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 MoreThe Hammer On Oud Technique
Another important Oud technique is called a hammer-on. It is an important guitar technique as well. I remember when I first learned how to play hammer-ons on the guitar, I thought it was such a cool technique. I spent all my high school years listening to Jimi Hendrix albums, and wanted to play music like him. His use of hammer-ons is extensive and advanced. Playing hammer-ons are easier on…
Read MoreOud Maqam Learning Part 1: Maqam Learning Made Easy!
Okay, so you want to hear a melody, understand it and be able to play it authentically… But you find maqam music so hard to play, can’t recognize the maqams by ear, or remember them all…or all of the above? If so, check out this Oud Maqam Learning video series: Part 1: Maqam Learning Made Easy! (you are checking out this one) Part 2: The Ultimate Introduction to Maqam Music…
Read MorePianos Are Out of Tune – A Discussion on Equal Temperament and Oud Music
Did you know Pianos are intentionally tuned “out of tune”? Yes it’s true. Modern Pianos are all tuned using a system called “Equal Temperament”. In fact, you can’t use your ear to tune a Piano in equal temperament because our ears don’t hear notes in this manner. Piano tuners use a device and they need to know how much each note needs to be “out of tune” in order to…
Read MoreOud Lessons Re-Release Update!
Thank you to those of you who have shown interest and support for our learning material and Oud lessons in the last few weeks. We hope the content of our website has been useful to you. We have been brainstorming ideas for new learning material for a long time, and we are excited to finally share these with you. As you may or may not know, Oud for Guitarists…
Read MoreOud Picks : The Ultimate Oud Buyers’ Guide Part 5
Part 5: Oud Picks The final accessory required to get you started on the Oud is an Oud pick. It called mezraab/mizrap in Farsi and Turkish and Reesha in Arabic. Whatever you call it, you’re going to need a good one. Don’t go cutting up your old yogurt containers yet, there are much better options out there! The mezraab is long and thin. It is held not only by the fingers…
Read MoreOud Strings : The Ultimate Oud Buyers’ Guide Part 4
Part 4: Oud Strings Don’t let the prospect of buying a new set of strings stop you from getting into the Oud. Fortunately, there are many companies that manufacture Oud strings for all types of tunings and styles. Oud string also last a very long time and are not meant to be changed too often, but this is always a matter of personal preference. Keep things simple and purchase Navid’s…
Read MoreHow to Buy Oud in a Foreign Country : The Ultimate Oud Buyers’ Guide Part 3
Part 3: How to Buy an Oud in a Foreign Country Some of you may wish to buy an Oud when visiting a Middle Eastern country. This is a great idea because you also get to see where the Oud comes from and get a sense of the culture, perhaps meet some musicians, and meet the person who made your Oud. In most cases, you will probably buy an…
Read MoreOud Makers : The Ultimate Oud Buyers’ Guide Part 2
Part 2: Oud Makers In this section we will deal with Oud makers, and we will refer to two categories of Ouds: factory Ouds, and Luthier built Ouds. Factory built Ouds encompass low-end, mid-range, and high-end Ouds, but are known generally for their cheaper low-end and mid-range Ouds. The construction of these Ouds may be supervised, designed, or inspected by a Luthier but will not likely…
Read MoreAccelerated Learning: Fast Track to Becoming an Oud Player
Do you know Tim Ferriss? He is the author of The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and The 4-Hour Chef, all of which are bestsellers. Well, the first one sounds interesting, but I’m not interested in the second or third titles, you say. He is one of my heros. Actually, OUR heros. Both Navid and I fell in love with this guy’s awesomeness and idea of doing less work and…
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