John Vergara talks Ouds on YouTube with Navid. In this video you’ll learn more about John’s philosophy and approach to Oud building, how to got started building Ouds in Beacon, NY, and what woods he likes and why. Please like, share, and subscribe to the YouTube channel.
Read MoreJins Hijaz – The quickest way to sound authentic
There are so many ways to perform jins hijaz (the tetrachord known as hijaz) in Arabic and Turkish music. In this video you’ll see and hear how to play “hard” and “soft” intervals of jins hijaz. You can create so many intonational colours and flavours by playing with the intonation. In Arabic music, when playing Maqam Hijaz with a starting note of D (Re), we use the key signature above.…
Read MoreMaqam Jiharkah – Rare Intonation
Maqam Jiharkah is a maqam that can sometimes be misunderstood. It’s not a common maqam, so it’s rare to hear. The Arabic style Oud players have a particular way of playing it. In the video below you will learn the notes, intonation, and renditions of Maqam Jiharkah. You will also hear a short taqasim of mine at the end of the video. In my course, “Easy Oud Songs”, you can…
Read MoreThe Only Oud Buying Tip You Need
Think back to the last time you went online looking to buy an Oud. You stumble across eBay, and you see some pretty decent looking Ouds with some pictures. It’s a second hand Oud. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like a decent instrument. Should you buy it? Double check one thing first. Always, always, always… double check the action. Action is the distance of the string from the…
Read MoreThe difference between Arabic and Turkish microtones.
As a Persian musician, I was always fascinated when I first heard the difference between Arabic and Turkish microtones because I could hear that something was very similar to Persian music, but also very different. Some of the differences I was hearing were so subtle; it was marvelous, and a little bewildering. It took me many years to reconcile, understand, and apply the difference between Arabic and Turkish microtones to…
Read MoreLearn 3 essential modulations (and you only have to learn 1 song)
You can learn 3 essential modulations in Arabic music from only 1 easy Oud song. The song “Ya Mal Al-Sham” is a well-known song throughout the Arab world. I chose this song to go into my new course “Easy Oud Songs” because the melodic phrases are short and easy to comprehend. What makes this song extra powerful is that it features 3 modulations. The main part of this song is…
Read More3 reasons to love Raqsat al-Gamal
Today, you are going to add a great tune to your repertoire: Raqsat al-Gamal. Why is this such a good tune? Here are 3 reasons. It’s in Maqam Hijaz (everybody loves hijaz) It has a cool modulation. (Watch the video to learn it) It’s the perfect tune to jam with friends. There’s nothing better than having a tune that you can play with a drummer and pass around solos to…
Read MoreWhy I hate Fa Fa tuning
When you get your first Oud, one of the first things you’re going to research is “How do you tune an Oud”. You’ll come across a bunch of tunings. When it comes to Arabic and Persian Oud tunings, you’ll come across 3 or 4 primary ones. Low to high string: (Capital letters are the wound strings, and lower case are plain nylon/fluorocarbon) CFADgc (AKA Do – Do as in solfege…
Read MoreEasy Oud Songs – New Oud Course Coming Soon!
I’ve been teaching private lessons one on one for many years now, and there is always ONE thing students always request: Easy Oud songs to play. I spent years finding these catchy, and timeless Oud songs that are easy enough for beginner Oud players. So to save YOU time, we’re building a new course! Introducing: Easy Oud Songs This course is designed to help you play 10 classic tunes (that all the PROs…
Read MoreOud + Oud Lesson Package Deals
This weekend only, when you buy an Oud from the link below, you’ll get the Oud Foundation Program Levels 1 – 4 for half price (Full price is $199, you get it for $100). Check out the deals right here. Also, I’ll be doing a Q&A live on YouTube where you can ask any questions you have about Ouds. You can watch it right here live or on replay.
Read More
