Mike's Oud Forums

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Whisky Echo Papa - 5-20-2015 at 10:41 PM

Hi folks

I've just bought a new oud and will be learning it over the next few years. I live in Tauranga, New Zealand: does anyone know of any oud players in Tauranga?

My oud's made by Bayly Music and has a nice sound, though at this moment I only know the sound of oud from Mavrouti Kontanis, Marina Toshich and John Bilezikjian's methods, and of course Naseer Shamma's incredible virtuosity on some Youtube videos I've seen.


hans - 5-21-2015 at 12:34 AM

Kia ora w.e.p.! And welcome to the forum. I don't know any oud players in n.z. right now, but sometime in the coming years i and my wife will go to live in your country for at least a year. By that time i hope to be able to play a worthy version of yurdal tokcan's Manolya. Are you trying to teach yourself, or via skype lessons?

Whisky Echo Papa - 5-21-2015 at 02:18 AM

Thanks hans. You're welcome! Maybe you'll find me getting a tune out my oud ... :)

It's actually Bavly Music, Cairo that made my oud; it is a bit rough, but the soundboard's thin enough and made of cedar. They went to town on the bowl's decoration. But it sounds good to me, and has a sweet tone.

As far as previous music experience goes, my first instrument was the guitar. My second was the pedal steel guitar; third the bagpipe chanter; fourth the violin. I play trombone in a local brass band, and am learning cello and trying to teach myself the cornetto/zink. I'm not really musical: it just looks like it. ;)

Whisky Echo Papa - 5-21-2015 at 02:32 AM

And I forgot to answer your question: sorry, my bad. I've got Marina Toshich's The Basics of Oud, which comes with a DVD. I'll be using that to learn the Arab Oud.

And listening to Issa Boulos, Naseer Shamma, Munir Bashir and Jameel Bashir, and any other oudist I can track down on Youtube ...

hans - 5-21-2015 at 05:11 AM

Sounds like you have a lot of experience with string instruments, that's good! I started with the guitar myself, many years ago, but the guitar never really became my thing. Now the oud feels like an addiction. I was able to put much of my guitar technique into my oud playing, but: i feel very strongly that, in trying to make the thing sound like an oud, i cannot do without my teacher. Whenever i haven't seen him for a while, invariably it starts to sound like a spanish guitar. I need his influence, his background to make it sound like an eastern instrument (he is from eastern turkey). I am probably not as versatile as you, and i don't want to sound pushy, but i would not want to do without a teacher and i would try if lessons by skype would work if i couldn't find a teacher in my neighbourhood

John Erlich - 5-21-2015 at 07:20 PM

Hi WEP,

The only oud player I know of in NZ is Forum member Jonathan Gemmill. He's in Wellington, which, according to Google, is a longer drive than San Francisco to Los Angeles. However, if you are serious, 6 1/2 hrs. driving would be worth it, because it's VERY helpful to have an experienced player give you some pointers when you start out, to avoid some bad--and body-damaging--habits. I was a (jazz) guitar player; when I picked up the oud, I quickly began to develop some repetitive stress in my picking arm, but this could have been avoided had I found some instruction earlier on. You need to play an oud like an oud, not like a guitar.

Welcome to the wonderful and crazy world of the oud!

Though I am often jealous of the Middle Eastern music scene available to my friends in New York and Los Angeles, I need to see posts like yours from time-to-time to remind me that, compared to many places in the world, the San Francisco Bay Area has an "embarrassment of riches," when it comes to Middle Eastern music.

Good luck and peace out,
"Udi" John

Whisky Echo Papa - 5-24-2015 at 02:19 AM

Thanks John and hans

Well today I played at one of the local Returned Servicemen's Association's commemorations, for the Battle of Crete. There was a group of women dancing Greek traditional dances, and I took the opportunity to introduce myself to them and ask about oud players in Tauranga. They told me that they only knew of two oud players, and they were in Auckland - only three hours away, and sometimes visiting Tauranga - so they would let them know about me.

Well, I've made a start. ;)

Jono Oud N.Z - 5-29-2015 at 01:45 PM

Hi.

Send me a U2U if you want to be in contact.
Good to have more oud players in NZ.:)