This is a technique I was asked to do by someone on YouTube. Actually, it’s amazing I hadn’t thought of doing this technique yet myself. So thanks again to the person who suggested it!
Another strange thing, I actually was never formally taught how to play this technique… It just started to happen naturally, probably just from years of playing different string instruments. So here’s my way of doing vibrato on the Oud.
Check it out below!
Vibrato
difficulty: intermediate to advanced
What?
Vibrato is a way oscillating the pitch of a note you are playing to add expression and colour to music.
Think of it as a note whose pitch is subtly getting sharp and flat, or wiggling up and down.
When we were filming the Oud for Guitarists Foundation Program, I was demonstrating passages and I unwittingly kept using vibrato when playing notes. Mao kept pointing out that beginners will be confused and wondering why I’m playing the notes like that. I had just become so used to playing vibrato on certain notes that I didn’t even realize I was doing it anymore.
How?
Check out the video above for more details. The movement is like shaking hands with your Oud. You make a good hook with your thumb on the top of the fingerboard, and your hand underneath the fingerboard just wiggles from side to side. Just like you’re shaking someones hand.
When to use vibrato?
Applying techniques can be tricky. It takes some experience with music in general to learn how to use it, but Vibrato is more straightforward. You use vibrato for longer notes, or notes that trail off or fade out, and notes that you want to add some super heart-throbbing emotion!
What’s Next?
DOUBLING UP PART II… Stay tuned by signing up below!
