DaveH - 12-8-2008 at 05:10 AM
Hello all
I realised it had been over a year since I last posted any clips. I think it's good for me to force myself to do this a bit more often, so here are a
few pieces I've been working on over the last year.
To be honest I don't feel I've progressed all that much recently and I feel after more than two years playing I should be further along. I haven't
had a lot of practice time and am finding it pretty tough making my risha technique cleaner, which is one of my main learning priorities (it's my
first try with a plectrum instrument). Still enjoying it immensely though, and loving exploring the music, and that's what counts. So maybe my right
hand isn't quite up to tackling longas, but I figure it's the best way to get better. I'll post a few other pieces soon.
Anyway, enough excuses. Criticism desired!
http://www.zshare.net/audio/5242998729bccb5a/
DaveH - 12-10-2008 at 12:02 PM
That good eh? Hmmm.
This is another one. As I say, right hand needs some work. Any tips on how to approach this piece, or links to recordings, would be welcome too as I
haven't actually heard it performed.
http://rapidshare.com/files/172156313/Junaed.mp3
The zshare link kept sending me popups which seemed to evade my blocker. Apologies if this happened to you too. I've switched hosts now and sacrificed
the inline MP3 player.
Again, I would really appreciate feedback. Otherwise, I may just put my oud in the woodburner. It's cold out there!
SamirCanada - 12-10-2008 at 12:22 PM
thats great going Dave!
you have a real expressive style. I loved the piece man.
For advice I cant really say from here but it seams like your right hand hesitates. yet there weren't many noticeable mistakes in the clip. Just keep
your hand going and don't second guess your movement. go with the flow in other words 
all in all, its great playing my friend.
keep the oud, it sounds nice and it will warm up your heart forever v.s. of warming the house for an hour.
DaveH - 12-10-2008 at 02:40 PM
Many thanks for your encouraging words, Samir. Yeah, feels like my right hand is sometimes just lagging behind the music. Sometimes I try to do
ornamentation that doesn't really fit or that's beyond my abilities.
If I get time I'll try and post a couple more pieces here over the next few days.
Oh, and don't worry, i wasn't really going to burn it (you could probably get arrested on this forum for that). Temporary frustration - sometimes you
just get that feeling that you can't leave the instrument alone but you can't for the life of you play it how you want to. Like every day.
Hatem_Afandi - 12-10-2008 at 02:53 PM
Hi Dave,
Below is a video I posted several months ago on youtube.
Dr. Aef explains a few exercises and techniques for the right hand.
You don't have to undrstand Arabic to follow it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ZJsEbEB14&feature=channel_page
I suggest that you try it, then ost again in a few weeks.
Best Regards,
Hatem
charlie oud - 12-10-2008 at 03:59 PM
Hey Dave, You are unfair to yourself. As Samir says you have expression and style. I sometimes wonder if we create our own technical anxieties about
playing?. A consciously loose grip on the risha helps me avoid this, but its each to their own. Thanks for the clips, enjoyed them. Charlie.
DaveH - 12-11-2008 at 02:32 PM
Thanks both Charlie and Hatem for your advice. Well taken. My hand definitely goes tense and it's a lot to do with the mind (though sometimes in the
sense that my mind knows my hand doesn't have the technique to deal with the car crash of a passage that's coming up!). I've had problems for the past
few months relaxing my hands, perhaps because I haven't had as much or as high quality practice as I should have. And microphones seem to have some
kind of radio-activated muscle tensioning effect for people like me who aren't used to public performance. It's a great excercise though as if you
play on your own you can let yourself get away with far too much. I do sound like I'm grabbing at the strings.
This is another longa and a pretty ropy one too, but I'll post it anyway. I don't really get on well with longas - I see them purely as a technical
exercise and don't really enjoy them. I like the semais and freeform pieces much more. I have a very nice saba semai that I'd like to record but I've
just realised I'm messing up the rhythm in places and have to relearn it.
http://rapidshare.com/files/172521332/Longa_Yurgu.mp3
paulO - 12-12-2008 at 11:29 AM
Okay Dave,
On the first Longa -- sounds fine to me, a bit mechanical but hey man, you've only been playing for 2 freakin years -- give yourself a break. You play
in tune consistently, so your left hand is doing great.
On the 2nd piece -- I'm not familiar with it, but the un-metered intro sounds very nice, your trills sound very good, and the 2nd slightly faster
section is good too.
I agree totally with Samir, your style is very expressive -- this is like more than half the battle, especially for a guitar player. In some ways it's
a good thing that the oud's your first attempt at using a plectrum ! I like the tune, and you definitely sound more relaxed on this one than on the
1st Longa.
Are you using a really stiff risha ?? I have a feeling that some of what's happening is related to this...your pick is getting hung up for some reason
on the more complex passages..just a thought.
On #3: Sultani Yegah Longa -- This part of the piece is a bear, and there's plenty to stumble on. I really like the high G minor chord dude -- I've
never heard anybody throw this in, very cool. Have you ever played the 5/4 slow intro part ??
Lastly -- your non-love of Longa's kinda comes through in your playing -- the Jamil Bashir piece is free of the mechanical sound of the longa's. So
play what you really like ! Summation -- keep on playing man, you're doing great, and thanks for report.
Best Regards..PaulO
DaveH - 12-14-2008 at 08:41 AM
PaulO, are you some kind of a motivational trainer? Full marks for encouragement and for pointing out my "potential areas for improvement" in such a
diplomatic way. I really appreciate you taking the time to give me such detalied feedback.
No, I use a very soft risha (one of those turkish plastic ones). I really like it because I feel it gives me a lot more control - not just in terms of
precision of movement but also in terms of ability to vary the tone. I'd like to be able to draw on a really wide tonal palet, but that certainly
doesn't come through in my treatment of the longas, where I just hack away.
I haven't played the other sections of the 2nd longa as I didn't realise it was part of a larger piece. My version just says Longa Yurgu (Yorgu etc?)
in Arabic and only has the piece I played. Maybe you're right, I should stick to pieces that enthuse me more, but I can;'t help wondering whether, if
I had the technique, I'd find a way of playing the longas that I could connect with personally.
Thanks to all. You've given me new enthusiasm, I'm practicing better and my right hand is already getting more precise. I'll post again soon.
paulO - 12-15-2008 at 11:44 AM
Hi Dave,
I've been playing oud for a long time, and I ususally just post one liners..but I just thought I'd take some time and try to make a comment or
two..glad they helped. You can check out this youtube video -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHh1519EGdk ; there seem to be be a bunch of others too. Good luck.
Regards...Paul
DaveH - 12-16-2008 at 02:54 AM
Thanks again, Paul!
stringmanca - 12-18-2008 at 09:18 AM
Paul is definitely the motivational guru for our band - he always has great advice and keeps us pointed in the right direction. He also has a great
tie-dye t-shirt collection!
http://www.alazifoon.com
DaveH - 1-17-2009 at 09:57 AM
Me again.
Should have done this while we had the cold weather and the oud was really humming. Now it's gone a bit muddy again.
I've been working on this semai for a while as I like it a lot, though that doesn't stop me from murdering it. Still, it's getting a little closer to
how I'd like it to sound. Still plenty of fluffing, snatching and popping of strings and I really need to learn to relax - both my right hand and that
automatic speeder-upper part of my brain. But every once in a while I do get the articulation I'm looking for.
As always, please criticise. Actually, be brutal, especially if you have any tips for improving right hand technique and thoughts on how ornamentation
could sound more authentic.
Oh, ignore the bit at the beginning - I was just warming my hand up.
Semai Saba
Semai Saba
DaveH - 1-23-2009 at 05:30 AM
Hope I'm not pestering, but it would be really great to have some feedback, however brutal. It's all good.
I've re-recorded it because I wasn't happy with the first take - too tense and tempo/rhythm too erratic - I find it hard to relax with the mic on but
am getting more used to it. It's not much better, but hopefully will be a little less painful to hear. 
Semai Saba take 2
Thanks in advance and sorry for the popups - got fedup with rapidshare.