There are many ways to learn a maqam…

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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,…

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What is Ear Training?

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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…

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Navid’s Top 5 Recommended Egyptian Songs

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learn Egyptian Oud

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…

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The truth about Farid Al-Atrash… Learn Egyptian Oud

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learn Egyptian Oud learn Egyptian music learn oud online how to play 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…

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Online Oud Workshop – Learn Aziza by Abdul Wahab on Oud

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aziza Oud workshop

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…

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Learn Alf Leila wa Leila الف ليلة وليله – ام كلثوم (intro) on Oud

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alf leila wa leila umm kulthum

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…

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7 Benefits of Private Oud lessons (#7 is the coolest)

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private oud lessons

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…

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What Can Private Oud Lessons Do For You?

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private oud lessons

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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