Obsidian91
Oud Admirer
Posts: 3
Registered: 10-30-2012
Member Is Offline
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Hello all! Improv time!
Hey all.
Firstly, I'm new. Not as in new to this forum mind you, I've been lurking around these forums for a while and just spying really. But I've just
registered today.
I suppose now is as apt a time as any to talk about musical stuff, past experience and what not. Okay, I'm nearly 22, starting playing the guitar
when I was about 16. I'm pretty good at it, not grand, but a few years ago I decided to branch out and play something a little closer to my roots,
being Khaliji and what not, but not too far out of my comfort zone.
I bought an Oud. And the experience was freaking horrible. There were so many strings, so hard to tune, it was fretless and what's this? MICROTONES?
Dear Lord of all that's holy! I can't even tune this damn thing, never mind flail around like a monkey with poor motor skills!
So, naturally, I put it down for a while. Then, just before Ramadan last year I think, I saw a video of Farid al-Atrash. You all know the one, where
he plays something flamenco sounding, accompanying lightning fast picking on the high strings while droning a bass-line at the same, and just looking
bleeding nonchalant about the whole thing.
So I picked it up again. I've been playing for just over a year. This is where you people come in. I'm pretty much forced to self-teach (with much
help from http://www.maqamworld.com and a little from you folks), because I study in the UK and any music school that might have me back home is closed
during the holidays. And obviously being in the UK means I don't really come across any Oud players. So I need some help here, some dialogue.
http://www.mediafire.com/?rvu3c3639555a4e
I'd be very much appreciative if anyone would please scrutinize my playing from a mostly technical standpoint. I'm fully aware of how badly I
butchered the transitioning between maqamat in my reckless abandon. 'Twas ntentional because I wanted to focus on technique and partly because I want
to study the rules behind taksim a little more before making a serious effort, hence the reason I simply called it 'Improv' and not 'Taksim'.
Go ahead, let 'er rip. I probably need it. No worries, I've got my internetz helmet on for this occasion. 
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charlie oud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 694
Registered: 11-19-2007
Location: Newcastle upon tyne. UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: chords prefer frets
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Welcome to this wonderful forum Obsidian 
You will enjoy this place without a doubt.
As you asked for some comment on your improv I will try.
Just like me and so many of us you have come from the guitar, and just like me a few years ago you sound like a guitar player who has picked up an oud
and had a blast.
Good for you, its the best way to begin in my opinion.
Regarding your technique, you have more than enough to make a good taqsim all thats missing is the flavour of musical style. In the end oud music
improv and taqsim depends alot on what you can make of a few notes i.e. take Hijaz d, e flat f sharp and g. Now see what you can construct or
improvise with just those notes, dont be tempted to wander around the oud or include any other notes, thats guitar playing. Next move to g,a, b flat
and c, do the same, return to the first group and finish. Around 30 seconds on each group of notes and you have a 1min 30sec taqsim. Now explore like
crazy within this framework, copy others big time and also do your own thing. You will get sucked into the oud, before long it will play you as much
as you play it. You have ability and are closer to playing meaningful oud music than you probably think. Its a long road, never ending really. Enjoy
and thank you for boldly sharing your beginnings.
Best Wishes, Charlie
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Obsidian91
Oud Admirer
Posts: 3
Registered: 10-30-2012
Member Is Offline
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Quote: Originally posted by charlie oud  | Welcome to this wonderful forum Obsidian
You will enjoy this place without a doubt.
As you asked for some comment on your improv I will try.
Just like me and so many of us you have come from the guitar, and just like me a few years ago you sound like a guitar player who has picked up an oud
and had a blast.
Good for you, its the best way to begin in my opinion.
Regarding your technique, you have more than enough to make a good taqsim all thats missing is the flavour of musical style. In the end oud music
improv and taqsim depends alot on what you can make of a few notes i.e. take Hijaz d, e flat f sharp and g. Now see what you can construct or
improvise with just those notes, dont be tempted to wander around the oud or include any other notes, thats guitar playing. Next move to g,a, b flat
and c, do the same, return to the first group and finish. Around 30 seconds on each group of notes and you have a 1min 30sec taqsim. Now explore like
crazy within this framework, copy others big time and also do your own thing. You will get sucked into the oud, before long it will play you as much
as you play it. You have ability and are closer to playing meaningful oud music than you probably think. Its a long road, never ending really. Enjoy
and thank you for boldly sharing your beginnings. |
Thanks for the kind words and the advice. You're right about approaching the instrument like a guitar player, in that I tend to overcompensate for my
lack of flavor with TUMENI NOTES.
Difference being is that I could make four notes work on guitar, whereas the Oud is a different beast altogether. I have some ideas in mind but the
one thing I can't quite get my head around is pulling of different sliding techniques on the finger boards.
Are there any good resources (preferably audio/video) that break down left-handed ornamentation? Like you said, I could listen to songs but there are
some techniques (mostly with Turkish style player) that I can't really comprehend on my own.
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Khalid_Salé
Oud Maniac
Posts: 82
Registered: 9-14-2010
Location: Morocco
Member Is Offline
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Hi there,
Listen to a lot of master Cinucen Tanrikorur, who was a real master of making a few notes do a lot, and who above all played the oud like an oud, very
far away from the guitar style and exploiting the instrument's unique potentials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrNeK6AH9q0&feature=relmfu
(The video lecture series that one's from is required watching for students of maqam music.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8QPaCSWBUg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Cb7EQbo5g&feature=relmfu
Etc.
One of the best players now is Necati Celik, a student of Tanrikorur. Here he plays one of Tanrikorur's famous compositions with a short taksim at the
start, with some camera angles to help see what's going on, which should help a bit with the ornaments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu1s_jJJ8Dw
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Obsidian91
Oud Admirer
Posts: 3
Registered: 10-30-2012
Member Is Offline
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Thanks a bunch Khalid, I actually remember seeing that first video ages ago and I've been trying to find it again. Now I have a name to look up.
Thanks a bunch.
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