![]() Rashid has roused audiences with his solo performance of the score from The Godfather. "I started playing western music on the oud, mixing Arabic and western culture together." "But when people starting saying I was good at it, I started thinking, what would set me apart among all the other players? "I was influenced by players like Mehad Hamad, for sure," said Rashid. Rashid was first inspired by Emirati oud players but he decided to carve his own niche in the field. "As a mother, I don't want to stop him or take away his hobby, so I support him, especially because it doesn't affect his behaviour and he is a smart boy." A lot of his siblings and other family members play music. Rashid's mother, Amna Al Abbar, said: "I don't mind him playing music at all. If they have talent and they are willing to learn, why shouldn't they?" "My parents don't mind but most parents won't allow their children to play any music and that is a shame. And as long as it is an art, I cannot find this shameful to my family or to the UAE. "Some people say music is haram," explained Rashid. In many Emirati families, being a musician is not viewed as a decent occupation. "Learning music requires the right environment, the availability of instruments … and it's based on knowledge that requires a curriculum." "It's rare to find a youngster playing the oud, but that is slowly changing," he said. Mr Faris said the music scene was not particularly popular among young people. "But he was very enthusiastic and after he took part in the youth orchestra with a large group it motivated him even more as it gave him prominence." "Learning to play any instrument in the beginning is very difficult and many quit during the first stages because of that," said Waseem Faris, an Iraqi composer who mentors Rashid. It took Rashid eight months to learn how to play the instrument after his interest was piqued by listening to old Arabic recordings. ![]() "It's not that different to learning a second language - the younger you are, the easier it is for you to learn." I just learnt to play by ear," said Rashid. I find that difficult because, for starters, the annotations are in Italian. He was already 13 when he became interested in the oud, the Arabic stringed instrument similar to the lute.įour years later, the Grade 12 pupil from Rashid School for Boys is the first Emirati musician to be selected for the Youth Orchestra of the Middle East (Yome). DUBAI // Rashid bin Hussain learnt to play later in life than most musicians.
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