The two different tonal systems, the Arabic maqam and the European diatonic, are hard to combine. Arabic musicians use quarter notes and European musicians use half notes—larger distances between notes, in other words./“They’re like two languages, two identities.”/“A piano can’t play a quarter note.”/Rami and Ziad perform with their band from the “Welcome Music Session” in other parts of Hamburg ... /... in refugee shelters, at the Hansa- or Ernst-Deutsch-Theatre./“You’re a great theoretician.”/“But an even better performer!”/Ziad was even allowed to conduct a workshop for Arabic music at the Hamburg College of Music./Rami organises concerts with Syrian musicians at the Elbphilharmonie./“You work there now?”/“Can’t you do something?”/Rami believes Ziad’s earned the opportunity to play in front of a large audience. He wants to help him.
