fernandraynaud - 8-10-2009 at 02:18 PM
I am new here, and thought it might be interesting to know how much the oud is tied to its maqam traditions. I know it's hard to categorize, but by
"Modern Western" I meant what is not regional & traditional.
fernandraynaud - 8-12-2009 at 05:46 PM
Gentlefolk! It looks like the Maqam way is winning! Where is everybody? Please take the survey, select what seems most like you, or reply here and
tell us you don't fit!
Marina - 8-13-2009 at 10:45 AM
I play of piutim, ladino & persian music. Of course Arabic, but not just Arabic.
Lazzaro - 8-13-2009 at 12:46 PM
I study Oum Kalthoum songs and Farid takassim but in live concert I play jazz on the oud
http://www.youtube.com/user/Lazzaro58
ciao Maurizio
patheslip - 8-13-2009 at 12:48 PM
I play european medieval, renaissance and early modern dance music (that's the 1600s or thereabouts).
The oud is the nearest thing to a plectrum lute I can get, besides, I like it lots, and the Moroccan guys I bought it from were great fun.
fernandraynaud - 8-13-2009 at 09:23 PM
That's great, Patheslip, I too have a fondness for early European music, and play clavichord and harpsichord. It seems a lot of people are exploring
alternatives to the tabletop plastic Casio 
fernandraynaud - 8-14-2009 at 10:54 PM
... but considering only a dozen people seem to fit any of the categories ... 'cmon people, pick a card, any card, let's get some meaningful STATS!
Benjamin - 8-15-2009 at 02:47 AM
I guess anyway that people who as me declared playing both maqam and non-maqam music still play mostly maqam based music. I play actually as well
arabic music and taqasim (what I'm studying) and mediterranean popular music, pyutim (hebrew traditionnal eastern songs), some local and Israeli
oriental stuff, and I like a lot Armenian and Turkish stuff which I play as well.
fernandraynaud - 8-15-2009 at 08:34 AM
Lazzaro sure plays a mean guitar too, great!
For someone like me, who happens to love the oud as instrument but is coming from a purely western musical background, primarily baroque, it's a huge
step to get into Maqamat, would love to do it as a source of new ideas, but how much can you learn in a relatively short time? We'll see, Oud.prof's
DVD seems like the best way to jump in fast, no?
arsene - 8-15-2009 at 03:26 PM
I play mostly Romanian, Vlach, Thracian, Greek, Armenian and Turkish tunes on it. Also some Ottoman classical stuff (by Dimitrie Cantemir, originally
composed for tanbur or kemence), some Byzantine stuff, although my knowledge of the makam system is, by comparison, limited.
If I would have to say which oud styles I prefer listening to the most, I'd say Greek and Armenian playing, and from the Arabic side the Iraqi players
like Shamma and Khoshaba. Also a big fan of mr. Rahim al-Haj!!
the oud is a great and versatile instrument, and I feel it can be used to play virtually any style... interesting things can happen when oud is used
in a modern setting. See Ara Dinkjian's An Armenian in America album, or Joe Tawadros's playing on Lior's new album (http://www.lior.com.au check out April Bloom)