at the event. Although my first album Brazilian Dances was sold out, it was my second album, Tango Brasileiro that won me positive reviews from the media and the public. The music in my eight albums are a mix of my own compositions and a few arrangements of known tunes.

Musical influences

There are twangs of Arabian, Spanish, jazz and classical music in my music. I have shared the stage with various artistes and during my visit of India, I played with Don Ross, Konarak Reddy and Lior Yekutieli in Bangalore. I would love to jam with Anoushka Shankar one day; it will be fun.

Although I have tried playing Indian melodies on the guitar, I have never attempted to play my guitar alongside an Indian instrument.

Teaching music innovatively

I haven’t released an album in the last 10 years as I find music piracy a nuisance. Instead, I release “music books”. A music book contains a CD which has a few music pieces and the scores for these pieces. There is a brief on Brazilian music; its patterns, music, rhythms… I am basically teaching the methods for Brazilian guitar through these books.

I have released six such music books so far. I believe learning should be fun and have developed Rhythm Box, which appeals to this generation that prefers visual learning. In the Rhythm Box there are symbols that represent ‘clap’, ‘thump’ and ‘stomp’. Boxes in sheets carry these symbols. The boxes and the order will show you how to create a rhythm using your hands, fists and feet.

Up next

I will be busy with a few concerts when I return to Germany and despite the piracy problem am planning to bring out two music albums shortly. One will be purely Brazilian music and the other will contain other music influences. An avid photographer, I enjoy taking photographs during my travels, especially those of people. While in Kerala, I took a few shots in Varkala, of women in colourful saris, fishermen hauling their catch, of tourists staring into the horizon... I have shot a series of photographs on Rio de Janeiro and am planning to release it in the form of a book. It will be called Rhythm Of A City.

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