Emirati pianist who learnt to play by ear entertains at The Galleria

On Thursday evenings, when the crowds swarm through The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, they do so accompanied by the tinkling of a grand piano’s ivory keys. The piano is positioned strategically in the mall’s atrium, offering the musician playing it a wide view of the shopping centre.

“I like it that way,” says Hamad Al Taee, the mall’s only Emirati pianist and a regular every Thursday evening and Sunday morning. “I get to see how people are reacting to my playing, and I get to see what nationalities are passing by and then play them a song from their country, which will make them stop and listen because they are surprised to hear a familiar tune played so differently.”

The title of pianist is one that Al Taee holds dear to his heart. To him, it is both an achievement and a source of pride, considering he is entirely self-taught.

“My father bought me my first piano when I was 4,” says the 21-year-old. “Our whole family loves classical music and ‘new age’ type music; my father used to have old records and albums of Beethoven that I still have in my room, he loved that music and it’s all we used to listen to in the car, so my love for it started with my father.”

Al Taee has never had a professional lesson and can’t read music. “If I hear a song, I can figure out how to play it, but in my way,” he says, adding that the piano tutorials on YouTube are great for when he gets stuck.

By day, Al Taee is a cadet pilot currently in training while enrolled in a work/study programme at Abu Dhabi University, studying towards a bachelors of science in aviation. By night, the young man is one of several musicians hired by The Galleria to play at various times throughout the week, adding a unique cultural element to the high-end shopping centre. It’s also Al Taee’s first paying gig as a pianist.

Original article by Hala Khalaf

Continue reading at The National:

Emirati pianist who learnt to play by ear entertains at The Galleria