glorplaxy - 7-6-2009 at 01:08 AM
Hello. Where would be a good place to travel to so that I can learn the oud? Which countries and cities?
Benjamin - 7-6-2009 at 02:48 AM
Well it just depends first of all on which oud tradition you wanna stick to. If you wanna learn turkish oud, so go to Turkey. If you love Greek music,
go to Greece. You can go to Armenia as well. You prefer Arabic way of playing, go to Egypt or any other Arab country. You wanna a mix of all, come to
Israel, there are here many great teachers and players. Of course you will find in Arab countries many teachers as well, it depends on your
preference.
But it's cheaper to go to Turkey or Egypt and these are the places I would recommend you maybe, and in these two countries you will find as well loads
of ouds in shops, lutheries, and most important many great players and teachers.
To be honest, if I could chose again, I would go to Turkey as I prefer the Turkish style (I'm playing "Arabic"), and I think it is THE place to learn
oud.
Benjamin
charlie oud - 7-6-2009 at 04:42 AM
Hi 
& welcome to the forum, you could do a lot worse than staying right
here on Mikes ouds.
Your question fascinates me because Im not entirely convinced that there are any far off lands which are stuffed full of amazing ouds and outstanding
players galore. In fact its notable many professional players choose to settle in the West. If I were to travel to learn I would seek out a player
whose music and playing truly inspires me. I would contact him and arrange a period of study one to one. I dont think the country is important. Beware
of "oud preachers" i.e. Arabic middle men and agents,and be careful with anyone who promises you the best and addresses you as "my friend" after every
sentence, before he's even met you ( appologies to those who use the term "my friend" genuinely, Its lovely when used sincerely ) Good luck and let us
know how you get on.
Benjamin - 7-6-2009 at 04:52 AM
Charlie you're right
arsene - 7-6-2009 at 11:30 AM
Hey Glorplaxy, welcome! Where are you based? If you're looking for great oud players and/or teachers, there should be one or two close to you,
wherever you live 
For example in the Netherlands, I know at least two excellent teachers/performers, both Arabic and Turkish style and of course the great Haytham Safia
is based here too! I'm sure that if you look around on this forum you'll find what you're looking for in your own country (or worst case, a
neighboring one).
But like Charlie said - this forum is a country to explore on its own 
[EDIT] But if you like/want to travel, by all means - go East!
glorplaxy - 7-6-2009 at 03:26 PM
Thanks to everyone for the comments. They are very much appreciated.
I am based in Texas in the US. I've tried to look for some oud teachers or even oud players around here but I must not be looking in the right place
because I've had no luck finding either.
I hoping to go on vacation in the future and I know I would love to learn whatever I can on the oud while I am abroad.
I think the type of oud I like most is Egyptian or Sudanese. How does a foreigner go about getting a teacher for an oud in another country?
siro - 7-6-2009 at 10:37 PM
hi glorplaxy welcome to the forum
three many of good oud players in us
one of them is issa bolous i think he is in chicago
and rabih aboukhalil in germany,anouar brahem in france jafer youssef in austria,naseer shamma in egypt cairo( arabic oud house),hossein
behroozinia(iranian barbat and oud player) in canada,shadi fauzi alashoush in syria,and....
first you must choose the style you wana play.
good luck
siro
arsene - 7-7-2009 at 02:53 AM
Glorplaxy, if you're going with Egypt, check with some of the people on this board. I'm sure Mike, for one, can point you in the right direction. Also
do a search on these forums for "oud teachers in cairo", you are bound to find loads.
Good luck!
ibn sina - 7-7-2009 at 10:40 AM
Hey, good luck! There's Naseer Shamma's oud academy in Cairo. But I'm not sure they're going to be able to deal with a beginner. You might be better
off with finding a known teacher. I know I usually tell beginning Arabic language students to study for a year or two in the US first, where there's
more method.
Also, isn't Austin stuffed with musicians (& a large middle eastern community)? Are you sure there are no oud teachers there?
I agree with you about Sudan, and have heard a great Sudanese oud player in Cairo. But I bet he lives in Paris. Sudan is having a very unfortunate
time politically, so probably not the place to go. good luck!
glorplaxy - 7-7-2009 at 06:24 PM
Thanks again for the info.
ibn sina: Austin is stuffed with musicians but I actually live in the city where you would probably find the most Middle Easterners in Texas. As a
matter of fact, we have more foreigners of every type here. It is still difficult for me to find an oud teacher. I guess I don't really know where to
look but I have searched the internet for quite a while with no results. 