Today many of us Oud players are lone wolves. Yes, there are communities of Middle Eastern musicians everywhere in the world, but we spend much of our time, blood, sweat and tears… practicing on our own. I actually enjoy the independent practice. It’s a bliss when I can dive head in to my own world of Oud music. …But at times, we get stuck. You can’t seem to play your…
Read MoreHow to deal with Oud pegs (slipping, getting stuck, etc)
I’ve never used any type of peg compound to keep my Oud pegs free from slipping or getting stuck. Here’s how I get away with it. 1. Be patient, and observe how your Oud pegs react to humidity. 2. Use the push+turn method. It takes some time for an Oudist to get accustomed to how his/her Oud pegs behave under different humidity conditions. Nevertheless, you can feel free to push…
Read MoreAn Exercise for Honing Your Taqasim
In response to hearing a taqsim recorded by one of my Step-by-Step Taqasim students, I suggested the following exercise: One exercise you can do is take this recording of your taqsim and play it back and listen then try to recreate some of your melodies and think about what phrase you were trying to create at that moment. Then think about how you can refine it. By refining I mean,…
Read MoreImportant links about Maqams – and a cheatsheet
As you may already know by now. I’m really a big fan of learning about maqam and I like to geek out about it. So today, I’m going to share some links with you that have helped me over the years. AND, I’ll share with you some of the stuff I’ve written on maqams that you may not have seen on OudforGuitarists yet. Free Maqam Modulation Cheatsheet ALSO, I’m creating…
Read MoreNew Oud Method Book
New Oud Method Book I have 17 exercises for beginner Oud so far. As they become more sophisticated, they also take longer to write. I’m writing all the notation with notation software so that it’s professional and easily editable. I’ve got a freebee for you now. I’m sending out one which is good to use for warming up as well as learning. Let me know what you think. Exercises in…
Read MoreNew Oud Tuning for Persian Folk Music
New Oud tuning… I’m really proud of this discovery. I’ve always been searching for a way to conveniently tune my Oud to play Persian Dastgah based on C. This tuning does exactly that. The problem The problem with the Oud and Persian music is that sometimes you need to play Dastgah Shur in the key of C. This is awkward on the standard tuning of the Oud. There is a…
Read MoreArabic Rhythms on Oud: Malfuf
Arabic rhythms… Hey, I have a new video on YouTube video for you. It’s all about playing Arabic rhythms on the Oud. This rhythm is malfuf. It’s a 2/4 rhythm. You’ll often hear it in the longa style of tune, Arabic belly dance music, and folk music. It’s often used as a way to change up the usual 4/4 rhythm in Arabic music. The tempo can stay the same, but…
Read MoreThe Dark Side of Learning Taqsim – Learn Taqsim
Learn taqsim… Easier said than done… This post is about the hard truth about learning how to play a taqsim on the Oud (or any instrument). The reality is much harsher than anyone wants to admit. And so, I made a video about the Dark Side of learning taqsim. I want you to see exactly what you have to do to learn how to improvise or play a taqsim on…
Read MoreSkype Oud Lessons
Skype Oud Lessons Do you have any burning questions about the Oud? Are you feeling stuck with your Oud playing? Do you need exercises for the left hand or the right hand? You can now get Oud lessons on Skype from me. You can be a bare beginner, a novice, or an intermediate player. You can get Oud lessons tailored to your specific needs. Lesson times: North America…
Read MoreThoughts on The Persian Radif
I was emailing an OudforGuitarists subscriber about the Persian Radif of Persian traditional music and I thought I’d share some of my thoughts about the Radif here in relation to his questions. The question was basically: What is the role of Radif for a performer? Is memorization of the radif necessary? “As for memorization, even I have not memorized the radif. This idea is a remnant of the past where…
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