NewOudDude
Oud Admirer
Posts: 1
Registered: 12-12-2011
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Santa's Bringing me an Oud
Getting my first oud in just a few weeks. I've played guitar for years, as well as a bit of mandolin, but never oud (or anything fretless)
I've read all the newbie threads I could find on the site, and just have one last question -
Now that you've been playing for a while, what advice / suggestion do you wish someone told you when you started?
Thanks!
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Greg
Administrator
Posts: 928
Registered: 7-22-2004
Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Mood: Serene
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Welcome to the forums NewOudDude. Nice to see that you've been using the search button.
My answer to your question: | Quote: | | what advice / suggestion do you wish someone told you when you started? |
Ensure you are born in a country where you hear microtonal music every day of your young life. 
Regards,
Greg
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Luttgutt
Oud Junkie
Posts: 578
Registered: 1-10-2009
Location: Norway
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Excellent question Dude!
And congratulations on your oud and plans.
I have been playing for more then 30 years :-) and I would say I wish someone told me that
IT DID NOT HAVE TO BE SO HARD TO TUNE THE OUD! IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO FIX THE PEGS (WITH CHOCK AND SOAP), OR CHANGE THEM (IN EXTREEM CASE)!!
And I'll add one more for you :-)
GOOD STRINGS MAY BE AS IMPORTANT AS A GOOD OUD!
p.s. Fernandraynaud on this forum has written lots of helpfull things on the subjects. Surch!
Good luck
The wood might be dead, but the oud is alive.
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1373
Registered: 11-5-2011
Location: California
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I'm grateful that i *was* shown how to use the risha to get good sound and that I had the opportunity to observe good players. I wish every new oud
player understood the importance of the right hand. The left hand of course needs conscious attention but also somehow it gets better "automatically"
with time as the ear gets attuned. But the right hand will not get better automatically. I hear oud players (outside Maqam context) with good musical
sensibilities bring out insipid sounds from ouds that would sound resonant with an adjustment to right hand technique. I don't think they prefer to
sound that way, they just don't know how to do better.
Quote: Originally posted by NewOudDude  |
Now that you've been playing for a while, what advice / suggestion do you wish someone told you when you started?
Thanks! |
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charlie oud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 694
Registered: 11-19-2007
Location: Newcastle upon tyne. UK
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Mood: chords prefer frets
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In answer to your question.
I wish someone had told me that there is not really any such thing as an 'up stroke'. It took me 3 years to work this out. The so called up stroke is
nothing more than a reflex action to a correctly executed down stroke. Think down stroke with feeling and good tone and your upstrokes will happen
naturally. Also make sure your hold on the risha is very light, craddle it dont grip it.
Best Wishes, Charlie
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1865
Registered: 7-25-2009
Location: San Francisco, California
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If you have been playing other stringed instruments, resist the temptation to play the oud the same way, on western scales, you can get back to that
later. Learn to think maqam from the outset. If you can't find a local teacher, start with listening to a lot of taqasim and watch them on Youtube.
Get OudProf's "Learn Maqamat on Oud 2" DVD. And if you learn to play with the oud angled so you can see the fingerboard, it will take you years to
unlearn this nasty nasty NASTY habit ;-)
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David.B
Oud Junkie
Posts: 640
Registered: 9-5-2009
Location: France
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Mood: Renaissance
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Do not stay behind bars out of habit, or because of standardization.
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