Alternate Picking Part 2 – Down Down Up Pattern

Have you heard this wonderful playing of Hamza Al Din?

Want to learn how to do it? Check out my video below to learn another essential Oud alternate picking pattern: down down up.

Down Down Up Pattern

Difficulty: moderate

What?

The down down up pattern is a right hand strumming or picking pattern that you can apply to the Oud.

Why?

It allows you to play drones and melody on different registers or octaves, and it sounds fantastic! It will help your technique development and allow you to play dynamic and rhythmical passages that will make your Oud playing stand out.

How?

Play a down stroke on low G, then a down stroke on the higher open G, and then an up stroke on the same higher open G, and repeat.

Now change the first down stroke note to different notes and create melody.

Now try keeping the bass note or initial down stroke the same, and play melody on the 2nd and 3rd strokes.

Keep practicing until you can play as fast as Hamza Al Din.

Tips For Success:

When you start to practice, keep each stroke nice and clear. Try to hit the notes properly and with equal rhythm. That is key. Slowly progress until you can play faster.

When you play faster, decide which note you want to emphasize. The emphasis should be on the melodic note OR the note which is the rhythmical pulse of the music. In Hamza Al Din’s video, he emphasizes the first down stroke, and the melody is also on the first stroke. The drone is on higher note.

What’s Next?

Well, I’m sure you’ve noticed that Hamza Al Din is doing a lot more than just the alternate picking down down up technique in the video above. He’s playing a lot of tremolo too! Don’t worry, stay tuned and next week I’ll show you exactly what he’s doing so you can practice it too.

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