Freygish and Mi’sheberakh for the Beginner’s Mind

with Mike Perlmutter
Sunday, November 8 @ 11am
a collaboration with KlezCalifornia
Register here (by donation)

Musicians, if you’ve ever been confused, unsure, and/or overwhelmed by modes, this workshop will gently get you through those feelings and on your way to more comfort and creativity with this music! In this workshop for singers and instrumentalists at all levels, you will learn about two related common klezmer modes, step-siblings of sorts, freygish and misheberakh. Well-known melodies using freygish include Hava Nagila, Avinu Malkeinu, Miserlou, and many more. Knowing the mode of a song aids in learning and conceptualization of the song and is especially important for improvising within tunes and soloing over breaks and for doinas and taksims.

We’ll first break the two modes down and examine their smaller 3-5 note components, each with its own flavor and function. We’ll then build up the mode with all its notes. We’ll also show what to look for in the key signature to signify these two modes and we’ll learn some of the various names for these modes used by different cultures. We’ll improvise over a drone for each of the two modes, and play a few tunes in each of the two modes to get a feel for how each sounds.

All levels of musicians and singers are welcome.

Mike Perlmutter has been performing klezmer, Balkan, and ceremonial Jewish music on clarinet and saxophone for over twenty years. He leads Saul Goodman’s Klezmer Band and is a member of the Chochmat Halev sacred music ensemble. He’s also performed with groups such as Inspector Gadje Balkan Brass Band, Zoyres Eastern European Wild Ferment, and the Kehilla Klezmer Band. He served four years on the Board of Directors for KlezCalifornia. Outside of music, he is committed to his family and environmental stewardship.