It’s actually difficult to distinguish between what really is “sufi music” and what is “Classical music” in the context of Persian music, especially if you are new to the culture and don’t speak the language. There is a lot of overlap. Any instrumental music could potentially be Sufi, however, not all music can be Sufi music. Music with lyrics that deal with politics, romantic love, or everyday mundane things would not be heard in Sufi contexts. It depends on the purpose…
Read MoreThoughts on The Persian Radif
I was emailing an OudforGuitarists subscriber about the Persian Radif of Persian traditional music and I thought I’d share some of my thoughts about the Radif here in relation to his questions. The question was basically: What is the role of Radif for a performer? Is memorization of the radif necessary? “As for memorization, even I have not memorized the radif. This idea is a remnant of the past where…
Read MoreOud Practice
I’m an introvert. Playing the Oud allows me to enter my own world. Even though I have a lot of performing experience, I think playing the Oud has always been a stress reliever, and I always get energized after I play the Oud. How about you? Are you an introvert? Oud practice I come to the Oud from Persian music. Persian music, at it’s core,…
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 Muting Technique – Playing Short Staccato Notes
You’re going to learn another important nuance that is found in all types of music. I call it the… Muting Technique It allows you to cut off the note that you have played so you can play notes short and staccato. Watch the video below to see how it’s done! Muting Technique – Basic Left Hand Oud Technique Difficulty: Easy Why? The ability to mute the notes…
Read MoreAlbum Review “From Stone To Diamond” – Hossein Behroozinia
Have you ever wondered what happened to the Oud in Persian music, why it was abandoned, and how it came known to be the main instrument of the Arabs? I often do… I have not yet found a good answer. But I can tell you that the Oud is alive and well in Iran now because of the efforts of a few individuals who helped bring it back or keep…
Read MoreThe Best 50 Middle Eastern Songs You Have to Hear!
Here is a brief education in Middle Eastern music listening. If you want to become more familiar with Arabic music and don’t know where to begin, I have 50 suggestions for you. This is just a mere, humble list, and really does not do justice to the rich musical traditions of each area I mention, but it is a strong start. I made three categories: Arabic, Turkish, Persian. The list…
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 MoreArabic and Persian Music – Arabic Maqam and Persian Dastgah Comparison
Arabic and Persian Music – Arabic Maqam and Persian Dastgah Equivalents I thought it would be interesting and essential to write a post for those who want to get their bearings on Arabic and Persian scale systems. This post compares the Arabic Maqam to Persian Dastgah to show where and how they overlap. I have never seen a comparison of this kind before. It is relatively a superficial comparison…
Read MorePersian Rhythms
Traditional Persian Rhythms Traditional Persian rhythms are not particularly profuse as one might expect. If you compare the number of common rhythms we have in Persian music to the Arabic ones described on maqamworld you will see that there are not so many traditional Persian rhythms. The rhythms that are discussed here are not comprehensive, but they are a purview of the rhythms you will hear in Persian music…
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