Over the last five years of teaching oud full-time, I’ve thought a great deal about what makes practice useful. Learning the notes of a piece is one part of it. Finding a comfortable fingering, keeping the rhythm alive, and getting the risha and left hand to work together are where much of the learning happens.
I wrote Oud Fingerboard Workouts with that teaching experience in mind. These etudes bring together some of the most practical and sought-after oud training I can offer, in pieces that give you something musical to work towards.
Why I wrote Oud Fingerboard Workouts
OudForGuitarists has been producing oud learning materials since 2013. This particular collection draws closely on my last five years of full-time teaching: thinking about the movements players need, the choices that make a phrase easier to play, and the kind of practice that carries over into music.
I wanted to give those ideas a home in a collection of etudes. An etude is a musical study: a piece you can enjoy playing while working on particular skills. You have a phrase to shape, a rhythm to feel, and a reason for the movement you are practising.
I really know these etudes will help people become better oud players. That confidence comes from the teaching experience behind them and the practical work they ask you to do. They give you a way to listen more closely, make more deliberate choices, and build control through regular practice.
What I want these etudes to help you explore
The collection takes you through different fingerings, different maqamat, different areas of the neck, and different rhythms. I also wanted to explore ways of adding notes that make a phrase more rhythmic and exciting.
A fingering can change how smoothly you move through a passage. A string choice can affect how a phrase feels under the hand. A deliberate risha pattern can bring clarity to a rhythm. Working on these details inside a complete piece helps you hear why they matter.
My hope is that you will come away with more choices in your own playing: more ways to move around the fingerboard, more confidence coordinating your hands, and a clearer sense of how technique supports expression.
Ten core etudes, plus a bonus
The ten core etudes explore Ajam, Nahawand, Rast, Bayat, Hijaz, Hijaz Kar, Hijaz Kar Kurd, Sikah, Husayni, and Saba. The notation collection also includes a bonus etude in Nawa Athar.
The scores include suggested fingerings and circled string numbers where the choice may not be obvious, along with risha markings where a reminder or particular stroke order is useful. The notation book also explains how to read those markings and how to approach your practice.
I suggest starting with Etude 1 and working through the collection in order. You can return to earlier pieces as your hands and ears develop.
The shorter studies and videos
The full course builds on the main etudes with shorter studies that focus on techniques used in the pieces. If a particular movement needs more attention, these give you a smaller musical task to work on before returning to the longer phrase.
I’m also preparing about ten longer teaching videos, together with shorter videos for the supporting studies. In these, I’ll shed more light on how to practise and execute the etudes so you can get the most out of them.
The number of shorter studies and shorter videos is still being finalized. I’m shaping those around what the core etudes need.
How I would approach the practice
Start with a short phrase. Play slowly enough to hear each note, understand the rhythm, and notice how your hands move. If the coordination is difficult, try the risha pattern on an open string before putting the written notes back in.
The printed tempo is a suggestion. Practising both slower and faster can be beneficial, provided the sound stays clear and the movement remains comfortable. There is useful work to do at several speeds.
The fingerings are suggestions too. Try the supplied fingering, understand what it makes possible, and use a different one if it works better for you. Exploring those choices is part of becoming a more independent player.
Then return to the complete phrase. Listen for its shape, its accents, and the character of the maqam. Those are the reasons for doing the technical work.
Who this course is for
This course is for you if you have been playing oud for about a year, or can already play some songs. You should know the basic maqamat and be familiar with A half-flat, B half-flat, and E half-flat.
The etudes are written for Do–Do (C–C) tuning: C–F–A–D–G–C from bass to treble. If you are still learning your first notes, the Oud Foundation Program is a more suitable starting point.
Presale details and course access
The full-course presale runs from October 25–31, 2026. The price is US$49 during the presale, rising to US$147 afterwards. The presale ends October 31 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.
Core notation is available by October 31. The complete course, including the shorter technique studies and teaching videos, will be available on November 30, 2026. This is a presale, so the complete video course is not available immediately.
A standalone full-course purchase includes lifetime access, downloadable PDFs, and a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you prefer to work independently from the scores, the notation-only option is US$25. It does not include the videos or supporting technique studies, and notation-only purchases are non-refundable.
A note for existing students
If you received the September 2026 bonus workout PDF, the core notation overlaps 100% with those workouts. You do not need to buy those core scores again. The full course adds the shorter technique studies and teaching videos.
Active All-Access members will receive access to this course from November 30 as part of their subscription, so there is no need to purchase it separately. Access through All-Access ends when the subscription is cancelled; lifetime access applies to a standalone purchase.
An invitation to spend more time with your oud
I’ve put a lot of teaching experience into these pieces, and I’m excited to share them with you. I want them to become music you enjoy returning to, as well as studies that help you hear and feel progress in your playing.
If that sounds like the kind of practice you have been looking for, you can explore the course and the two purchase options below.
Explore Oud Fingerboard Workouts
— Navid
