If you don’t know anything about me, the first thing you should know is that I only started listening to Arabic and Turkish music about 8 or 9 years ago. I’m Persian, I grew up listening to traditional Persian music, and the bulk of my musical education is in Persian music. So when I started to listen to Arabic and Turkish music I noticed that the quartertones (or…
Read MoreThe Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra
Do you have any plans in the future to play in an Orchestra? Are you forming a world music band or ensemble? Here are a few things to watch for and some suggestions on how to solve the challenges you might face performing and collaborating in this fashion. I started collaborating with the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra in Vancouver back in 2005 or 2006. This was my first real…
Read MoreThe Amazing SlowDowner
Remember my posts on Farid Al Atrash Taqsim Al Rabeea? How did I learn some intricate parts of his taqsim, especially the really fast parts? I used an Oud learning tool called the Amazing SlowDowner. It’s a nice little app I downloaded to my phone. It’s great for practicing songs, transcribing them, and learning them by ear. One of the problems Oud players often have is tuning our…
Read MoreArabic High ff Tuning: Everything you need to know…
The Arabic High ff Tuning is a great way to add range and versatility to the Oud. I used to wonder why you would want to add range to the Oud, but after learning a few songs using this tuning, I’ve really come to like the Arabic High ff Tuning. How to do it You have to buy a special set of strings to try this tuning. Or you can…
Read More6 Mini Scales That Create Maqam Music
In this week’s video, I want to share a shortcut with you. A shortcut that will help you learn maqam music. If you’re just learning the Oud or Middle Eastern Music, then you’re going to eventually learn how to play a maqam. I know that maqams are really, really hard to get into. When I started learning, I didn’t know what maqam I was hearing or playing… But…
Read More10 Ways to Hold An Oud Risha
There are many ways to hold an Oud risha, believe it or not… I learned how to hold it one way, and I eventually decided that it wasn’t for me and I changed my style and found what suited me better. In this video, you’ll see different styles of risha shape, material, and different ways to hold it. You’ll learn how Simon Shaheen holds his risha, and you’ll even…
Read MoreFarid Al Atrash Taqsim Al Rabeea Part 4 – Finale!
I was listening to this Album by the Classical Arabic Orchestra of Aleppo, Ottoman Arabic Classical Music. The first track is Samai Bayati starting with a Oud taqsim. At about 0:53 seconds, the Oud player plays the exact same riff that Farid Al Atrash played from his taqsim Al Rabeea… it’s not exactly the same, but it’s quite obvious where the inspiration for this comes from. In…
Read MoreFarid Al Atrash Taqsim Al Rabeea Part 3 Modulation
Many a question and many an answer when it comes to the question of modulation in Middle Eastern Music. It is a challenging thing to learn and master. Mostly it is learned through listening and repetition, and is executed with gusto and fluidity. Here you see just how Farid Al Atrash does it. How did I learn how to modulate? I’ll…
Read MoreFarid Al Atrash Taqsim Al Rabeea Part 2
Improvisation is a hot topic in Middle Eastern Music… Improvisation is a very interesting topic in Middle Eastern music that demands a lot of study. Farid Al Atrash was one particular master of improvisation and known for a very distinct, flashy style. A lot of Oud learners struggle with this because often the concept of improvisation is very different in Western music. There is Jazz improvisation……
Read MoreFarid Al Atrash – Taqsim Al Rabeea
As you may know, I’m from Iranian background and I grew up in that culture in Canada. It wasn’t until about 8 years ago I started to really listen to Arabic music. Over that time period, I’ve really seen some interesting cultural differences through both music cultures. Iranians are expected to stay dead quiet until the end of a performance… Iranian musicians and performers expect their…
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