A few weeks ago I shared some Egyptian songs, and we explored some of the “classic” composers and singers that are dear to Egyptians. We mentioned the likes of Umm Kulthum, Riad Al Sunbaty, and Mohamed Abdul Wahab, and Said Darwish. There was something missing from that post. Where was the Oud element to all that? How do you explore this music on Oud? The task is fairly difficult. For…
Read MoreThere are many ways to learn a maqam…
Learn a maqam. Here’s how… Alright, I’ve been going on about this free Ear Training session for a while now, and I’m sure you’re getting tired of it. But seriously, get all the details here and mark your calendar so you don’t miss it. I also promised yesterday I would discuss many ways to learn a maqam, to learn music, to learn how to improvise in the framework of a maqam. Okay,…
Read MoreWhat is Ear Training?
As I mentioned the other day, I’ll be doing a free Ear Training session live on YouTube. Ear Training sounds really boring doesn’t it? What really is Ear Training? And why should you do it? Let me put it this way… Ear Training are essentially exercises that help you internalize and absorb the nuances of a maqam in a natural and innate way. It’s like Monkey see… Monkey do… Or…
Read MoreNavid’s Top 5 Recommended Egyptian Songs
How does an Oud player go about learning more Egyptian music? How about a little crash course in Egyptian music… Well, this is the highly abridged, and terribly concise Egyptian music crash course. For the simple reason that this is a huge subject… But I’ve condensed all of Egyptian music to 5 tunes/songs that I believe can be your meze platter which I hope will entice you to learn more and…
Read MoreThe truth about Farid Al-Atrash… Learn Egyptian Oud
What comes to mind when someone says the words, “Egyptian Oud” or Egyptian Music? Do you think of belly dancers? Or do you think of the diva Umm Kulthum? Or do you think of this cool dude Amr Diab? Maybe all of these come to mind… But what about Farid Al-Atrash…? A long time ago someone corrected me when I said that Farid Al-Atrash was Egyptian. He’s associated very much…
Read MoreOnline Oud Workshop – Learn Aziza by Abdul Wahab on Oud
We’re going to have an Oud Workshop at OudforGuitarists all online. In this Oud Workshop, we’re going to take a look at some exercises that will allow you to play Abdel Wahab’s “Aziza” in an advanced way with ornaments and embellishments. We will then learn how to play Aziza in a basic way, and show you how to add the ornamentation learned in the exercises. Notation will be provided for…
Read MoreLearn Arabic Oud – Alf Leila we Leila (Intro) Part II
Learn Arabic Oud here with Oud for Guitarists. In case you haven’t already seen it, check out Alf Leila we Leila Part I here. Now you can also check out Part II below. You can learn Oud from a bare beginner level all the way up to an advanced level with Oud for Guitarists. Are you looking to learn the ornaments and embellishments I added to this piece? You might…
Read MoreLearn Alf Leila wa Leila الف ليلة وليله – ام كلثوم (intro) on Oud
As I mentioned last week… in my newsletter… (You’re on my newsletter right? If not, get on.) There will be a new tutorial on Umm Kulthum’s song Alf Leila was Leila (composed by Baligh Hamdi). It’s here! I have always stayed away from doing Umm Kulthum tunes because I don’t really enjoy the recording quality. It makes it really hard to hear what the instruments are playing, so it’s hard to…
Read More7 Benefits of Private Oud lessons (#7 is the coolest)
I was Live on YouTube again for over an hour discussing the benefits of taking private Oud lessons, and I wanted to give you the rundown on the session: (scroll down for the video) Discounts on Oud Lessons in August I’m giving discounts on Oud lessons in August, the deadline is Friday August 7 11:59 PM Pacific time. Book here. Get 20% off the price listed. The Benefits of Private…
Read MoreWhat Can Private Oud Lessons Do For You?
Some people teach themselves music. Some people go to a Royal Conservatory. Some people study music at University. Some people (like me) learned music completely through one-on-one private lessons. What’s your experience with learning music? Or learning an instrument? Now you can learn Piano and Guitar with high-tech apps for your tablet or smartphone. Everyone is different and learn best using an assortment of different tools. How do you fit…
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