Mekta' in the Art of Kita', Books 1 & 2: Piano (Solo)

These two books offer something rare in the solo piano repertoire: a systematic introduction to Arab modal thinking and ornamentation written by a composer who lived inside that tradition. Students encounter microtones, bent notes, and asymmetrical rhythms not as theoretical abstractions but as playable, musical ideas. The progression from Book 1 to Book 2 builds technique and cultural literacy simultaneously.

The music unfolds like a conversation with a skilled vocalist, full of expressive slides, sustained tones that shimmer with microtonal nuance, and rhythmic flexibility that feels almost speech-like. There's an intimacy to the writing, no virtuosic showiness, just the sound of someone thinking deeply about melody and the many ways a single note can speak.

Advanced intermediate to advanced pianists ready to expand beyond European harmonic language and students whose cultural background includes Arab music and who want to see themselves represented in the classical repertoire. Teachers seeking bridging material between conventional piano studies and world music exploration will find both pedagogical clarity and artistic depth here.

• Approach the ornamentation as integral to melodic shape rather than decoration. Each bend and turn carries harmonic weight in the modal context.
• Experiment with touch to distinguish between the clarity needed for structural tones and the subtlety required for passing ornaments.
• Work with a recording or mentor familiar with authentic Arab vocal style to internalize the phrasing and breath-like quality of the lines.
• Pay close attention to rhythmic groupings that don't fall neatly into Western metric patterns; let the melodic contour guide pulse rather than fighting against it.

Use these books as a capstone to a semester or year of piano study, particularly in curricula emphasizing global musical literacy or in schools with diverse student populations. They also work beautifully in a recital pairing traditional repertoire with music that expands the definition of what piano can express, signaling to audiences that classical music is far larger than one tradition.

• Playing microtones and bent pitches with control and musicality
• Reading and executing ornaments derived from vocal rather than instrumental conventions
• Intonation and pitch flexibility within a modal framework
• Rhythmic independence from metric regularity
• Listening and responding to Arab melodic idioms in real time