Recently I’ve been really wracking my brain around something.
And I think I need your help with it.
I’m really wondering… where the Oud is going… for me, for the world, for everyone…
Where are we taking the Oud?
I want to know what’s next.
I wrote a post on MikeOud Forums about it… I wrote:
“I’ve always been interested in encouraging the development of the Oud in education, in musical performance, and in the instrument itself.
Recently, I think a lot of places where the Oud is discussed online has died down a bit.
I wonder, why isn’t the Oud catching on more?
When you look at stuff like Yoga, Kung Fu, Karate, Indian music, and djembe, you can see that these are household names.
I think the Oud is entering a period something like that, but it’s really far from that at this point.
Part of me is thankful that no one has taken the Oud and corrupted it, and watered it down yet. But another part of me is wondering why something so profound hasn’t found a place in the hearts of more people in an authentic way.
So I ask you the question:
What would add new life into the Oud regardless of genre?
What would solidify the Oud’s place in the modern world?
What do you want to see created or invented in relation to the oud?
What Oud learning opportunities would you want to see made available?
What other developments would you like to see?
What innovations are left for the Oud?
What would revolutionize the Oud?”
Ultimately…
How you answer these questions can steer the course of my work at OudforGuitarists.
Of course, I’m ultimately wondering what you want to see come out of OudforGuitarists.
What needs to be developed? What would get you excited about the Oud?
I’ve personally thought of a few ideas, and if you want to hear more about them, I’ll share them with you next week.
But I’m mostly interested in what you think, being a fan of the Oud and Oud music.
So I hope to hear from you. Email me at support@oudforguitarists.com. I look forward to responding to your email.
Regards,
Navid
PS. Here’s the link to the original MikeOuds post. I thought the responses were very thoughtful.
