yvestra - 3-28-2026 at 11:23 AM
Hey,
I recently try to play oud in duo with a friend. We were trying to play takssim on rast, nahawand and hijazz. I realised it was one of the first time,
i was working with an another oud player on some takssim and i couldn't find patterns to accompany the other oud properly while he was doing some
impro.
Do you have any tips for me about that ? Are they traditional ways of playing or convention while playing with other oudists on the most famous makams
?
Thanks !
Oud Freak - 3-29-2026 at 09:55 PM
Nowadays, AI could be asked, and here's their reply:
playing taksîm in duo is a bit different from solo improvisation, because you want to support without stepping on the other player’s ideas.
Traditionally, when two oud players (or any melodic instruments) improvise together in maqam, one will take the lead with the taksîm while the other
provides a kind of “drone” or subtle rhythmic/melodic support.
A few tips that might help:
Pedal tones / drones: Hold the tonic or dominant of the maqam softly, sometimes alternating between them. For example, in Rast you can sustain the C
or G; in Nahawand, the tonic minor works well; in Hijaz, the tonic and the characteristic augmented second interval can be emphasized.
Light rhythmic ostinatos: Instead of full improvisation, you can play short repeating motifs that outline the maqam’s flavor. This gives a bed for
the soloist without cluttering.
Echoing phrases: After your partner plays a line, you can answer with a simplified echo, maybe just the contour or the last two notes. This creates
dialogue without competing.
Respecting silence: Sometimes the best accompaniment is restraint — let the lead oud breathe, and only add subtle touches at cadences or
transitions.
Conventions: In traditional ensembles, the oud often accompanies taksîm with drones, light rhythmic strumming, or by reinforcing the maqam’s main
notes. The idea is to highlight the modal character rather than create harmonic progressions (since harmony isn’t the focus in maqam music).
It’s less about fixed “patterns” and more about listening closely, supporting the modal center, and leaving space. Over time, you’ll develop a
shared language with your duo partner — almost like call and response.
Asked for a summary and here it is:
Playing taksîm in duo is about supporting the lead without overshadowing. Traditionally, one oud takes the improvisation while the other provides
subtle grounding. You can use drones on the tonic or dominant, light rhythmic ostinatos to outline the maqam, echo short phrases for dialogue, and
leave space with silence. The goal isn’t fixed patterns but reinforcing the maqam’s character and listening closely, so the two players build a
shared musical language together.
Brian Prunka - 3-30-2026 at 05:20 PM
As usual, the AI answer is a bit of truth buried in a giant pile of nonsense and cliches.
The best thing to do is listen to ensemble recordings and pay attention to what happens in the background during a taqsim.
For a standard, non-metric taqsim, it mostly it will either be a) nothing, or b) a simple drone on the tonic held by the violin/strings
Sometimes you might hear qanun do a repeated tonic alternating with the lower octave tonic. It's done softly so as not to distract/overpower the
soloist.
So another oud could do the same, although it will be an octave lower than the qanun.
If you are astute, you might emphasize the dominant or even another modulation if it makes musical sense to do so (following the soloist). This
requires a lot of listening to hear where the soloist is going and when they are leaving, etc.
There is the musical technique of "tarjima" which is mostly heard with vocals (either mawwal or layyali), in which the accompanist plays short musical
echoes of the main soloist's ideas in the space/silence between phrases. This is less common with instrumental improvisation, but it can be done if
everyone is on board and it is done very sensitively and tastefully. Practice along with vocals in famous songs (Sabah Fakhri is a good reference) to
get better at this.
For metric improvisations, there are several standard patterns the support the iqa3 (rhythmic pattern); usually instruments play one of these to
accompany the improvisor. These are typical patterns or sometimes composed for a particular piece.