Advanced Hammer-on Pull-off combinations are where your Oud playing will come to life. You will hear these nuances often in all kinds of traditional Middle Eastern music. Check out the video below to learn how to do it! Advanced Hammer on Pull off Combinations Difficulty: Advanced What? Advanced Hammer-on Pull-off combinations are where hammer-ons and pull-offs work together to create another unique nuance, or melodic phrase.…
Read MoreThe Muting Technique – Playing Short Staccato Notes
You’re going to learn another important nuance that is found in all types of music. I call it the… Muting Technique It allows you to cut off the note that you have played so you can play notes short and staccato. Watch the video below to see how it’s done! Muting Technique – Basic Left Hand Oud Technique Difficulty: Easy Why? The ability to mute the notes…
Read MoreAccented Tremolo – Basic Right Hand Oud Technique
I am so happy to see that you are following the Oud technique series videos and articles. This one is about a basic and fundamental Oud technique called… Accented Tremolo This is a technique that can be used in pretty much any situation. It is used Oud styles as it is fundamental to creating music on the Oud. Accented tremolo is also very important in Persian music. I…
Read MoreOud Maqam Learning Part 1: Maqam Learning Made Easy!
Okay, so you want to hear a melody, understand it and be able to play it authentically… But you find maqam music so hard to play, can’t recognize the maqams by ear, or remember them all…or all of the above? If so, check out this Oud Maqam Learning video series: Part 1: Maqam Learning Made Easy! (you are checking out this one) Part 2: The Ultimate Introduction to Maqam Music…
Read MoreWords of Wisdom – from World Famous Oud Masters
It is every Oud learner’s dream to study with world famous professional Oud players. Yet many of us only get to see these Oud masters in person at their concerts if they ever come into our town, and getting personal advice and their secrets from them seems like another dream. To help all Oud learners out there with similar urge to listen to renowned Oud masters’ words of…
Read MoreMaqam Hijaz Medley
As I introduced in my article, Arabic Maqam Theory – A Brief Introduction, there are many maqams that are commonly used in the Middle Eastern music, and each maqam has smaller sections. Some maqams sound very similar because they share same notes. Same but different. This may have caused some of you to think, “Do I need to learn all these maqams before I can play the Oud?” …
Read MoreOud Lessons Re-Release Update!
Thank you to those of you who have shown interest and support for our learning material and Oud lessons in the last few weeks. We hope the content of our website has been useful to you. We have been brainstorming ideas for new learning material for a long time, and we are excited to finally share these with you. As you may or may not know, Oud for Guitarists…
Read MoreOud Picks : The Ultimate Oud Buyers’ Guide Part 5
Part 5: Oud Picks The final accessory required to get you started on the Oud is an Oud pick. It called mezraab/mizrap in Farsi and Turkish and Reesha in Arabic. Whatever you call it, you’re going to need a good one. Don’t go cutting up your old yogurt containers yet, there are much better options out there! The mezraab is long and thin. It is held not only by the fingers…
Read MoreOud Strings : The Ultimate Oud Buyers’ Guide Part 4
Part 4: Oud Strings Don’t let the prospect of buying a new set of strings stop you from getting into the Oud. Fortunately, there are many companies that manufacture Oud strings for all types of tunings and styles. Oud string also last a very long time and are not meant to be changed too often, but this is always a matter of personal preference. Keep things simple and purchase Navid’s…
Read MoreHow to Buy Oud in a Foreign Country : The Ultimate Oud Buyers’ Guide Part 3
Part 3: How to Buy an Oud in a Foreign Country Some of you may wish to buy an Oud when visiting a Middle Eastern country. This is a great idea because you also get to see where the Oud comes from and get a sense of the culture, perhaps meet some musicians, and meet the person who made your Oud. In most cases, you will probably buy an…
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