Mounzer Sarraf

As a young boy, Mounzer Sarraf was fascinated by a local rock and roll song called Kom van dat dak af, loosely translated into "Get off that rooftop". He loved to act as if he was on stage by using an old tennis racket as a guitar and shouting along with the song. He was fortunate to have parents that encouraged a musical mind and soon he found himself taking his first prepatory music theory classes. After weighing a few instrument options he decided to go with the guitar as there was one lying in the attic of his family house. Although he loved music, Mounzer wasn't what you would call a musical prodigy. He seemed to have a feel for music, but practice was a chore and every day a struggle to play the instrument. Solfege was another mystery he did not seemed to grasp.

After four years of drudgery the teacher called his mother saying he either had to commit or quit. Mounzer agreed to continue but on the condition that he would be able to play more modern pieces. He was lucky to have a teacher that introduced him to several blues bands and the Dire Straits. The music became more to his liking and he started to be more involved in practicing and performing. At nineteen, Mounzer applied to the Royal Conservatory of Maastricht and study jazz guitar. He was allowed to enter the preparatory year and again he did not prove to be a brilliant musician. The subjects were difficult for him to understand and the language and vocabulary of Jazz was a big challenge.

Three years into study a tendon problem forced him to take a break, allowing him some room to reflect on what was going on with his life and his studies. Finally, he started to grasp some of the concepts taught in the Academy. He had his first breakthrough when he picked up his guitar again, deciding to start over from square one. Timing, groove, and rhythm became his main focus. This was when all the theoretical aspects of music fell into place.

Not long after realizing how the grammar of music was constructed, he started wondering why it had taken him so long to grasp all the concepts of pulse, rhythm, melody, and harmony. When discussing this with colleague, Simon Corthouts, he was surprised to find out that his friend had also struggled for a long time with the same problems. Inspired by the wish to the explain the subject to his friend, Mounzer decided to write an essay that would outline the inner workings of music from another point of view. This would later become a joint effort of both friends and ended with Grome: The Grove Method. After starting to write and explain Grome, Mounzer found out that there were and are many more musicians that like him, struggle with the inner workings of music and how it is explained. Mounzer now runs a music school near Granada, Spain dedicated to Grome: The Groove Method.