Sufi music vs “Classical” music?

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sufi music

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…

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3 things you’re doing to sabotage your taqasim skills

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taqasim skills

In the last post I told you a story about my “avant-garde genius” Oud playing skills.  Basically, my point was that everyone starts out playing a taqasim not knowing what the hell they are doing.  Not being able to play a taqasim is going to make you feel like a Oud beginner forever.  You’re going to yearn for those times where you can just grab your Oud and make beautiful…

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There’s no manual on how to play a taqsim…

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Part 1 of 3 There’s no how-to manual on how to play a taqasim.  Most students get thrown to the wolves when they learn taqasim with their teachers telling them to “just feel it”, “create your own melody”, etc, etc, etc.  AND, very few teachers know how to teach melody creation, or how to go about playing a taqasim.  This is one of the plateaus we reach when learning Oud…

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Banjo-Oud? A unique instrument you need to see.

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Back in 2015 I made a video demoing some of my instruments and one of them was my Turkish Cümbüş (pronounced: jumbush) with nylon strings.  I hated the metal strings on my Cümbüş I bought when backpacking in Turkey, and so one day I haphazardly put on nylon strings to make it more like an Oud-Rubab-like instrument.  Later, Sylvain from sbd-projets.com started modifying Cümbüş specifically for nylon strings and his signature style hoops that make it easier…

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Viral Greek Song on Oud

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viral greek song

This family duo put out this video of an old Greek tune and it went pretty viral.  I love this video because of the young woman’s Oud playing. She’s just giving it all she’s got. Even though she’s still developing her taqasim skills, she’s really digging into her Oud and playing with soul. Their chemistry is contagious too.  Classic YouTube; just a cell phone camera on a table and away you go.  Click…

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Jins Hijaz – The quickest way to sound authentic

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jins hijaz

There are so many ways to perform jins hijaz (the tetrachord known as hijaz) in Arabic and Turkish music. In this video you’ll see and hear how to play “hard” and “soft” intervals of jins hijaz. You can create so many intonational colours and flavours by playing with the intonation. In Arabic music, when playing Maqam Hijaz with a starting note of D (Re), we use the key signature above.…

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Maqam Jiharkah – Rare Intonation

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maqam jiharkah

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…

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The Only Oud Buying Tip You Need

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Think back to the last time you went online looking to buy an Oud. You stumble across eBay, and you see some pretty decent looking Ouds with some pictures. It’s a second hand Oud. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like a decent instrument. Should you buy it? Double check one thing first. Always, always, always… double check the action. Action is the distance of the string from the…

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