kostalikesstrings - 2-15-2024 at 10:43 PM
Hi all. Long-time listener, first-time caller!
I'm currently taking a sabbatical from my work as an educator and am hoping to use that time to pursue a goal I've always had: to study oud with a
master abroad. Ideally, I'm hoping to spend about a month in either Istanbul or Athens (or somewhere else in Greece), studying Turkish/Greek technique
and repertoire. I'm looking for a teacher who would be open to working with me extensively (5 hours per week, maybe more).
Some more about me:
- I'm Greek (Samian and Pontian!) and grew up listening to plenty of rebetika and laika music (and, of course, Byzantine chant).
- I've been studying Turkish music for about 10 years, focusing on short-neck and long-neck saz. My teacher has focused on a mix of Turkish folk
songs, Alevi / Sufi repertoire, and some Arabic and Persian repertoire.
- I currently have a Turkish oud, and have been studying on my own for about a year. I also play saz, tetrachordo bouzouki, and guitar.
- I have a pretty strong ear from my saz / listening experience, but have a lot of room to grow in building the fundamentals, especially when it comes
to right-hand technique. A good example of this is that, when playing a taksim, I can usually makes some nice melodies / sayr, but my rhythm and speed
are usually lacking. Key goals would be building rhythm, speed, and endurance.
Thanks for any and all advice! Also open to reccs for teachers in the LA Area for when I get back from this adventure. Mike Ouds was the website that
first gave me "the bug" almost 20 years ago - thankful for this community!