smooshie - 2-27-2005 at 10:12 AM
hello, i've been wanting to be able to play oud for quite some time now though the only player i know around me doesnt speak english. Is it possible
to teach yourself? I play guitar and realize theres a lot i never would have learned without my teacher. Thanks.
tezza - 2-27-2005 at 11:40 PM
Hi smooshie,
I also played guitar before the oud and I found that the lessons here (http://www.mikeouds.com/video/learn.html) are very helpful to get you started. I went through each one until I could play all of them. I feel that
I'm really ready for a teacher now (I never found the need to have a guitar teacher) as there's so much to learn with playing the oud. So it is
possible to teach yourself, but for me it's only taken me so far...
There is also much more theory to learn to play properly and sites like http://www.maqamworld.com are a great help. Good luck, it's a beautiful instrument.
smooshie - 2-28-2005 at 10:05 AM
thanks a lot. theres a music shop near me that has an oud in stock, i got an email back from them...Yes we do have an oud in the shop. The maker is
Necati Aslan and was made in 1986. There a couple of minor cracks on it that I would like to have fixed before it is officially for sale. It will
probably retail around $435.00. It may be a couple of weeks before I can get these cracks repaired, however.
does anybody know this maker and whether the price is right. Also would it be a bad idea to buy this because of the cracks. Thanks
Brian Prunka - 2-28-2005 at 11:59 AM
Where are you located? I or one of the other members may know someone in your area . . .
Brian Prunka - 2-28-2005 at 12:00 PM
btw, you might still learn a lot from someone even if you don't speak the same language
smooshie - 2-28-2005 at 12:07 PM
i live in annapolis, MD.
oud
revaldo29 - 2-28-2005 at 07:42 PM
Hey Smooshie,
I have never heard of this oud maker but I know that for a little more money, you can buy a really nice shehata. If you've kept up with the
forum, you know that they have a very good reputation. If you are going to spend $450, I think you should go ahead and spend a little more to get
something guaranteed. Also, if you buy a professional oud now by a reputable maker, you can always sell it in the future for very close to what you
paid for it.
smooshie - 2-28-2005 at 08:17 PM
thanks, what would your guess be as to shipping costs?
revaldo29 - 2-28-2005 at 08:44 PM
I believe shipping from Egypt is about 125$ or so. I know mike was selling a shehata oud a while back, it might still be available. He is out in
California so that will save you a ton on shipping. I bought a shehata about a month ago and man they are really really nice. If you think you are
going to stick to this thing and not give it up quick, then it is definately worth it. In fact, you will find that you save a couple of hundred bucks
by avoiding that starter oud that you use your first year or two.
tezza - 2-28-2005 at 10:05 PM
where can I get a shehata from? It's Arabic style, no?
revaldo29 - 3-1-2005 at 02:19 PM
Hey tezza,
Maurice shehata has a website now. Its
http://www.mauriceouds.com
It is only in Arabic and they have their contact information on there. Al aseel has a shop in Cairo and one in Qatar.
tezza - 3-1-2005 at 10:04 PM
thanks for that!
smooshie - 3-2-2005 at 04:24 PM
alright, so im only 16 and have almost 400 dollars, i dont want to get a cheap instrument so how can this be best spent, im looking for an arabic oud.
smooshie - 3-3-2005 at 07:31 PM
i've contacted the nileshop already but before i buy anything, does anybody nkow anything about the pyrimidsshop on ebay?
smooshie - 3-4-2005 at 03:23 PM
im thinking of getting this oud http://nileshop.net/imagex/Ouds/ou25.jpg
http://nileshop.net/imagex/Ouds/ou25a.jpg
http://nileshop.net/imagex/Ouds/ou25b.jpg
http://nileshop.net/imagex/Ouds/ou25c.jpg
is it worth 350$. Advice is welcome because im probably going to buy it this weekend. Thank you.
mavrothis - 3-4-2005 at 04:51 PM
Hi buddy,
From the pictures this doesn't look bad, in my opinion. If you haven't already, you should ask the seller some basic questions. One important one
involves the action. The most comfortable action is aroun 3mm, not much higher than that, where the neck meets the body. If the string is much
higher than that from the fingerboard, than the oud won't be easily playable and will only frustrate you.
Try and get a sound file for this specific oud if you can, and also make sure to say you need this oud's pegs to be well-fitted, etc.
However, if you think about it, if you save a little more money, you can get a professional instrument and not have to worry so much about this type
of thing. But I understand how it is in the beginning, and I certainly didn't buy a top of the line oud to start, but I sometimes think I should
have. I would have less ouds sitting around, and also would have spent less money overall.
Whatever you decide, I hope the oud you pick turns out great for you.
Take care,
mav
Monawar Al-Jabar - 3-4-2005 at 06:57 PM
Hello smooshie
At the nileshop you will get the best oud for you'r money. If you speak to Yehai on 0020102796450 he will tell you every thing.
By the way he get's his oud from the best oud maker called Maurice he make top pro oud's . If you see Abady or ahemd fathi or mohmmed abdo they all
use oud's made by maurice.
Give Yehai a ring and he will be very happy to help.
Take care and wish you the best.
smooshie - 3-4-2005 at 07:59 PM
thank you both very much.
smooshie - 3-5-2005 at 04:54 PM
ive been emailing Yehia, and i think im leaning towards getting an oud made by Maurice Shehata through him now. I havent heard back form Yehia yet,
does naybody know how much this would run me? thanks
palestine48 - 3-5-2005 at 07:33 PM
You should be aware that the ouds posted on the nileshop website are not Shehatas. They are commercial beginner ouds made by gawharet el fan i
beleive. I have one of these ouds.
The shehata ouds everyone refers to can be obtained by talking to yehia. If u search the forum or look at mikes main page he has a link for Shahata
ouds. The site is all in arabic though but the Shehata's are much better quality than the ones shown on the nileshop site. These are good though if
you want to learn on one that you dont mind putting some wear and tear into.
To upgrade to a pro oud for a couple hundred more would be a good debate. I also recall mike saying in one recent post that hes goung to egypt and
offering to bring back supplies. Maybe if he assisted you he can save you a lot on the shipping.
take care,
Rami
smooshie - 3-8-2005 at 06:53 PM
jsut wanted to say thanks for everybody's help. I jsut ordered my oud, i couldnt quite afford a proffesional but im really excited to start playing.
And working with Yehia was great, he even jsut called to say he got the payment, thats amazing. Anyhoo, when i can play something ill post a file up.
Thanks again.