billkilpatrick
Oud Junkie
Posts: 563
Registered: 1-3-2004
Location: italy
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Mood: what?
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regional oud sound
this may be a non-starter - but is it possible to identify the differences between a middle-eastern sounding oud and a north-african oud?
accompaniment must play a part but if - say - a syrian oud player and an algerian oudist were to sit side-by-side, each playing a solo oud ... would
there be a recognizable, regional difference? if so, how would one distinguish one from the other?
in the good ol' usa, "motown" had a distinct sound - distinct from, say, southern california. does such a distinction exist between the maghreb and
points further east?
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John Erlich
Oud Junkie
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Registered: 8-26-2004
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Hi Bill,
What do YOU hear that sounds different when you listen to a Syrian vs. an Algerian oudist? I assume you must hear something, or you wouldn't ask!
I think I could myself describe the difference between non-Arab and Arab oud styles, but would be hard-pressed to verbalize the differences within the
Arab World.
I would say that Iraqi oud playing is the Arab style most influenced by the Turkish style. The music school which trained the 20th Century Iraqi
masters was established in the late 30's by a Turkish master. The playing style of the Bashir brothers and their musical descendants sounds "lighter"
to my ears, with less use of bass "pedal" tones.
Compared to other Arab style, Yemeni oud playing sounds very “busy” to my ears, with a “heavier” ior “harder” risha technique. I find
this especially true when a Yemeni oudist is accompanying a song. (This may be mostly an adjustment to small ensemble styles. On most of my Yemeni
recordings, oud is the only melodic instrument played.)
Most Moroccan oud playing sounds to me to feature the least “busy” left hand (fingerboard) style, with less left-hand ornamentation than other
styles. (Though there are definitely exceptions.) I may be totally mistaken, but I seem to hear in Moroccan oud taqasim a tendency to rest on a
tone that I don’t hear much in other styles, perhaps the third degree, such as an “F” when playing D bayati, and maybe also to rest on a tone
one whole step below the tonic.
Sundanese oud players seem to use a lot of pentatonic scales, rather than standard Arab maqam, and that definitely creates a distinct sound.
The foregoing only covers the “extremities” of the Arab World…
Thanks,
John
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billkilpatrick
Oud Junkie
Posts: 563
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thankx john - an erudite reply if ever there was one ...
simply put - and from what little i know - i hear a "throatiness" in western ouds that i don't hear in the oriental variety. i also hear a familiar,
tune-full, flamenco-style phrasing.
years ago, i remember sitting on a beach on the greek island of samos, surveying the vast horizon of a dun colored turkish coast ... with a
sony-walkman plugged into my ears, listening to some brahms violin sonatas (pinchas zukerman and daniel barenboim) ... and thinking "this is it .." -
i don't want to go any further east.
it could be simply a matter of suggestion, but an "andalusican" designation has more significance for me than something "turkish" or further east.
- bill
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Sazi
Oud Junkie
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Mood: مبتهج ; ))
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Interesting stuff, this history...
Quote: Originally posted by billkilpatrick  |
it could be simply a matter of suggestion, but an "andalusican" designation has more significance for me than something "turkish" or further east.
- bill
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In the Muslimheritage site it mentions that Abul-Hasan Alí Ibn Nafí, (from Baghdad), known as Ziryab, settled in the court of Cordoba in 822,
introducing the Iraqi traditions and his latest innovations, so wouldn't that actually make Andalusian music at least in part "something further
east"?
Cheers, S
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