musifying

In this long series of posts we will try to accomplish two goals:

1- Build a library of essential recordings that every oud player intending to know the Arabic repertoire and have an ear for the style.

2- Build a repertoire list of art pieces that every oud player needs to know. These pieces will reflect the variety of styles in the Arab world as well as reflect the basic set of oud techniques.

Please note that a large amount of subjectivity is involved in attempting to do such a thing. I welcome your comments, suggestions, and additions to the list.

Several web stores sell CDs and / or sell downloadable music. Choose your favorite stores or do a web search to find a store. Read the rest…

In part 1, the process of tuning the oud was discussed. Of the methods suggested, some do not require using the ear, namely the methods that employ electronic tuners. Others require using the ear to “match pitch” where you match the tuning of the string to a pitch provided by another instrument. The preferred method, however, requires using the ears to determine the tuning based on relationships between strings. This method requires more refined interval hearing skills than the others.

The question that many students ask is how does one improve their ability to hear intervals and relations between pitches and especially in Arabic music which contains micro-tonalities that are smaller than the equal tempered semitone? This is important not only for tuning the instrument but also for playing in tune, and being able to identify accurately what one is hearing. Read the rest…

Part 1 compared methods of tuning the oud, in terms of accuracy of results, implications on the learning process of the oud player, and discussed some practical considerations.

Whatever approach to tuning you may choose, there are things you can do to keep the oud in tune longer. This post discusses steps to take before installing new strings on the oud. Several steps taken here can affect the tunability of the oud. Read the rest…

Like any other acoustic instrument, the oud needs to be in tune at all times during performance or practice. The question is how best to tune it.

If you are looking for the best tuning to use, refer to this essay which compares different tunings. You can choose the one that suits your needs best. This post applies to all tunings. Read the rest…

Disclaimer: Do not take this article to say that I am a day older than twenty five.

Having gotten the vanity part out of the way:

1. True or False: Do what you love, the money will follow.
   Generally false. Unless what you love is being a plastic surgeon or something similar the relationship between what you do, no matter how much you love it, and money, is purely coincidental. Read the rest…

This is a question that often comes up. How to transcribe Arabic music in Western notation.

The first step is to discuss the symbols for quarter tones. Notice that the term “quarter tones” is an abstraction that refers to notes that divide the western half step. In Arabic music, the half step is not the same as the western equal tempered half step, and the quarter tones are not equal divisions of the half step. It is an abstraction, and the the exact intonation depends on the maqam in which they appear. At any rate, here are the symbols for flats with a representation of their relative intonation: Read the rest…

If I could start my life over I would play two instruments not one. I would practice 10 hours a day, five in the morning on the cello, and five in the evening on the oud.

I might consider viola instead of cello..

Fusion music, whether improvised or composed should sound different enough from the original idioms that go into making it to the point where it can not be considered to be within any of the idioms. At the same time, it has to have discernible characteristics of all of the original idioms that it can be heard as fusion of those idioms. Read the rest…

In part 2 we saw how preconceptions about the music of the other triggered a series of decisions that eventually affected the sonic result of the fusion. Some of those decisions were sound. Others could have been better. In this post, I will try examine prior knowledge a little further and start the discussion of other decisions that need to precede a successful collaboration. Read the rest…

In part 1 we defined fusion as the creation of new music by combining elements from different idioms. In this post we discuss some of the decisions a musician makes before a “jam” with a musician from a different idiom and how that affects the sonic result of the jam. Read the rest…