Humans are mirrors for other humans, for twins this is even more so, often being able to understand the feelings of their sibling innately. One a violinist, the other an oud player, the Gharbi Twins share all of the advantages of being twins in their music. When I saw them on a Youtube channel 5 years ago, I felt that they were very special for many reasons. The captivating waters of Mediterranean music flow between the violin and lute of Mohamed and Bechir Gharbi, who are among the most inspiring representatives of Mediterranean music in the 21th century as two performers, composers and academicians. Their motto is "freedom, creation, tolerance and leniency," which is why Mediterranean music is so special for the Gharbis. Their story can inspire families to provide a music education for their children, as well as inspiring anyone who wants to begin a musical career.Daily Sabah conducted an interview with Mohamed and Bechir detailing their journey and their inspiration in art."Our mother bought us a small organ instead of buying two bikes and told us that by working with this organ, we would be able to buy our own bikes. But what happened later was that we began to learn to play the organ with our first instructor, Mehrez Hraiib, who suggested that Mohamed learn the violin instead of the organ when Mr. Hraiib noticed his interest in the violin and a certain predisposition to becoming a violin virtuoso," Bechir said.A year later, Bechir became a member of their school's choir, and, with the encouragement of Hraiib, decided to learn the lute.Being a mirror for the otherBechir and Mohamed started to learn music via oral tradition. Mohamed says that being twin brothers augmented their motivation for music: "We spent a lot of time together. We used to share everything, including music and instrumental training. This allowed us to be persistent in music. Each of us mirrors the other, enabling us to succeed academically."Each twin has had experiences with world-renowned artists and orchestras. They started working with musicians in their school as festivals were organized by the schools, and through this participation they evolved as artists. Bechir started to perform at the age of 16 with the Tunisian Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Ahmed Achour, while Mohamed participated in concerts with the Mediterranean Symphony Orchestra after obtaining a bachelor's degree. These events motivated them to work more. They also played with the Italian opera Frederico II and the Tunisian National Orchestra, recording in studios with the string section. Now, both are Ph.D. students at the Higher Institute of Music in Tunisia (ISMT).Consistent and modest for musicJust like other career fields, being a musician requires a balanced life style, and such is the case for the Gharbis. During their childhood, they played two to three hours a day, except during examination periods, currently averaging one-and-a-half hours per day. They have good advice for future musicians: "Our advice for those who would like to choose a musical career is to love music, to be passionate; which requires a lot of work, perseverance and above all patience and modesty!" They say that even if they share similar preferences, their styles differ due to playing different instruments as their modes of expression.'Each maqam a different world'Each maqam has a different character, just like a human being. The choice of maqams in Oriental music, which is also used in Turkish classical music, reveals the mood of the artist, as well as traces of the composer's memory, thoughts and ideals. Philosopher Al Farabi says that each maqam has a different psychological effect, such as joy and peace in maqam rast, courage and force in saba and humility in huseyni. In our day, maqams were used for treatments in traditional medicine. The call to prayer uses five different maqams, reflecting the five daily prayer calls, in sequence: saba, rast, huzzam, hicaz and ushak (in the Arab world, maqam bayati).The maqams the twins prefer are kordi, hijez, nahavend and muhaier sikah, but they sometimes use other maqams as well. Bechir says it is impossible to objectively specify the human scope and sentimental meaning of maqams, which characterizes art in general. "For us, most maqams encompass all sentimental designs that may contradict each other within the same maqam. Personally, I think that the maqams that I have just mentioned represent a vast and rich expressive context in terms of creation. Concerning the feelings and thoughts that these maqams arouse in us, I think that the kordi mode, for example, inspires hope and nostalgia. As for hijaz, it expresses melancholy and hope. As for nahavend, it awakens aspiration, becoming a source of inspiration. And, finally, muhaier sikah evokes both happiness and nostalgia," he said.Leniency in Mediterranean musicMediterranean culture is like a collective basin, absorbing pieces from every culture, creating a unique place that melts hearts and traditions together. Bechir accentuates the common cultural heritage that acts like a welcoming bridge for the different music perceptions of each Mediterranean country. "The link between different cultures lives in the history of the Mediterranean countries because of their cultural heritage, in particular the musical heritage. This heritage was built from the impact of acculturation that was achieved through a natural phenomenon due to the economic interchange between the people of the southern and northern areas of the Mediterranean. This exchange has created a favorable climate for a peaceful coexistence between different cultural elements and tolerance on the basis of these same elements. Also, the role of these cultural elements has created an atmosphere of peace and tolerance."'Oriental music is spiritually deeper'The Gharbi Twins work with both western and eastern musicians. Since they have had an extensive musical education, they can make concrete comparisons. Mohamed and Bechir think that the big difference between the two music genres lies in the philosophical and aesthetic aspects of each of the two musical universes: "Western music is based, to some degree, on the rational impact that is translated through vertical writing. And the elements of beauty of this music are summed up in polyphony on one hand, and the way in which this polyphony is invested in expression on the other hand, whereas the philosophical and aesthetic aspect of Oriental music is founded, to a certain degree, on linear and horizontal thought in the compositional process. In our opinion, Oriental music is deeper due to the spirituality that emerges from it, and the multi-dimensional aspect that defines it in several Oriental musical genres. And, this reflects the extent to which Oriental music is rich and variable in its micro-world."'We love Turkish music so much'Tunisian luthist Ahmed Kalai, Egyptian artist Mohamed Abd El Wahab, Turkish artist Göksel Baktagir, the twin's friend, Greek-American artist Yani and Indian artist Ravi Chanker are the musicians that they like to listen to the most. However, the Gharbis also enjoy Turkish music. They listen to Yurdal Tokcan, Bülent Altınbaş, Baki Kemancı, Masoud Jemil and Nedim Nalbantoğlu. The Gharbis hope to give concerts in Turkey: "We hope so because we really love Turkey. Its culture and especially its audience is naturally musky and crazy for music." They add that opening a music school may be a future project, and that their grand life project is to produce their music and share it all over the world.'Art reminds us to be human'Music and all kinds of art have the possibility of purifying the human soul, inspiring beauty and augmenting productivity. Concerning the wars going on in the Middle East, the musicians think it is a political matter that affects economic and strategic conflicts of interest between several states. Since music and art in general can ease pains Bechir explained, "Concerning the role of music and art in general, I think that they can, in fact, help to put an end to these wars. I see that they could, as forms of artistic and human expression, awaken human feelings that are asleep and buried and remind different people that they are human beings before anything else!"