This is a technique I was asked to do by someone on YouTube. Actually, it’s amazing I hadn’t thought of doing this technique yet myself. So thanks again to the person who suggested it! Another strange thing, I actually was never formally taught how to play this technique… It just started to happen naturally, probably just from years of playing different string instruments. So here’s my way of…
Read More3 Stroke Trills
Are you ready for a workout? Let’s play some trills together. But I’ll be honest, it’s difficult to define this one. Call it what you want, it’s really good to learn!!! I’ll let the video speak for itself: 3 Stroke Trills difficulty: intermediate to advanced What? This is a 3 stroke accent played on two notes with a stroke pattern of DOWN UP DOWN. Why? It creates rhythmic…
Read MoreBouncing Down the Stairs – A Taqsim Technique
If you liked last week’s post that showed you how to create a short musical phrase and turn it into a longer musical phrase, then you’re going to like this week’s post. This is another technique you hear during taqsim. I call it, “Bouncing Down Stairs”. Check out the video below to learn how to do it! Bouncing Down the Stairs Difficulty: easy to moderate What? This technique is…
Read MoreThe Descending Pattern Technique for Taqsim
The Descending Pattern Technique is something you will definitely hear when you listen to Middle Eastern music. You’ll hear it in short phrases and in longer phrases. It’s used during taqsim and in compositions. In essence, it is simply a musical phrase that gets repeated on different notes descending the maqam or scale. It’s like creating little musical theme and then copying it on different notes making a longer…
Read MoreThe Doubling Up Technique
This is one of the most easy ways to take a simple melody and make it more interesting. I call it the doubling up technique. Learn how to do it below: The Doubling Up Technique Difficulty: Easy What? The doubling up technique is taking a melody and adding more notes. On musical notation it looks like this: You’re basically adding another note for every 8th note you see turning them…
Read MoreSimon Shaheen Riff from “Blue Flame” – Using 3 Stroke Accent
Last week you learned how to play a 3 Stroke Accent, and now you’re going to learn a cool way to apply it by learning a riff that Simon Shaheen uses in his song “Blue Flame”. Check it out in the video below! Simon Shaheen’s Blue Flame I highly recommend checking out Simon Shaheen’s album “Blue Flame” with his band Qantara. It is the most modern and virtuousic Oud…
Read More3 Stroke Accent (Short Tremolo Burst)
This is one of my favorite techniques. It’s absolutely indispensable, so really practice this one. You’ll also want to remember this one because it’s going to help you learn a really cool riff that Simon Shaheen plays in his album Blue Flame. And you’re going to learn Simon Shaheen’s riff in next week’s video! Learn how to play the 3 stroke accent in the video below. The 3 Stroke…
Read MoreHamza Al Din Combo
So I’m sure you remember this video. I’ve embedded it three times now. There is a short excerpt from this that you will learn in the video below the Hamza Al Din one. This lesson puts together two techniques together to play this combo, the down down up picking pattern and the tremolo drone technique. Check it out! The Hamza Al Din Combo Difficulty: moderate to advanced, tricky What? The…
Read MoreTremolo Drone – Essential Oud Techniques
Remember this video? We are going to keep moving toward playing in this manner, just like Hamza Al Din. In order to do this, we’ll have to learn how to play a tremolo drone. Check out the video below to learn how to do it! Tremolo Drone Difficulty: moderate What? A tremolo drone is adding a tremolo as a drone behind another melody, usually a simple melody. Hamza Al Din…
Read MoreAlternate 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…
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