nard - 7-22-2013 at 03:46 AM
Hi folks,
This is my first post on this forum, although I've often found answers to questions here as I learn how to play oud.
I'm really interested in playing some American songs on oud. I found a score for the melody to Simon and Garfunkel's "I am a Rock," which I think is
probably intended for piano, and although it's pretty close in terms of identifying the right notes, there are certain parts I just don't know how to
play right on oud. For example, there are measures where there are many different notes slurred together, which doesn't quite work with oud
(right?).
Any tips on how I would convert the score to something I can play on oud? Are there rules of thumb in doing so, that might be more general than this
song in particular? For example, if I can find an acoustic guitar version, how would I go about converting the chord-version to an oud score?
Thank you!
Brian Prunka - 7-22-2013 at 06:11 AM
I would just play the melody part, whatever the top line is at any given time, and possibly the bass note whenever it's possible to both more or less
at the same time.
There's also a technique where you can play an open bass string with your left hand, which can come in handy in a situation like this.
As for slurring, I would listen to a recording and just try to match it as closely as possible, not really worrying about how the slurs are written in
the transcription.