Everybody is different when they come to me wanting to take Oud lessons. Some have never played a musical instrument in their whole life. Others have played music their whole life and can play Oud quite well. So what do you learn when you take Oud lessons from me? Do you want to learn Persian, Arabic, or Turkish Oud style? Oud lessons – The basics: The basics of Oud playing…
Read More2 Short Tutorials – 2 Farid al-Atrash Songs
Farid al-Atrash songs are fun to play. Here are two great ones to try out.
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 More5 Egyptian Songs You Need to Play on Oud
A few weeks ago I shared some Egyptian songs, and we explored some of the “classic” composers and singers that are dear to Egyptians. We mentioned the likes of Umm Kulthum, Riad Al Sunbaty, and Mohamed Abdul Wahab, and Said Darwish. There was something missing from that post. Where was the Oud element to all that? How do you explore this music on Oud? The task is fairly difficult. For…
Read MoreSamai Bayati Al Aryan Part 2 – Free Oud Lesson
Here is the follow up to last weeks free Oud lesson Samai Bayati Al Aryan with Advanced Techniques. It will complete the first “hane” of this Samai instrumental. Samai Bayati Al Aryan Part 2 For those of you who like notation, here it is! This is the 2nd section of Samai Bayati Al Aryan played on the Oud with advanced techniques. Turkish Samai pieces are very well organized. This section…
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…
Read MoreThe Chraibi Slide
Want to play like a pro? Then I’ve got just the technique for you. I call it, the Chraibi Slide. Check out the video below to learn how to do it! The Chraibi Slide – Oud Technique Difficulty: Advanced Prerequisites techniques: Trill, Tremolo, Slide. See the Foundation Program to learn how to play these core Oud techniques in-depth. What? The Chraibi slide is a flourished slide…
Read MoreAdvanced Hammer on Pull off Combinations
Advanced Hammer-on Pull-off combinations are where your Oud playing will come to life. You will hear these nuances often in all kinds of traditional Middle Eastern music. Check out the video below to learn how to do it! Advanced Hammer on Pull off Combinations Difficulty: Advanced What? Advanced Hammer-on Pull-off combinations are where hammer-ons and pull-offs work together to create another unique nuance, or melodic phrase.…
Read MorePull-Offs – Oud Techniques
As I promised, you’re going to learn how to do a pull-off on the Oud. It’s a great technique to learn and it goes hand in hand with Hammer-ons. I admit, it was very challenging to try and teach this technique. It’s so much easier to teach one on one, but when you have a larger audience and you’re not in-person, you always hope you are making sense. So…
Read MoreAccented Tremolo – Basic Right Hand Oud Technique
I am so happy to see that you are following the Oud technique series videos and articles. This one is about a basic and fundamental Oud technique called… Accented Tremolo This is a technique that can be used in pretty much any situation. It is used Oud styles as it is fundamental to creating music on the Oud. Accented tremolo is also very important in Persian music. I…
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