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Recitation video + Tips for reciters

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Here’s a recitation I did a few months ago at my cousin’s wedding. Following the video are a few observations/tips for reciters as well as aspiring reciters, so please scroll down and take a look.

Here is the audio-only-video:

And now, for a few points of observation and tips for reciters:

To be honest I’m not a huge fan of doing short recitations at weddings … most of the time the request comes with a very short time limit, which makes things difficult for reciters like myself who prefer reciting in the mujawwad style … and then on top of that, the program often starts late, so when it starts I sometimes feel as though there’s a squeeze on time, so that I’d better hurry up. Plus, you can’t really go crazy on the appetizers when you know you have to be ready to start the program!

Tips for reciters:

1) Know your context: in a case like this (a short wedding recitation), even if you prefer the very slow mujawwad style, you need to understand the context and recite a bit faster. People who love Quranic recitation often try to align themselves with one style of recitation (either murattal or mujawwad), but the reality is that both have their beauty and both have contexts where they are appropriate.

2) If reciting in a short time slot, you need to “ramp it up” right away. In a longer mujawwad recitation, you might have time/space to start low, in maqam bayati as is customary, and then work your way up from there. However (and I’ve tried this), it’s not really possible to do this effectively in a 10 min recitation. This advice also applies when reciting in a competition or anywhere where you’ll have less than 15-20 mins to recite.

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The Overnight Qari: Your essential guide to reciting in style

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