Sheram Comfort

Harut, you are welcome. I also would like to thank Arpa for another interesting and quite informative reply! Sheram.

Barev Harut, I saw you frustration about not having someone reply to your request, so I will try to help. Please know that I am by no means an etymologist, so I just did what you should do next time you want to know about a word in english, namely looked it up online! If you look up your word in www.dictionary.com, they will have the etymology (the origins of the word) as part of the definition. humour/humur: http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=humour&r=2 hero: http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=hero&r=2 Hopefully this is what you were looking for. Sheram.

Dear Arpa, Thank you for the welcome and for the explanantion of my nickname. Just one quick word about the Ashough and Gousan differences: I was always told that one of the names, either Ashough or Gousan, was used if the body of work that that troubador/poet dealt with was exclusively concerned with love. What is funny is that depending on who told me over the years, it would change: someone would say that the Ashoughs were the «Love» poets, and later, someone else would claim that it was in fact the Gousans! So, it is nice to finally have some clarity, at last! Now, to honour Movses's request, let me share with you how I got my nickname, for I did not choose it, it was given to me. Let me first begin by saying that I am American born, with my grandparents being Russian and Irish (with a little Hungarian in there, as well). In short, I am definately not Armenian looking! You will soon see why this is an important detail... Some important background: While looking for duduk recordings during my freshman year at university, I became invloved with the first people to play Armenian traditional music in France (ensemble Jean-Pierre (Bedros) Nergararian in Paris). I bought an instrument, took lessons from the duduk player in the group (Philippe Chabazian), and went to rehearsals just to hear and be around the music. For the next 3 months I practiced at home (with spontaneous, weekly visits by Philippe!) and kept going to the rehearsals just to listen. Then, one night, Bedros stopped one of the rehearsals and told me that Philippe had mentioned to him that I was coming along fine and he then asked me to come up and play damkash with the ensemble. I was terrified, but I joined them, and I played duduk with the group for the next 5 years until I finished my degree and came back to the US. So, here's the naming story: Two years after I started playing with the group, a very famous duduk player come to town and we (the ensemble) of course made a kef in this honour. It was Abarantzi Valod (who played solo duduk with the Bedagan national ensemble) and it was my first time seeing and hearing a true Varbeti dudukahar from Armenia- this was one of my teachers idols... So, we are at the restaurant in a small seperate room seated at this long table full of people and just overflowing with food and drinks. Valodia is at the head of the table talking and toasting everyone, and I am at the far end of the table seated next to Philippe. At some point, Valod asks Bedros to play something and everyone gets out their instruments, including me with my duduk for the damkash... So, the whole group plays one tune that Philippe plays duduk on (with me playing the dam that makes two duduks). Everyone listens and toasts to the ensemble when it's over, nothing special. Then, we start to play another tune, but this time Philippe plays shvi, and I of course continue to play the damkash on my duduk. This time, in the middle of the tune, Valod stops talking and looks down the table to see where this duduk/damkash is coming from now that Philippe (the only wind player in the group that Valod knew of) is playing the shvi! He finally picks me out at the end of the table and his eyes practically jump out of his head! As soon as the song is over, he looks at me and says to Bedros: «Is he Armenian» and Bedros says: «No, he's an American»...Then Valod says to the whole table: «From where does an American learn to play damkash on a duduk! No one is going to believe me back home! Come here and take a picture with me and let's play together!» So, I go up to the head of the table and sit down next to him. Terrified, I tell him that I have only just begun to play and as I am about to go on with my excuses, he just tells me to play five fingers and starts playing! When we were done, he asks me «What is your name?», and I tell him «Shea». He says, «Shea..., no, with you playing the Armenian duduk like that, your need an Armenian name, you're now 'Sheram'» and he then dabs some vodka on my forehead and baptises me with my nickname! After that, he toasted my parents for having had me, and I became Sheram to the Armenians from that moment on. Anyhow, that's why I use the name Sheram in the forum. Once again, I'd like to thank you for your explanation on the origins of my nickname. I hope you are well, Sheram

Movses-jian, I have already been in contact with KGRIGORY and although we will be exchanging music, he doesn't have my answers on this subject...(Besides, two hours after you originally told me about the link, I had already downloaded, cleaned up, and burnt a CD from KGRIGORY's excellent posting)!!! As for me coming down, it's always the same problem: money.... About actually going to Armenia, well, we'll just have to talk more seriously about this person to person!... Talk to you soon, Shéram -ps: I didn't have a chance to give my regards to your familly when last we spoke, tell them «Parev» and «Bajik»!

Hello everyone, I am looking for any information that might exist on the basic structure/path of the sub-parts of specific mourams. Let me explain. I am a duduk player who has been listening to and studying mourams for a few years, now, and I am to the point where I know which mouram I am listening to almost as soon as I hear it. I can recognize Shour, Segiah, Tchargah, Shushtar, Bayati Shiraz, Rast, etc. However, the actual basic structure of each particular sub-part within each of the mourams is not clear to me. For example, by this I mean that in the first part of Segiah I know that the Dam is a certain note and the player works with a certain set of notes around and in the Dam's note. What I would like to know is which exact notes make up this first part? Then, when you move into the second part, which notes are now used in the second part? That is my general question. I know that in the conservatory they teach mouram theory, so might there be a book or a paper (with sheet music) discussing this? I don't mean sheet music with the whole mouram written out (it is too complicated and subjective to do that, because each Varbed has his own way of playing/interpreting each of the mourams...), just the scales notated for each sub-part of the mouram. To use an analogy: I already understand how to build a house, I just need to know how to lay the correct foundation! Also, does anyone have any recordings of any of the individual mourams? I have most of what's available on CD (ie. Yeghish). I am looking for anything, but especially something along the lines of Tchorni Hratcho, Gorgi Minassian (Minassov) and Garo Tchatchoulian. Any mouram and instrumnt would be great (duduk, clarinette, shvi, zurna, kemantche, tar, singing...). -I would be happy to pay for any of the Cassettes or blank CD's and the shipping. I realize that this is a very specialized topic and question, but it is worth a try. If you yourself do not know the answer to these questions, maybe you could ask someone who does?... I thank you all for your time, Shea «Shéram» Comfort.