DaveH - 8-9-2009 at 10:29 AM
Hi all
As Nizar was in Amsterdam for the summer, a few of us from the UK oud gathering in June decided to club together and get a ticket for him to come over
and Nizar lead a 2 day oud workshop here in Oxford.
I think I speak for us all when I say we are hugely grateful to him. He had to work very hard for his plane ticket, holding groups sessions with our
unruly bunch from all different sorts of musical backgrounds, plus individual tuition for each of us. But he did a fantastic job and best of all, he
is a truly inspirational player and teacher.
Here's a quick video taken by Osman of Nizar playing. There's more footage out there, so hopefully others will stick it up here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvyojluOUAk
No comment needed. Nizar's playing speaks for itself.
Personally, I learned a lot. My big problem (well, one of them) was that I was struggling to really bring out the true rhythm and feeling of pieces.
Nizar worked a lot with us on the basics of getting a good sound and basic risha work and then broke down my technique, which really needed doing. I
realised I had been making up for poor sound by trying to cram in a few too many notes - often doing things that were either technically beyond me or
just not really in keeping, and so ruined the pulse of my playing. I'm now practicing getting a good sound, really savouring the beauty of each note,
keeping things simple, keeping the feeling going. I've had to take a few steps back, but I'm much more happy with the direction I'm going in and the
sound and feeling are already starting to come. I just wish I Nizar could come across every week! We really do have a surprising shortage of good oud
teachers in the UK and I for one am going to take these opportunities whenever I can.
Lastly, sorry to any other UK oudis who might have wanted to come. We just did it this time within the people who came to the oud gathering in June as
it was a more formal workshop and wouldn't have worked with more than the eight people who signed up from that. We'll try and organise more though!
Ararat66 - 8-9-2009 at 01:58 PM
Hi Dave
Great to see this and I'd back up your comments, it is really good to have an expert eye deconstruct one's technique, particularly if you have played
instruments for many years and there is that tendancy to go like a bat out of hell and leave quite a bit of tone and 'basics' behind - remember though
that Nizar said of these 'basics' that you should always go back to them so maybe we should call them 'fundamentals' instead of basics.
I found the workshop really useful and it has made me really look at what, how and why I play. It was funny because for a while after my 1 to 1 with
Rohana I couldn't play hardly at all
because I am having to re-route my technique
and this takes time to integrate - I felt like a total beginner again. I kind of knew this would happen when I went in with Rohana and sort of
fumbled through the session forgetting pretty much every tune I know etc, but he is very kind and am sure he could see through all that.
I recomend everyone has this sort of session at least once - I make it sound like a right ordeal but it wasn't, just a bit nerve-wracking for someone
who is not at all used to being taught musically so slightly intimidated in these situations ... it certainly went in, everything that was
mentioned.
One last thing, the video of Nizar is great but what doesn't come across is the fact that when you sit in front of him in real life he uses a very
small (125mm or so long), slightly soft, thin width (5mm wide, 2mm thick or so) oval profile risha with a round tip, and hardly seems to touch the oud
with the risha or his left hand fingers ... and yet all this amazing sound comes out, it really sings, resonates and sustains with volume.
Here is a lesson to a lot of us I reckon
especially me, I thought I was
reasonably delicate until this and realised how clumsy Iam
There is a
thread running at the moment about rishas and some of the conclusions there about a softer , lighter pick really make sense.
For my part I have been studying my playing in front of a mirror, and am gradually using lighter and lighter mizraps (rather than just jumping to a
light thin pick which would not work so well for me straight away).
When I find my tone again I may or may not go back to the pick I was using, we'll see.
Nizar had a very nice oud, btw, half Iraqi and retopped by a Syrian oudmaker if I remember rightly - it had an unvarnished top and was very light,
and it had characteristics of Arabic and Turkish ouds.
Look forward to the next meetings - thanks Dave.
Leon
DaveH - 8-9-2009 at 11:15 PM
Morning Leon - yes, I found the same - have to go back to go forward, but I'm MUCH happier with the kind of noises I'm making now, even if I'm playing
simpler stuff.
Nizar's oud is a Yaroub Fadel body with a Khaled Belhaiba top. It sounds a bit like an old oud - lovely and crisp.
Kelly - 8-11-2009 at 01:13 PM
Hi Dave/Leon
Thanks for posting Osmans video. As you say Leon, video recording doesn't due full justice to the focus and intensity of Nizars playing.
For myself I found more structured practice and a more disciplined approach to playing very useful to help avoid bad habits.
The fundemental building blocks are worth working on. so its on with the practice before the cats start waking up!
Ararat66 - 8-11-2009 at 01:18 PM
Hi Kelly
That's one thing Nizar said to me and that was to make the practice count, take it 'seriously', and I knew exactly what he meant - he was spot on.
Leon