mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
Member Is Offline
Mood: big band envy
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my website: www.oudcafe.com
Hi everybody. I want to let you know about my new site (which Mike has helped me with a lot). It is meant to be two things, a helpful
beginner's site and also a way to meet more players around the world.
Please check it out and let me know what you think.
I'm always open to suggestions!
oud cafe
Thanks,
mav
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Mike
Super Administrator
Posts: 1568
Registered: 12-3-2002
Location: California, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Happy
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Way to go Mav. As a beginner myself, I know I'll be visiting your site all the time. Keep up the good work man, and thanks for making this site
availabe to all of us oud enthusiasts around the world.
 
Mike
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Jameel
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1672
Registered: 12-5-2002
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Great Job, Mavrothis. Lots of very useful information. I especially like the info about Greek outis and the links for their music. Another oud website
is always a good thing. I'm also pleased to see a link for my oud teacher, Issa Boulos. But one question, where's a link for my site? 
Congratulations.
Jameel
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
Member Is Offline
Mood: big band envy
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Believe me Jameel, that was just an oversight. I apologize.
I'm sure you can tell I'm trying to include everyone, and you know how much I love your site.
Thanks Mike and Jameel for the positive feedback.
mav
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Jameel
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1672
Registered: 12-5-2002
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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No sweat, mav. Just giving you a hard time.
I am listening now to your Rast Taksim and Mahur Sarki from your site. Simply fantastic. You're a real pro! Greek style playing at its finest.
Keep it coming. I really enjoyed the old pics on the site too. Eucharisto para poli. How about playing some church hymns for us?? I'm thinking
maybe Tin Oraiotita? or Ton Nymphona Sou Vlepo?
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
Member Is Offline
Mood: big band envy
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Thanks man.
I'm glad you liked the audio clips. The thing is, I don't know if I feel comfortable playing religious music on the ud, you know what I
mean?
I can recommend some secular Byzantine albums that have reconstructed uds from that time period in the recordings.
Let me know if you're interested. You can also go to the greek music and video link on my site and search for secular or religious byzantine
stuff.
Thanks again man.
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Jameel
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1672
Registered: 12-5-2002
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Mav,
Why would you feel uncomfortable playing some church melodies on the oud? I don't understand. From my side, it is kind of a tradition in the Arab
church to play church hymns and even chant with accompaniment by an oud, kanun, or violin. I know chanters in Greece that use the kanonaki for
learning and teaching. If you download some of the tracks off my site for Met. Samuel David, (have you heard them?) you will hear that he chants in
Arabic and Greek with kanun and violin. It is quite beautiful. Of course we never use the instruments as part of a service or in church. I am just
referring to common village folk (my family is from a small village in Lebanon) who have a love for both the church hymns and the traditional music. I
don't ever remember a time when my Jiddu (grandfather) would finish a meal, or drive somewhere without chanting first a hymn. Of course when he
worked too he would always chant, because who can resist when a vacuum cleaner or power tool is providing your ison! I also find that using the oud when I practice church hymns helps me stay on key
and be more accurate in the excecution of the mode.
Tunes,
Jameel
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
Member Is Offline
Mood: big band envy
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That's all fine Jameel. I have no problem listening to chants outside of church accompanied by instruments. George Dalaras did some beautiful
renditions on several albums.
I just don't feel comfortable doing it myself. It's not an insult to anyone else, it's just my preference.
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mitskits
Oud Lover
Posts: 10
Registered: 7-8-2003
Location: Sydney
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Cannot open your website
Dear Mavrothis,
when I click on the link, it automatically redirects me to a mysite.verizon.net/ site which is not found. Could there be a problem with the link
you posted?
thanks,
Dimitri
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
Member Is Offline
Mood: big band envy
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Dear Dimitris,
Sorry you had a problem. I tried it and it worked for me. Soon I'll be switching webhosting services b/c the one I have is sketchy at best, but
it should work for you.
The address is http://www.oudcafe.com
Please try again and let me know what you think of the site.
Thanks,
mavrothis
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TruePharaoh21
Oud Junkie
Posts: 789
Registered: 3-17-2003
Location: California, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Loving the Oud
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My close friend Mav... I remember a few months ago when you told me about this idea of creating a site. (You even had picked out the name already!)
I'm glad that you stuck to your convictions and made the site. It is truly impressive. I cannot stress that enough.
Oud Cafe for life! 
TP21
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Mascun
Oud Maniac
Posts: 53
Registered: 12-28-2005
Location: Dordogne, SW France
Member Is Offline
Mood: Top of the world !
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Just been on your website, Mav, and it's a really friendly, cheerful site.
I enjoyed your pix of the mountain trek in New Hampshire - nothing like the summits to refresh your spirit ! We have the Spanish Pyrenees about 5
hours from here, and I get down there as often as I can.
Alan
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
Member Is Offline
Mood: big band envy
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Thank you Alan.
I need to redo this entire site, but I'm glad that it still gets some visitors who like to browse around.
I'm hoping I can make it less amateurish and more of a professional website that has only help for the oud, and no personal stuff.
Anyway, I appreciate your visit and your positive feedback. That trip to the mountains was really a beautiful experience. The views were worth any
scratches and scrapes picked up along the trails.
Thanks,
mavrothis
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palestine48
Oud Junkie
Posts: 448
Registered: 6-9-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Free Palestine
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Dear Mavro,
I too have been visiting your website recently and have been enjoying it. IF you do not mind my input, I like the fact that it has a few oud basics
excercise and instructional information. I have been recently using the link to that music theory website that you have to understand major and
minor scales as well as intervals.
There are a few things that I would like to see in an oud website that I have not seen in one location.
A list of exercises and tips for beginning players to help construct a foundation in oud playing.
An understanding of techniques and videos from various angles on how to best execute these techniques, much like the simon shaheen prqactice video
that jameel recorded a while back.
Links to sheet music as well as sound or video files playing the notes so we can hear what we are learnng to read.
a category on maqams and taqsims and how to help lay a foundation to cnstruction of various taqsims.
I would also appreciate a lesson journal where there would be a short video(maybe 5 or time minutes) of oud basics played in various angles.
I dunno if that is too much work, but ideally it would make the site so benefecial for me as well as the many players who are determined to excell in
playing the oud.
thanks and take care.
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
Member Is Offline
Mood: big band envy
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Hi there,
You have basically read my mind, more or less, in what I want to do with my site. But you did mention some things that I didn't really think of yet,
thank you!
When I first started the oud cafe, I did have sheet music and simple recordings to make it easier to learn the pieces and makams involved.
I found two problems while I was doing this:
1. I was not knowledgeable enough in the makams to "teach" a new makam each month (that was my goal at the time)
2. The whole process is very time consuming, and to do something well, you need to be able to focus on it.
I'm hoping that the time issue will be solved before long, but I also feel that I am getting more comfortable with the makams, common ones at least,
and that instead of trying to rush through things, I will have several pieces in each makam, w/ sheet music and recordings, over a longer period of
time.
This is more helpful I think, and practical from my side as well.
But I'm sure people are sick of hearing me say that I'm going to work on updates, and would rather I just did them for once.
Sorry for all the delays, but it is on my mind a lot and I will take all your feedback and try and comletely overhaul the site so it is optimal for
beginners in every sense (with focus on Ottoman Classical music of course), and also more professional, with little or no personal stuff about me on
it.
I know it's been a long time, and I'm sorry I haven't had the time to redo the site as it should be.
Sincerely,
mavrothis
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paulO
Oud Junkie
Posts: 531
Registered: 9-8-2004
Location: California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Utz
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Hi Mav,
Hey man, website constuction and maintenance is unbeliveably time consuming. So don't sweat it, no apology needed dude -- in fact your site got hacked
if I remember right. Good luck to you on your site re-construction, and even moreso in your musical pursuits. Take care man.
Regards..PaulO
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spyros mesogeia
Oud Junkie
Posts: 896
Registered: 9-10-2003
Location: WASHINGTON DC
Member Is Offline
Mood: play my ouds
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CONGRATULATIONS MAVRO
Regards to all
Spyros
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farukturunz
Oud Junkie
Posts: 569
Registered: 8-16-2005
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Member Is Offline
Mood: hopeful
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KALORIZIKO
I admire and appreciate such contributions like yours to the oud world. Kaloriziko my friend.
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