Mike's Oud Forums

learning how to read music

oudplayer - 5-31-2005 at 07:15 PM

hi all
i think its time fo rme to read music it seems like i can learn alot miore if i can read music what is the ebst way to do this ?
any good websites free or any thing liek that i wou ld love to see if soem one can help me out alot and try to teach em or something
thx sammy

mavrothis - 6-2-2005 at 11:48 AM

Hi,

Reading sheet music is actually a pretty simple thing to do. You should start with very easy melodies and work your way up to more difficult ones.

Try and find a simple scale/theory book at a local music store. Before you go after reading though, be sure you know what the notes are on the strings you are playing first.

For example, I'm sure you know the notes that your strings are tuned to, but make knowing the notes you are fingering second nature for yourself.

For example, your 4th course is probably A. A whole step up from A is B. A half step up from B is C. If the oud had frets like a guitar, the whole step would span 2 frets, while the half step would span only 1 fret. So for the four most treble strings on the oud, you have the following notes if fingered individually, using up to the fourth finger:

4th string: A (open) - A sharp/B flat (1st finger) - B (2nd finger) - C (third finger) - C sharp/D flat (4th finger)

3rd string: D (open) - D sharp/E flat (1st finger) - E (2nd finger) - F (3rd finger) - F sharp/G flat (4th finger)

2nd string: G (open) - G sharp/A flat (1st finger) - A (2nd finger) - A sharp/B flat (3rd finger) - B (4th finger)

1st string: C (open) - C sharp/D flat (1st finger) - D (2nd finger) - D sharp/E flat (3rd finger) - E (4th finger)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, so first off, I don't mean that you can only play those notes with the fingerings I've noted, it's just made out that way above to give you a better idea of the positioning of these notes.

Next, once you are comfortable with the positioning of the notes on your oud (do it on all the strings, not just the top 4, and also go higher on each string than I did above) learn to read the notes on the staff as they are written. Once you know where an A# is on the staff and on your oud, you can read music!

Then it's just a matter of practice until you can read/play music as quickly as you can read regular typed words.

Another thing that can help you learn the notes' positions on the oud is to sing the name of the note together with the note you are playing as you go up and down a scale.

:)

Good luck!

mav

oudplayer - 6-2-2005 at 12:04 PM

hey mav
thx for everything i will do what u said and i hope soon i cn go to barnes and nobles and find a good music book
thx sammy