mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
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Mood: big band envy
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New oud method with focus on makam basics
Hello everyone,
A few years ago the folks at Mel Bay, through Ara Dinkjian's suggestion, asked me to put together an oud method for them, and since the length was
very limited I decided to create a book focused mostly on the rudimentary practice of makam, with the majority of the pages dedicated to music, rather
than heavy descriptions. I see that the book is now available on Amazon.com: School of Oud
For this book, which they have called School of Oud, I chose makams Rast, Mahur and Nikriz. For each of the exercises, etudes and
traditional pieces found in its pages, there is a corresponding audio recording which you can use as a guide.
I hope that this book proves to be helpful for those wishing to make further progress on the oud, especially around the theory and practice of makam.
And I also hope that you enjoy playing the etudes - I had a lot of fun writing them, and I have a feeling you will get a sense of my folk music
background as you play through them.
The best way to learn a given makam's properties and 'personality' is by playing through a great deal of repertoire in that makam, not just in
passing, but thoughtfully while analyzing how the makam is moving in different sections of a piece, and comparing one piece to another.
While I don't expect that my little book will teach you everything you could possibly learn about Rast, Mahur, Nikriz, or makams in general, I do
believe that if you work through the material carefully, you will get a great introduction into the way of thinking and playing that will take you a
very long way indeed. As far as you wish to go, really.
If you have any questions about the book, feel free to contact me directly, or post here if you think your question might be useful for others as
well. Also, many thanks to our friend Eric Ederer for his feedback and guidance on the introductory/historical notes. And many thanks to Ara
Dinkjian for setting the whole process in motion.
Thank you,
Mavrothi Kontanis
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bpcNORD
Oud Lover
Posts: 12
Registered: 8-12-2005
Location: New York
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Mood: No Mood
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I am so excited, I bought 2 books and I'll get them Friday!
Usually, I work on the different makams by working on a song.
I am looking forward to Mavrothis' insights to help me with the
theory and "personality" of the makams he has selected for his book.
CONGRATULATIONS!
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MatthewW
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1031
Registered: 11-5-2006
Location: right here
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Mood: Al Salam
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Συγχαρητήρια! Mav, are the maqams and recorded examples played in Turkish or Arabic
tuning? best, MW
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sylvainbd
Oud Junkie
Posts: 410
Registered: 6-7-2005
Location: France - Nantes
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Hi
I downloaded "School of oud" tracks by the link written on his book in order to listen tuning. ( http://www.amazon.com/School-Oud-Mavrothi-T-Kontanis/dp/0786682957 and "click to look inside" ...)
Here :http://www.melbay.com/download.asp?ProductID=21910
It seems to be in Turkish tuning E A B E G D#
( it was false  )
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
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Mood: big band envy
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Hi,
Thanks for your comments. I hope you enjoy the book.
For this book I used the tuning: E AA BB ee aa d'd'
The notation utilizes the Ottoman system, with an explanation of how it works. The audio recordings are in the key of D, since all three makams have
their Tonic note on Rast note (and I am playing in Bolahenk tuning, where G=D).
I know that reading this type of score can be confusing at first if you are not familiar with it, but I believe it was the most efficient way of doing
it since I want players who use my book to easily move on to the many Ottoman scores available online and in other reference/repertoire books.
As I said, if there are any questions, please just let me know. I'm happy to help.
Take care,
Mavrothi
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abusin
Oud Junkie
Posts: 442
Registered: 3-23-2006
Location: Manchester England
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Mood: Ya Fuadi La Tasal
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Well done Mav, your book great addition to the world of oud
Best Regards
Awad
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Danielo
Oud Junkie
Posts: 365
Registered: 7-17-2008
Location: Paris
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Excellent idea !
This is exactly the kind of book that was lacking to understand the makam practice.
Do you provide written analyses of the different pieces ?
thanks Mavrothi,
Dan
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
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Mood: big band envy
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Thanks again guys.
The book is set up like this:
General background on the oud and makam
Basic oud posture, right hand, left hand etc (some familiarity with the oud is assumed)
Some exercises to improve technique
Basic makam theory info/descriptions/examples
Rast makam intro - basic structure and movement, with an introductory exercise and some modulation examples found in one or more of the
pieces
Rast etudes plus several examples of traditional repertoire
Mahur makam intro - basic structure and movement, with an introductory exercise and some modulation examples found in one or more of the
pieces
Mahur etudes plus several examples of traditional repertoire
Nikriz makam intro - basic structure and movement, with an introductory exercise and some modulation examples found in one or more of the
pieces
Nikriz etudes plus several examples of traditional repertoire
Rhythms (usul) page giving sample rhythms used throughout the book
The length of the book was a set number of pages from the outset, so I was not able to include a detailed description/analysis of each individual
piece. However, I believe that the introductory page for each makam section does give a good overall description of how each makam moves, with common
makam modulations listed with examples found within one or more pieces included in the book (with references specifying the piece and measures where
the modulation can be found).
I hope this is helpful, and as I've said, I'm very happy to answer any questions.
Thank you,
Mavrothi
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