A lot of people agree that it’s difficult to get a good, deep, boomy, authentic Arabic Oud sound on the MultiOud. I used to think the same thing. I used to think that the MultiOud is just good for Turkish music and Turkish Oud style. A friend once played a gig with an Oud player who only plays the MultiOud and commented, “He’s a good player, but the sound of…
Read MoreThe Beginner’s Guide to Holding the Oud and Risha
The Oud is the most awkward instrument to hold. It looks easy, because it looks like the same way you would hold a guitar… But you can’t hold it quite the same way as a Guitar… There are two ways to solve the Oud holding problem. Use a foot stool The foot stool will save you from unnecessary pain and discomfort. They carry them at any…
Read MoreBuy an Oud Online
It was 1997 and I was about 13 when I first fell in love with the Oud. At that time, the internet was still a baby, we didn’t even have internet access at the time. The only recording I had of the Oud was a short clip from Microsoft Encarta 97’ that came with the PC my family bought that year. In 1998, I had the…
Read MoreYou CAN Play Rock Music on the Oud – Purple Haze Oud Cover
Can you play Rock music on the Oud? Hell yes! And why not? I’ve decided to test the limits of the Oud’s ability to play different types of music, and I’ve decided to try my hand at Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze, because why not? No one has done it before! It’s time to expand the repertoire of the Oud. Jimi Hendrix – Purple Haze Jimi Hendrix was practically a…
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…
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