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Are these notes fading Oud?

Quintessential to the Arab world, the soulful strains of the string instrument Oud greets you almost everywhere in the UAE.

Enjoyed by the young and the old alike, a few notes played on the Oud when mixed with beats from a Darbuka or the Daf (Arabic drums) can create musical ‘magic.’

With popular music taking more space on the younger generation’s iPods and music players, musicians, shop owners and teachers say a lot more has to be done to save and popularise traditional music.

Even though Arabic instrumental music is popular, learning it needs to be encouraged, said Iranian musician and Oud teacher Omid Golnavazan.

Omid has been teaching the Oud since 1998 at the Shebah Music Institute in Abu Hail, Dubai. “If love for music runs in the family, children will follow suit and learn. About six students come to the institute to learn the Oud and I teach 12 students privately,” he said.

Many of Omid’s students hail from Western countries. “I have students from Germany, South Africa and some from New Zealand. Emirati students are definitely interested in learning, but they have very little information on classes and a majority of them are lazy,” he added.

The government needs to do more to encourage learning of these arts, said Omid. “There is the Bayt Al Oud Institute in Abu Dhabi, but for students in Sharjah or Dubai commuting to the capital would be a problem.”

Yemeni national Yassar Rashid Abdullah has been teaching the Oud for the past 10 years. “Recently, interest towards traditional music has been dwindling. Since there are few institutes, students end up going to private tutors,” said Abdullah. Meanwhile, not all parents encourage private teaching. “Several Arab girls approached me for classes. But I had to stop mid-way since their parents asked them to stop,” he said.

Shop-talk

One of the oldest music shops in the UAE, the Music World and Art Centre located in Sharjah, is one of the few places where a good Oud can be purchased.

Owned and managed by Syrian brothers Ziad and Husam Asali, the centre was opened in 1981. Sound engineer and co-owner of Music World and Art Centre, Husam Ali said apart from the Oud, they sell instruments like the Darbuka, the Kanun and the Nay (flute). “Better quality Oud is made in Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Bahrain and Kuwait,” he said. “Local makers are very few and the quality of the instrument is up to standards. Oud is usually sold at prices starting from Dh300. The expensive ones are usually priced a little above Dh1,500.

“Oud is the most commonly sold instrument in the shop. Our customers are mostly Arabs from other GCC countries and a few locals. We sell an average of 15 pieces in a month. The acoustic guitar is also very popular,” said Husam.

Sadek Elie, owner of Sadek Music Centre in Deira, Dubai, has a different tale to tell. “I opened the shop 10 years back selling only Arabic instruments. The demand for them has dwindled substantially since 2005. So, I began to stock Western instruments and sales picked up,” he said. At Sadek, the Darbuka is available from Dh150 onwards. The most expensive Darbuka in the shop is priced at Dh800.

Students speak

Twenty-eight-year-old Emirati Falah Saleh Al Shamis has been learning the Oud for the last eight months. “I work in Abu Dhabi and live in Sharjah. I picked up an interest to learn the instrument when I heard an artiste performing at a local coffee shop. Now I am trying to encourage my friends to learn the instrument, as well.”

German student Charles Huber said, “I began playing the Darbuka early last year. From the very first time I heard the instrument, I knew I had to learn. I don’t have a teacher as such, whatever I know is stuff I picked up from online videos.”

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