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Mehmet Polat VIDEO PAGE.

SamirCanada - 8-2-2006 at 11:11 AM

Here is a verry tallented turkish oud player.

http://www.mehmetpolat.net/english.html

Look at the speed in the way he plays Sharif Muhittin Haydar Targan’s peices. Its really stunning.

Enjoy.

LeeVaris - 8-2-2006 at 12:33 PM

Yes... I posted a link to his site earlier. I must confess, however, that I couldn't finish watching all the videos as I got tired listening to the speedy renditions of music that felt kind of rushed.

He has a very intersting technique... left hand position reminiscent of a classical guitarist. He also holds the neck up like a guitarist. He gets a somewhat brittle tone on the instrument but he does get very clear tones way up the neck -- even past the sound hole.

Interesting... I'd like to see what happens with him once he calms down.

SamirCanada - 8-2-2006 at 12:52 PM

Couldnt agree more Lee.
It gets a little bit too rushed and you feel like there should be a little more feeling. Maybe he will calm down your right...

mavrothis - 8-2-2006 at 01:10 PM

Hi,

I think it's amazing how much he really sounds like Targan in many of his runs and technique.

Very impressive.

Targan's pieces are played a lot, but his style has never been absolutely copied like this by anyone else that I know of (not that he's an exact copy of Targan, often his own sound comes through).

:applause:

Take care,

mavrothis

adamgood - 8-2-2006 at 01:13 PM

cool thing is, if he gets an itch on his nose during the middle of a piece, he can scratch it with the index finger of his left hand, while his other fingers keep playing. I've never seen anyone be able to do that. actually i've never seen him do that. but i bet he could if he needed to.

if i had an itch on my nose i would have to stop for a moment.

Jameel - 8-2-2006 at 02:53 PM

Is it me, or does Mr. Polat's right hand look unusual? Almost as if there is some extra space between his index and middle fingers.

SamirCanada - 8-2-2006 at 03:17 PM

Do you really think he is from Earth?
lol

LeeVaris - 8-2-2006 at 03:18 PM

He does make an unusual stretch, Jameel... I think its all in the hand position. The neck is way up and his elbow way down bringing his wrist forward above the fingerboard - his thumb behind the fingerboard and the pad of his palm (just below the fingers) almost touching the edge of the fingerboard in some passages.

I tried making that stretch... can't quite manage it without turning the hand too much and it hurts to even come close but its possible. He must have really worked on stretching the fingers to develop that dexterity!

The way he holds the oud is also interesting - right arm kind of coming over the top with the wrist in a fairly severe angle. Somwhat similar to John Bilezikjian, though John doesn't hold the neck so high. Mehmet cradles the oud fairly tight to his body as well - left leg crossed over the right. I've never seen anyone sit like that with the oud.

cihan - 8-3-2006 at 01:16 AM

Well, in all honesty and with all due respect, I liked his hicaz taksim, but I could hardly stand the pieces he was playing with speed as he was a few comas off the correct sound in roughly half of the notes he was playing.

UrbanTurban - 8-4-2006 at 08:37 PM

That's Not Mehmet Polat!!

That's Yngwie Malmsteen on the oud!! :buttrock:

And yeah, it gets really fast boring to listen to......

UrbanTurban - 8-4-2006 at 09:56 PM

For you guys that still dosen't think this is Yngwie, here is the proof:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYYOA2PXO2A&search=yngwie

Koya - 8-5-2006 at 04:08 AM

Yeah,

The proof of exhibitionism...

adamgood - 8-5-2006 at 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cihan
Well, in all honesty and with all due respect, I liked his hicaz taksim, but I could hardly stand the pieces he was playing with speed as he was a few comas off the correct sound in roughly half of the notes he was playing.

I totally agree that he's playing taksim really really well. he's showing lots of musicality (if he used a little more space and some sustain then i would go from liking it to loving it) and he's showing the makam really well. curious to hear more taksims.

UrbanTurban - 8-5-2006 at 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Koya
Yeah,

The proof of exhibitionism...

You could say that again...............

No of course the man has skills (Mehmet Polat) but in very few cases, on any instrument, to intense playing is going to sound good.............................

mavrothis - 8-5-2006 at 01:22 PM

Everyone who cares about something, music or whatever it may be, should have opinions and preferences. Otherwise, you're just sleepwalking.

However, to feel the need to criticize to the point of insult someone who obviously has an incredible amount of talent and who has worked very hard towards something (and continues to work at it) is pretty pathetic in my opinion.

There's a very simple solution for anyone who doesn't feel attracted to someone else's playing; don't listen to it.

Being negative is too easy. Actually creating something artistic yourself is very difficult. I propose we all work at creating music/art that we feel is beautiful, and give excessive criticism of others a rest.

Personally, I have so much to work on in my own playing and composing, that the time I need for self-criticism leaves me little to no time to criticize other people's playing, even if I wanted to.

There is a lot we can all learn from Mehmet's playing, regardless of our musical tastes, and he's only 25. Imagine what he will be playing in 10 years, or 20...

Take care,

mavrothis

David Parfitt - 8-5-2006 at 01:35 PM

I agree wholeheartedly with Mav on this. Mehmet has obviously put a lot of time into his technique and is justifiably proud of what he achieved. While his style might not be to everyone's particular taste, there is no need for these kind of cheap insults.

David

UrbanTurban - 8-5-2006 at 04:45 PM

Sorry If I'm lost here, but who made a cheap insult?!?

Wasen't the conclusions that his taqsims were wonderful, but his intense playing on the oud could get a bit boring?? I don't see anything insulting in these conclusions...
And who (in this forum) would be incompetent enought to not understand the amount of time Mehemet Polat put in to his style of playing.....I mean, anyone that comes to this forum to seek out knowledge about the oud probably also knows that this is one of the most difficult instruments to master.......

Personally I think it's an art to play a simple piece and make it sound beautiful and advanced than shred the instrument (again, any instrument) into oblivion. I mean, try to sit down and make beautiful music out of 3 - 4 notes...That's an art!
But once again, Mehemet Polat IS a fantastic oud player.....

oudman - 8-5-2006 at 06:06 PM

I have to agree with Mav. This guy is 25 and has already accomplished in technique and musicality what some people dont achieve in a lifetime of playing
Believe me a guy with talent like that will only get better with age

Jason - 8-5-2006 at 06:47 PM

It sounds good to me. The technique doesn't seem that outlandish to me... I've always played with a similar technique.

I think he is stretching a bit too far in the lower register though. Putting that much space between your index and middle finger can lead to a lot of strain on your hand longterm. Violinists definately do not play like that.

I enjoyed his playing. Would love to hear some stuff with percussion or a group

David Parfitt - 8-6-2006 at 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by UrbanTurban
Sorry If I'm lost here, but who made a cheap insult?!?

You did. What else would you call this:

Quote:

This is what we in sweden call guitar masturbation, but in this case I have to say Oud masturbation.......

You are not going to endear yourself to many people here with these kind of comments. The oud world is a small one and Mehmet is actually a member of this forum, so perhaps you could show a bit more consideration in future.

LeeVaris - 8-6-2006 at 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jason
I think he is stretching a bit too far in the lower register though. Putting that much space between your index and middle finger can lead to a lot of strain on your hand longterm. Violinists definately do not play like that.

Yes... I thought that myself. Still, his technique is very well suited to the fast runs that he seems to execute effortlessly. I can't quite get my hand into that stretch between the first and second fingers. Maybe he does have some extra dexterity. The positioning of his hand allows for a lot of economy of movement so that he can hit a lot of notes without moving his hand up and down the neck as much. You have to have a lot of precision in placing the fingers in those fast runs -- no time for vibrato to "find" the note so I think this hand position helps to place the fingers more accurately.

I'm not sure I could tell if he was a few comas off in intonation - it sounds OK for the most part but I'm certainly not an expert with perfect pitch!

Masturbation? I'd love to be able to masturbate like this! Before we all jump on him for playing too fast just remember that the selections that he's chosen here, other than the lovely Hijaz taksim, are supposed to be played fast. I'd still like to see the music breath just a little bit more but man, this guy is already pretty amazing -- just think what he's going to be like in 5 more years!

For myself, I'm experimenting with the up-neck playing position to try to get the left hand into a better playing angle. Naseer Shamma also plays a bit like this though his left hand is not placed quite as well forward... a little more relaxed and his thumb creaps up behind the neck a bit more -- still there are some similarities.

Brian Prunka - 8-6-2006 at 08:05 AM

Is there some kind of plug-in to watch these videos? I couldn't get them to work . . .

David Parfitt - 8-6-2006 at 08:29 AM

Brian,

I checked with Mehmet as I also had problems with the videos (no sound in my case). He said you need to have the divx codecs installed in your computer, or download the full version of divx player free from http://www.divx.com. Hope this helps.

All the best

David

adamgood - 8-6-2006 at 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LeeVaris
For myself, I'm experimenting with the up-neck playing position to try to get the left hand into a better playing angle.

hmmm interesting, how about this?...holding the ud at that kind of angle could be more healthy for you hand, healthy for your wrist? in the tendonitis sense. keeps your wrist from being crooked.

now that i think of it, my friend Hoseyn in Paris holds an ud a bit like this as well. His main instrument is violin (really fantastic player!) but he's also playing very well on ud. his left hand is killer...really beautiful ornaments, seeming to come from his violin playing.

a

cihan - 8-6-2006 at 11:38 AM

Dear friends,

If my remarks were insulting to anybody, including Mehmet himself, I am sorry about that. However, in my view point, given we are all playing a fretless instrument, a requirement for an acceptable agility is hitting the right sound at all times. What I'm trying to say is that, speed is meaningless if you cannot play the semais, longas etc written by a great musician correctly at that speed. This is my personal view, which may or may not be shared by many of you.

I respect Mehmet's research for a better technique and wish him best of the luck with that. Nevertheless, I am not going to say his technique is fabolous just to cheer him up or to support him. I think the best support comes through criticism.

About Mavrothis's comments, especially this one:
"There's a very simple solution for anyone who doesn't feel attracted to someone else's playing; don't listen to it". This is in itself is a cheap insult unfortunately. There is no way to know how a player is playing without listening to him/her at least once.

Finally: this is to Mehmet: I am very sorry brother, if I made you sad or upset. Your technique at this young age is probably much better than what I have being a person ten years older than you. I wish you all the best in your quest towards being a better oud player.

UrbanTurban - 8-6-2006 at 12:02 PM

Oh My, Oh my, Oh my..............

Well, sometimes I write things before thinking them over because sometimes, I don't realise that it could come out wrong or be missunderstod. And of course I appologize to Mehemt if he took it wrong and felt insulted, but in all honesty, a mucisian of his caliber would probably have enough self-distance about my remarks that they would be able to take them as they where meant to be taken: WITH A LAUGH! The better you are (in any profession, unless you are a diva) the more you will understand a joke or irony....That's Why I think he is laughing hard right now!

I explain:

(1) Using the word masturbation in the same sentence a a musical instrument that plays extremly fast and are, in 99,9% cases(like in Memhet case) higly evolved on the instrument. So saying for example "that's guitar masturbation" to a Swedish guitarist would be taken as a non-deragotary joke/irony. Translated into less provokative (provokative is in the eye of the beholder, in this case all on this forum) terms it would say: "damn! you can play. You are one of the fastes gutarist I've ever heard!"

(2) To be compared to Yngwie Malsteen is for electrical guitarist WORLD WIDE is like a dream come true. Yngwie (well, his apperance is pompus and he is a true exobishinist (sp?) but no-one hardly get compared to his looks, but compared to his music and beyond-belifs skill on the guitar) is one of the fastes and most influential on the axe in modern times. He is said to be number one on executing arppegios fastes on a guitar. Yngwie is considred a icon or God like person with his undisputably speed on the guitar. Yngwie has also influenced almost every electrical guitarsit you hear today on this planet..Ask anyone that plays the electrical guitar on moderat level and they will tell you they know or heard about him.
So Isen't THAT a compliment to Mehmet??????

(3) Conclusion: Mehmet Polat is higly evolved on the instrument, he is also on the same level in speed and tecnique as one of the world best guitar players. If I (Fredrik) was that good: I would be called a matrurbator ANYTIME!

So there you guys have it. I think I explained it so everyone could understand where I come from. Well, to not offent/insult anyone, I edited my prevous posts containing the word masturbation and deleted them so all here could keep on living happy and in peace.
A talented oud player as Mehemet is definitly evolve futher, but this is what I think, he will calm down more the older he gets....That's what usally happens to musicians when they get older, I don't know why, but it seem to be a fact.....Maybe it has something to do with that simplicity is harder to master than complexity (chaos is easy to create, but try to get a simple order out of that chaos!). This is deep guys, don't work to hard on to try to decipher it.
And last but not least; I think Mehemt (or anyone in here) is mature enought to defend himself on any critisism, insult, joke, irony etc.

Over and Out...................

mavrothis - 8-6-2006 at 04:59 PM

I wasn't going post here in this thread again, but since a remark was aimed towards me, I guess I will.

Cihan, trying to make my post out as insulting is pretty ridiculous. Maybe you should read it again.

First of all, I don't think you were insulting to M. Polat in your original comments, just honest.

But here is the thing, once somebody has listened to something once (yes, of course you have to hear something once to know if you like it...perhaps this should be obvious to you?), they can choose not to listen again, instead of being insulting, like some have chosen to be.

I'm not surprised a different style evokes these kinds of responses, like I said in my post, if you don't have an opinion about something, you're probably not passionate about it. But, no need to be insulting to someone, especially not in writing.

I think that's pretty simple logic.

So, now that everyone respects Mehmet and his playing, and doesn't mean anyone any harm, let's get back to oud. What do you say?

Take care,

mavrothis

cihan - 8-6-2006 at 07:02 PM

Mavrothis, I respect your opinions. I will not respond for the sake of not flooding the forum. However, please be careful with your wording next time if you are responding to anything I say. If you want you can email me and I'll give you my cell phone number so that we can discuss on the phone whatever the matter is. As I said, I don't want to talk any further on this matter in order not to cause a polemic.
Cheers
Cihan

UrbanTurban - 8-6-2006 at 08:36 PM

Ok, I try to make this my last post on this thread......

First of all this is a oud forum so yeah, lets try to keep the topics to oud's. But fiery discussions is only healthy, as Mav said, rather react than not, it shows we care......
And once again, we all here are adults enought to take a discussion I belive. And if someone gets offended or dosent' understand something, please then try to email that person and take the discussion of this forum.

Then it's also healthy to have some self-distance, we are all here people and nothing more than people. And we all have a love for the oud, otherwise we woulden't hang around on this forum. And for Gods sake, we have to be able to take jokes or irony. And for all that matters someone could even call me a <b>kittie</b> or an sshole and I woulden't care so much! Because I'm mature enought to know ho I am! And Because I'm pretty god at music (I play around 15 instruments pretty well) I'm able to laught something of easy. But saying the wrong things to someone that just started could be disastrous, and I never do thoses things, trust me.......

But I still belive that discussion like these are necessary, otherwise we as peple woulden't get to some conclusion about anything and would probably still be living in the stone age!
But words are powerful and we should try to think them over before putting them on here (that goes for me to, I forgett so easy). But we also must be able to put a opinion here. There is enought of cencur, war, vilolence because people are missunderstod or dosen't whant to take a dicussion or here someone elses opinion........

Well I guess that's all.............This forum is still awsome and lets keep it alive and growing, in the end we are all friends..............

Peace and love....................