Last week I talked about how I learned to use techniques and embellishments in my Oud playing, and now I want to demonstrate this in action. I’ll show you three ways I interpret my own music and apply different techniques and embellishments to the same basic melody to create different a different feeling and vibe. If you want to these techniques and learn more about how and when…
Read MoreA common question: How do you know when to use certain techniques and embellishments in music?
A common question I get from Oud players is how do you know when to use certain techniques and embellishments in music. The question that is really being asked here is more a question of style and musicality. But where did I learn how to use techniques and embellishments? Watch the video below to find out. Next week I’m going to play some examples from my own music to…
Read MoreFlashy Oud vs Emotional Oud: What’s better?
There’s a lot of debate about what’s better: to be able to play flashy techniques and play really fast, or to be able to play with a lot of feeling and emotion in your playing. What do you think? Watch this video, then share with me your favourite Oud video from YouTube. Post a link in the comments section below, and tell me why you it’s your favourite. …
Read MoreSultan of Soundboards – The Oudman Najib Shaheen
I attended the 2016 Arabic Music Retreat hosted by Simon Shaheen, and I had a great time. It was a great experience to spend a whole week with some of the greatest Arabic musicians. The first character I met when I arrived there was Najib Shaheen, Simon Shaheen’s older brother. I like to call him Sultan-a-Soundboard… Because it seemed like every other Oud player at the retreat was playing…
Read MoreMaqam Ear Training
I always had a hard time understanding Maqam Lami. It sounded so strange to me, and I didn’t find it interesting. I knew some well known songs in Maqam Lami, but it still wasn’t sticking. Fortunately, Simon Shaheen used Maqam Lami in one of his ear training sessions at the Arabic Music Retreat… Then it all started to make sense. I took what I learned from his method and created…
Read MoreUnraveling a Taqsim: Episode 3 – Maqam Husseini (free taqasim training download)
This week I have another taqsim for you to watch and follow along with. This one goes all over the place, and has a little Persian flair to it in some parts. Free Taqasim Training Audio In addition, I’ve created two taqasim training audio files that you can download at the bottom of this page when you sign up. A lot of people ask, “how do I…
Read MoreUnraveling a Taqsim: Episode 2 – Maqam Jiharkah
Charbel Rouhana is releasing a new Oud method this month. This is great news for Oud learners worldwide because… he is having it written in dual languages: Arabic and English. I am looking forward to purchasing my own copy as it will cover at least five different levels of Oud and it will be a great resource to use in my own private lessons. When I get more…
Read MoreUnraveling a Taqasim – Episode 1. Maqam Ajam Ushayran
It has been difficult to make time for practising Oud this week. But on the days I was able to, it happened because I put Oud first on my list of things to do. One of the things I’ll be working on for myself since the retreat is taqasim. Previously, I’ve always allowed my taqasim to be completely spontaneous. I don’t think about it. But after the retreat…
Read MoreArabic Music Retreat 2016
It’s been about two weeks since I’ve returned from the Arabic Music Retreat. Man… I have a lot to share with you, so I’ll probably be creating a few blog posts about different things over the next few weeks. It was a great experience I’ll never forget. The faculty are all heavy-weights of Arabic Music, so you can imagine how nice it was to be in their company for seven days,…
Read MoreJamil Bashir Oud Method Exercise
Here’s an exercise from Jamil Bashir’s Oud method. This is a beginner level Oud lesson for practicing 16th notes in G major scale. The tuning you need to use for this lesson is (low to high string) C G A D g c. Free Beginner Oud Lessons Course Next week I’m starting a brand new free email course for bare beginner Oud players. This course is…
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