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Mike
Super Administrator
Posts: 1568
Registered: 12-3-2002
Location: California, USA
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Cool News
Hey everybody,
I was just told by Maurice that he was telling Abadi el-Johar about our website and told him that there are some real dedicated fans who visit here
who love his playing. He told him about the audio clips we (thanks Jaber & Khalid) share and videos and stuff, and Abadi told him that he would
videotape a taqsim especially for the site!  I am not sure actually
when I will obtain this video clip, but hopefully some time in the near future. Apparently Abadi is now in his house in Cairo (I think me and Mav just
missed him), so Maurice might be able to get the recording done sometime in the near future.
So let's hear it for Abadi and Maurice for making this happen guys!!! And again, thanks to Jaber and Khalid for making the best thread on the forums! 
Seriously, if it wasn't for you guys, we wouldn't have come to know the greatness of Abadi el-Johar.
Mike
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bluesyOud
Oud Maniac
Posts: 80
Registered: 3-3-2004
Location: Hellas
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Mike people like you help the progress of
music!!!!Thanks man ,real thanks .Your
help to people who love music and oud,
is really big!!!
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Zulkarnain
Oud Junkie
Posts: 667
Registered: 1-14-2004
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LONG LIVE ABADI!!
Regards
The #1 Fans!
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Mike
Super Administrator
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Registered: 12-3-2002
Location: California, USA
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Hey guys,
Thanks Bluesy. I don't know if I am worthy of such a compliment, but thanks anyway. 
And Zul, yeah man, Long live Abadi! Isn't that totally cool of him to do that?
Mike
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Jameel
Oud Junkie
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Talk about cool news. That's really great, Mike. You are the internet's "Ambassador of the oud"!!
Here's something I think is pretty cool too. Check out this video clip. I will let it speak for itself.
Video Clip
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Mike
Super Administrator
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Hey Jameelo,
Well, looks like you got a "MAJOR" stamp of approval from a great master on the oud you made. This, in and of itself, says a lot man. Way to
go! How many times did he say, "I like it a lot."???
Mike
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Mike
Super Administrator
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oh yeah...where's the rest of the video man!!! c'mon bud, you can't tease us like that.
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samzayed
Oud Junkie
Posts: 485
Registered: 11-1-2003
Location: Chicago, IL
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Jameel, that was a cool clip. Your oud sounds great. Simon's oud is a Nahat, right? It sounded like it had amazing volume.
Any chance you can post the rest of Simon's playing?
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elrabee3
Oud Junkie
Posts: 264
Registered: 12-19-2002
Location: Dubai, UAE
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Mood: in LOVE
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woooooooow, i m really speachless.
if abadi recorded that clip it will be great gesture from a great artist.
Mike, u deserve all the thanks, becuse u provide us this space to share our love to this instrument, and to tell the others about the under-rated oud
players.
Abadi, u r the BEST.
BTW, i know that abadi is in Cairo now, becuse he is recording the songs for his new album (jalsa Tarab 2004) which will be released soon.
plz, mike, ask Murice if he has any stories about abadi, his ouds, and his oud playing, i think he alot to share with us.
Thank u again Mike.
Jaber
elrabee3@gmail.com
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Zulkarnain
Oud Junkie
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Jameel
Oud Junkie
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Thanks, guys.
The meeting with Simon is something I'll never forget. To have one of the best oudist/composers alive try out my 1st oud and like it was very
satisfying. It has encouraged me to start making the next one.
Sam, His oud is a Nahat. It's the same one that he performs with. He changed the fingerboard to a full length one, so it looks a little
different in the video. It sounded very nice. Great projection. He mentioned during our lesson that he gets the great projection by playing with small
strokes. Notice how his hand isn't all over the face of the oud. Very small, close to the string movements. This was a very important thing I
learned. He also showed me an excercise that he said would allow me to play anything I wanted on the oud in 7 months. It's a bit difficult to
describe, so maybe I'll make a video. His oud didn't have some magical sound that I anticipated it having. It didn't sound radically
different than mine. Yes, more mature, fuller, louder. (BTW, the reason his sounded so much louder is that he was playing mine very softly) Of course,
it's a Nahat. But mine is based on a Nahat and it was reassuring to me that my oud sounded well, like an oud, when directly compared with an old
Nahat. I figure with a little bigger back and longer scale length, my next oud might be even better, inshallah.
I'll be posting another video soon.
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kuharido
Oud Lover
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Awesome news Mike . Such a nice gesture from Abadi .
Jameel .... dude awesome oud ! its very cool that Mr.Shaheen tried it , not you can sell it high =) heh . Do post more videos of your work , and the 7
months excersize =) .
By the way , i'd like more information about Mr.Shaheen's oud , the sound is super , it sounds so powerul and nice . What wood is used ? And
, anyone got any contact info for the nahat luthiers ?
Happy playing everyone !
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Jameel
Oud Junkie
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Simon's oud is walnut.
The Nahat luthiers are long gone, unfortunately. (Simon's oud is like 85 years old, I think).
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Zulkarnain
Oud Junkie
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Michael
Oud Maniac
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Jameel
Tell us more about this exercise that you learned from Simon, the one that would enable you to play anything in 7 months.
I'm intrigued, and anything that would make us better oud players would be appreciated.
regards
Michael
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Michael
Oud Maniac
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Is anybody else interested in learning about this exercise?
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
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Of course, new ways of improving technique are always great to learn.
It would be cool to learn more about it.
mav
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LeeVaris
Oud Junkie
Posts: 379
Registered: 12-16-2003
Location: Los Angeles
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re: exercise
yes... lets here about this exercise!
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Jameel
Oud Junkie
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I'm a little busy at the moment, but give me a few days and I'll get back to you all
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bluesyOud
Oud Maniac
Posts: 80
Registered: 3-3-2004
Location: Hellas
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Jameel!!!!
the exersice faaaaasst!!!!
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bluesyOud
Oud Maniac
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Hey that was your oud?
nice oud nice video ,thanks!!!
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Jameel
Oud Junkie
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Here is the info about the excercise I learned from Simon Shaheen. I have been doing it now for less than a week and I can already see improvement
(I'm in great need of it!!) Good luck.
I asked Simon about a couple things. One was how to best to play long runs of notes---strict up and down alternating picks, or a combo
down/down/up/down or whatever. I asked Simon what I could do to improve the right hand. He was saying that my right hand was all over the face of the
oud. Too much movement. He really emphasized relaxing ALL the muscles in the body, "from the bottom to top" as he put it--especially the
shoulder and neck. Nothing flexing. Here is the excercise. Place your hand in the position for plucking the high G and C. Now extend your pinky finger
and let it rest on the soundboard (pickguard, really). Now, VERY SLOWLY, like 60 bpm (once stroke per second) and with small movement, pluck a
downstroke on C, and upstroke on G. He said to imagine the space between the C and G and keep your pick in that space. Do it slowly. Speed up when
you can without any mistakes. Pick the C not straight down, but rather kind of out away from the oud. Don't stroke way below the C. Very small
movements. He emphasized that holding the pinky on the soundboard makes you feel more acutely the movement of the pick. He also said to practice the
opposite using a down on D and an up on G, saying to visualize the two strings as one big thick string. He said very plainly, if you do this
diligently for months, you will be able to play anything. Naturally, that impressed me. I think he emphasized this small movement technique for
control. I think once you master the control, the projective sound comes on its own. When one thinks about it, it doesn't take much force to make
a good sound, and too much force sounds terrible. His oud has great sound, no doubt, but it wasn't particularly loud or projecting. He was also
playing my oud softly in the video, so it's not a good judge. I will also take this oppurtunity to encourage anyone who wants to learn to play to
find a good teacher. I take lessons from Issa Boulos, (only about 2 per year!) and without his direction, I don't know where I would be. Having
someone to teach you is invaluable. I think this is an excercise directed toward begining or intermediate players.
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sydney
Oud Junkie
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Thank you Jameel, that was kind of you to share.
I feel happy with my right hand now , what Simon taught you is what I have learnt. 15 years ago.
Cheers mate
Emad
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Zulkarnain
Oud Junkie
Posts: 667
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Ive been using it for the past 18 years on Guitar and 3 hrs on Oud now!
Oud Greatless
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
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I just want to add to what Jameel posted--it's a good idea to alternate the exercise with the pinky touching the soundboard, then play normally.
you don't want the pinky touching the soundboard to be a crutch; eventually you want to do it normally, but still retain that level of control.
I've been working on this for a while now, and it's definitely helped a lot.
Simon pointed out to me that there are just a few different ways to cross strings on oud:
1. down-down (from lower to higher string)
2. down-down (from higher to lower string)
3. down-up (from lower to higher string)
4. up-down (from higher to lower string)
5. up-down (from lower to higher string)
6. down-up (from higher to lower string)
no. 1 is closely related to no.2, no.3 to 4, and 5 to 6; so there are 3 basic movements, each of which occurs in two ways. Simon has complete control
over all these possiblities, which gives him amazing precision.
The exercises Jameel described work on 3&4 and 5&6. 5&6 are the most difficult type of motion; many oud players rarely or never use them,
preferring to use down-down (a technique that's worth spending a lot of time on as well).
Another exercise, for developing down-down:
very slowly, play a downstroke on the G (2nd) string, and continuing the same motion, play the C (1st) string. The motion shouldn't go far past
the C string, a little bit out as Jameel describes. Then, continuing the same motion, come up around to the G string so you're in position to
play it again. the whole process should make a small oval loop through and around the strings (only your hand and wrist moving, not your
forearm/elbow/etc.) Again, small movements & relaxed. It should feel flowing, not forced. 60-70 bpm is a good starting point.
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