By combining details of ancient Middle Eastern Musical "Maqam" teachings and the physics of Just Intonation, which describe perfect harmony, Cameron Powers is able to present a simple solution to these musical mysteries. Musicians can now explore the vast collections of ancient musical modes. Great players and singers unconsciously move into these modes. That's what makes them great Why not make this technique conscious?

Cameron and Kristina, pursuing their own brand of diplomacy as "Musical Ambassadors," were on the streets of Baghdad singing popular Iraqi music with Iraqi citizens during the spring of 2003. They have now made four trips to other Arab-world nations as well between 2002 and 2005 carrying their "Musical Missions of Peace" through Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. Cameron and Kristina were invited to perform for an audience of 60,000 Egyptians in the Cairo stadium in October of 2003 to help raise money for an Egyptian Children's Cancer Hospital. Subsequently traveling through Syria, they sang on the streets and in the homes of Palestinian refugees in a large camp near Damascus. The photo on the front cover shows some of these Palestinian children who spontaneously joined in the singing. Back in America during parts of 2003, 2004 and 2005 they drove more than 40,000 miles to bring their uplifting musical and multi-media presentation, "Singing in Baghdad," to thousands of American citizens in more than half of the states in the union. Recently returned from more musical adventures in the Arab world, Cameron has written this "People's Guide to Basic Decency" to help others who desire to go through the personal process of spiritual soul growth which accompanies experiencing oneself as a truly global citizen. Promoting a natural state of compassion which can easily exist between people in the absence of fear, author and musician Cameron Powers presents a glimpse into a very modern world with extensive internet connections but which simultaneously drinks from the ancient wisdom of the Dervish-populated realms of the Middle East.

Musicians desiring to play the Dance music, the Sacred music or the Folk music of the Arab and Turkish worlds must study these scales. Discover the musical basis for the incredibly rich emotions associated with Middle Eastern music. Forty-Five Arabic Musical Scales are taught in this book. Many scales include "quartertone" intervals. From Cairo to Tunisia, Damascus to Baghdad, Beirut to Aleppo and as far west as Istanbul and even into Greece, musicians know these scales. Long missing from Western musical training, this book now makes these ancient scales available.

A real-life modern Musical Mission of Peace into Baghdad: American couple put their hearts on the line and invade Iraq by singing popular Arabic music on the streets of Baghdad as the US Marines invade with weaponry in the spring of 2003. They give another message to Iraqi people: we're here to sing and to learn and to listen. How were they received? And what was it like for them in the streets of Cairo, Ramallah, Amman and other Arab cities armed only with their singing voices and an Oud, an ancient Arabic lute? This is a fantastic view into the hearts and minds of the Arab world unparalleled and unique in modern reporting.