A few weeks ago you learned how to play a basic Jurjunah (Jurjinah) Rhythm on the Oud. Now it’s time to learn an actual song in this rhythm. We’ll learn Guli Ya Hilu, a well-know traditional Iraqi song. Check out the video below. Guli Ya Hilu is in an obscure Maqam called Lami. For information about this maqam listen to Jamil Bashir’s taqsim. You can also check…
Read MoreThe Difference Between Persian, Arabic and Turkish Quartertones
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 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 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
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…
Read MoreBaba Bahri
Want to learn a song on the Oud in under 5 minutes? Baba Bahri is the way to go. Not only can you learn a new song quickly, but you’ll also learn another rhythm. Not a bad deal if you ask me… Oh yeah… and if you like notation… Baba Bahri Baba Bahri is often found played as a medley with Sidi Mansour. Listen to the recording below and…
Read MoreSyrian Oud, Iraqi Oud, Cümbüş, Fretless Mandolin Show and Tell
I thought it would be fun to do a “show and tell” video of some of the instruments I use. It’s nice because you’ll really hear the differences of these instruments back to back, and I speak candidly about them. I hope it will give you some insight into these instruments. I’ll be showing you two Ouds of different styles, a Turkish Cümbüş, and an Eastman Mandolin that I made fretless.…
Read MoreSidi Mansour Part 2 With Advanced Techniques
It’s time to bring out the real North African flavor to this piece. In order to that, check out the video below to learn how to play some trills that use different notes in the scale. This brings out the pentatonic-ish flavor of the scale being used. What’s this North African Flavor I’m talkin’ bout? I’m talking about the blues scale. It’s hidden inside the maqam being…
Read MorePlay Sidi Mansour
Who doesn’t know this song? This is a classic! And now you can learn how to play it on the Oud! I didn’t start listening to the classic Arabic artists like Farid Al Attrash or Oum Kulthum… in fact I didn’t really get it or like it… This is one of the first Arabic songs that I heard which got me more interested in learning Arabic music.…
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