carpenter - 6-6-2008 at 08:18 AM
I'm picking away, feeling mighty proud of myself, and notice I'm using pull-offs and hammer-ons now & again. Is this acceptable oud technique? (It
could always be the Need for Speed on my part ... a holdover technique from other instruments?) It sure sounds to me on recordings like the Big Guys
are risha-ing every note; mastery or illusion? Bad habits die hard, and I'd like to nip this one in the bud - if it's truly a bad habit.
arsene - 6-6-2008 at 08:26 AM
I'm pretty sure I've heard hammer-ons and pull offs before on oud. If only I could think of an example. But I'm pretty sure you can even use it as an
ornamentation technique.
Brian Prunka - 6-6-2008 at 01:26 PM
It is a legitimate technique, but it shouldn't be a crutch. Which is to say, the music should dictate the technique, not the other way around.
That said, the oud tends to be a very idiomatic instrument, and a lot of phrasing is encouraged by the technical tendencies of playing it, so use your
own judgment. I definitely use a lot of hammer ons and pull offs, even when I think it's less than ideal. I still try to practice phrases both ways,
but on a gig, they come out. Maybe eventually . . .
one thing, from a technical perspective, if you are going to use pull offs and hammer ons, make sure you're definitively sounding the note.
especially with pull offs, they can be nearly indistinguishable from a plucked note if executed properly (i.e., really pulling the string with your
finger, not just lifting it off).