How Tamino’s oeuvre is outstanding among modern music
Rubricator
— Concept of the research — Tamino as a musician — Definition of the double harmonic scale — Debut album «Amir» — Second album «Sahar» — Conclusion
— Tamino in «Wickerman» (2024), dir. Bastiaan Lochs
Concept of the research
What defines modern music? The fact of it being made in «modern» times? It’s simplicity and lack of variety in musical instruments? People’s depictions may vary, but there’s one statement many agree on. Unlike classical music, understanding of which heavily relies on a certain level of appreciation and analyzing skills, modern music is accessible to the masses due to its focus on emotion. But it doesn’t make it less valuable; on the contrary, an empathetic connection to the audience may create a unique significance and be a reflection of society’s values and beliefs.
Among many artists that stand out in terms of basic modern music, I can confidently highlight Tamino. As one of the most unique singers and songwriters, his songs heavily feature a variety of instruments and a strong emotional value.
I chose the theme after listening to his music, particularly the two albums «Sahar» and «Amir.» It connected with me on a certain level, and I made myself clear: visual research should be made. I shall explore what makes Tamino’s music sound so unique and why it affects people’s emotions so deeply.
While picking out what material I specifically wanted to use in the research, I have decided that firstly I will be considering music theory. The main chords, percussion, and the double harmonic scale, often addressed as the «Arabic scale.» Secondly, I will be viewing Tamino’s songs that feature the previously mentioned aspects of music theory and how he manages to blend Middle Eastern flow with a Western type of song-making. Speaking of the written sources that will be used in the research, I will precisely check the data that I use so there will be no misconceptions about music theory (which the most written information will be about) nor Tamino’s songs.
Mainly, my hypothesis is that with the unconventional approach to songwriting, which includes a variety of ethnic instruments, artists can stand out among others. Creating music with your soul not only increases the quality of it but also makes it sound more special. I want to examine how Tamino manages to produce such ethereal and full of emotion songs.
I will start the research by introducing Tamino as a musician and songwriter as a whole. Then, continue with the explanation of the double harmonic scale and musical theory. After that, I will provide an analysis of his songs and musical videos, examining the albums «Sahar» and «Amir» in chronological order.While doing so, I will analyze the music in terms of using musical theory and point out the peculiarities of his methods. I will often accentuate the way Tamino tends to create songs with attention to the details.
Who is Tamino?
Tamino, a new voice in Belgian music, brings his Middle Eastern heritage to his songs, exploring both the challenges and pleasures of life.
— May 12, 2022. An article by DIVERSITY
Tamino is a Belgian-Egyptian singer that heavily concentrates his music on the meaning of love and human connection. He embraces his bicultural heritage in his music and visuals, often blending modern indie influences with classical Arabic elements. This fusion allows him to connect with a diverse audience and stand out as a unique voice in contemporary music
— March 24, 2023. Tamino at the Paris concert photographed by Emma Cortijo
What is the double harmonic scale?
Double Harmonic Minor. Ian Ring
The double harmonic scale, often called the «Arabic scale,» is a musical scale characterized by its exotic, Eastern sound. It’s widely used in Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian music and is recognized for its distinctive augmented seconds between certain notes.
The scale is called «double harmonic» because it has two harmonic relationships (augmented seconds) between its intervals. It is also known as the Byzantine scale or Gypsy major scale in some contexts.
This name comes from its association with the «Oriental» sound that many Western listeners identify with Arabic and Middle Eastern music. However, the scale itself is more of a Western theoretical construct and does not align perfectly with traditional Arabic maqamat, which have microtonal nuances absent in Western notation.
Double Harmonic Major Scale. Music Theory Training
The double harmonic scale has two primary variants: the major and minor forms, each offering distinct tonal qualities. The double harmonic major scale is the standard version and is known for its bright and dramatic character. It features major third and seventh intervals, which give it a «major» tonality. On the other hand, the double harmonic minor scale shifts the focus to a darker, more introspective tone. It is formed by treating the sixth degree of the double harmonic major scale as the tonic.
So how does Tamino use the scale in his music?
Debut album — «Amir»
The album was released in 2018, it’s title meaning «prince» in Arabic and it is also Tamino’s second first name.
1.Habibi 2.Sun May Shine 3.Tummy 4.Chambers 5.So It Goes 6.Indigo Night 7.Cigar 8.Each Time 9.Verses 10.W.O.T.H. 11.Intervals 12.Persephone
Habibi — Tamino. 2018
The opening song of «Amir» is «Habibi». It is an Arabic word used to describe someone the speaker likes or loves. It literally means «my beloved», and is normally used between close friends of any gender or between couples romantically involved.
Throughout the song, Tamino mainly interprets Arabic scales in his vocals, the notes being clearly distinguished in the techniques he uses.
He frequently employs a wide vocal range and swings across octaves in his compositions.
«Sun May Shine» is the album’s second track. Not only is the music video visually amazing, but it also features a highly unique flow in the double harmonic scale diapason. Tamino’s previously mentioned vocals and a guitar riff featuring more string instruments are audible throughout the entire song, adding to the ethereal atmosphere.
«Sun May Shine» — Tamino. 2018
«Tamino played the 11-string oud on the album Amir. The oud, as Tamino explains in a DIY interview, gives the opportunity to play quarter tones, which „are essential for playing Arabic scales.“
— May 12, 2022. An article by DIVERSITY
«Tummy» — Tamino. 2018
«Tummy» — Tamino. 2018
As Tamino says, «Tummy» is more of a joke that many didn’t understand. It is centered around how people view the Middle East only as stereotypes and how he himself was called a pharaoh during the start of his musical journey.
The musical video itself tells the viewer a story about the unability to escape the way people perceive you as a person due to orientalism.
So It Goes Live at AB — Ancienne Belgique — Tamino. 2018
One of the greatest songs that exemplifies the Arabic scales is «So It Goes.» Tamino’s vocal and the percussion, which includes a range of drums, piano, guitar, and cello accents throughout the song, achieve the goal of giving the live performance a more magnificent sound than the studio version. The situation is made even more remarkable by the eerie back voices and the specific riff that goes with his voice as he performs.
The concert’s visuals, which showcase the attention to detail in the lighting and staging design, wonderfully complement the exquisite sound of Tamino’s song.
Moving further into the album, we discover «Indigo Night», where Tamino honors Middle Eastern culture in a magnificent way. The bass and sluggish, syncopated rhythms give the boy’s nihilism a sense of melancholy and hopelessness. By employing an Arabic vocal style, Tamino connects his words to Moharam’s [his grandfather] native Egypt, which heightens the traveler’s sense of melancholy. The Arabic vocal approach masterfully conveys the boy’s anguish when he says that he is crying because of the numbness he experiences: Tamino’s voice trembles and rises in pitch, seemingly expressing the boy’s despair.
«Indigo Night» — Tamino. 2018
…there is «a lot of sadness in Arabic music and a lot of melancholy but it progresses to something majestic.»
— Tamino, 2018 BBC
One of the primary elements that drives the mood of «W.O.T.H.» is the fast-paced, tense percussion. On the chorus and towards the end, it keeps up a rhythm that gets louder and faster while incorporating an increasing number of instruments into the melody. The song approaches the eerie side of sound as it is followed by the expressiveness and emotional intensity of Tamino’s stage performance.
Intervals (Live at Jet Studio ft. Nagham Zikrayat Orchestra) — Tamino. 2019
«Intervals» demonstrates how Tamino frequently performs with an orchestra, bridging the gap between modern and classic musical techniques. It already feels emotionally charged because of the many instrument sounds. String instruments, which boost the volume during the most emotional periods, are the primary source of the double harmonic scale.
Tamino’s vocals call back to «rast, bayati and hijaz,» which are Middle Eastern vocal techniques that invoke a wide range of octave melodies.»
— May 12, 2022. An article by DIVERSITY
Second album — «Sahar»
The album was released in 2022, the title meaning «just before dawn». As Tamino said, it was made during the lockdown and it resembles the «fruit of solitary parenthesis.»
1.The Longing 2.The Flame 3.You Don’t Own Me 4.Fascination 5.Sunflower (Ft. Angèle) 6.The First Disciple 7.Cinnamon 8.Only Our Love 9.A Drop Of Blood 10.My Dearest Friend And Enemy
A common instrument in «Sahar» is the ney, played by Tammam Al-ramadan, a Syrian musician and refugee. The sound of the ney gives the opportunity for the music to sound more deep, adding accentuating touches to the main melody.
— Tamino in ’Wickerman» (2024), dir. Bastiaan Lochs
— Tamino in ’Wickerman» (2024), dir. Bastiaan Lochs
«Wickerman» is a short film, directed by Bastiaan Lochs. In it, Tamino is working on his second album. One of the most important things besides the level of cinematography and the thought process of his is the way Tamino samples nature’s sounds to create music. With implementing the rustle of the leaves, the thud of the wooden window caused by the wind and the burning fire into the main flow, he creates a unique sound to his music.
«The First Disciple» — Tamino. 2022
«The First Disciple» explores how it feels to be yourself and how people venerate prophets who make themselves mysterious to their audiences. As the song goes on, the rapid polyrhythmic sound of drums dissolves with the gentle fingerpicking of the oud. The two string instruments in «The First Disciple» split the melody, with one setting the primary riff and the other following the voice, but they eventually come together.
Tamino’s «A Drop Of Blood» delves on the desire to avoid being distrustful of life. Tamino sounds like a stranding storyteller since the oud in his hands is the only instrument that is mostly played during the song, giving it an eerie and solemn charm.
«I was bullied pretty badly. That creates a certain mistrust of the world. [The song] is also a resistance against that, or maybe even a plea: I don’t want to be suspicious of life. I want to see the good in humanity.» — Tamino. 2022
«His decision to introduce Arabic sounds into his music is, he says, directly tied to an ambivalent sense of „in-betweenness“ that has accompanied him all his life.»
— October 21, 2019. Nourhan Tewfik
Conclusion
I would respectfully conclude by pointing out the significance of human creativity in the creation of music. For both the performer and the audience, using a range of instruments can result in a completely unique experience. One can only achieve a distinctive sound for their music if they are purely motivated to create something ethereal.
(Arabic scale — Wikipedia // Website: en.wikipedia.org URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_scale Date of access 13.11.2024)
(Music Without Borders: Tamino and the Collision Between Middle Eastern and Western Music // Website: afterglowatx.com URL: https://www.afterglowatx.com/blog/2022/5/13/music-without-borders-tamino-and-the-collision-between-middle-eastern-and-western-music Date of access 13.11.2024)
(Tamino — Amir Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius // Website: genius.com URL: https://genius.com/albums/Tamino/Amir Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Tamino, a boy in the oud: «It was the first instrument I knew as a child» // Website: taminoarticles.tumblr.com URL: https://taminoarticles.tumblr.com/post/701166116083580928/tamino-for-t%C3%A9l%C3%A9rama-november-2022-tamino-a-boy Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Scale 2509: «Double Harmonic Minor» // Website: https://ianring.com/musictheory/scales/2509 Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Double Harmonic Major Scale Modes — Music Theory Training // Website: https://musictheorytraining.org/library/scales/double_harmonic_major_modes Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Oud Khaled Azooz Jishua // Website: https://www.sonsdelorient.com/en/strings-instruments/shop-by-collection/intermediate-ouds/oud-khaled-azooz-jishua Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Buy a Turkish Ney — Sale online and in Paris // Website: https://www.sonsdelorient.com/en/wind-instruments/ney-turkish Date of access 14.11.2024)
(EMMA CORTIJO (@emmacortijo) // Website: https://www.instagram.com/emmacortijo/ Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Wickerman // Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hjhx9ube3E&t=918s&ab_channel=Tamino Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Tamino — Habibi (Live) // Website: https://youtu.be/zznlf3ZKQi0?si=3xQSsbELNgivzit4 Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Tamino — Sun May Shine // https://youtu.be/NBmLZgB2ovU?si=9KmxPEWA1zLVAni4 Website: Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Tamino — Tummy // https://youtu.be/HB6JjgEubrk?si=EC4O6b-BxwXBBVKC Website: Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Tamino — So It Goes Live at AB — Ancienne Belgique // Website: https://youtu.be/ThN8ukM9G0o?si=e4tnlyEn7XMs2KFg Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Tamino — Indigo Night // Website: https://youtu.be/3wVTmlD86a8?si=x3o3g43ZtA35szk8 Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Tamino — w.o.t.h (Live at Parkorman, Istanbul) // Website: https://youtu.be/2fjXHyNl0_Y?si=JB0jsxdS-4wIPs-4 Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Tamino — Intervals (Live at Jet Studio ft. Nagham Zikrayat Orchestra) // Website: https://youtu.be/P1G7t2MZmdQ?si=ds1YrIBpaVO8_LY- Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Tamino — The First Disciple // Website: https://youtu.be/F1eEraMcwbg?si=pbmDHLBQl-t9ki5e Date of access 14.11.2024)
(Tamino — A Drop Of Blood (2 December, 2022 in Paradiso Amsterdam, Netherlands) // Website: https://youtu.be/3Lt3yh4SqaE?si=Ayv8gxC8WhxDmBWP Date of access 14.11.2024)
