Time: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Dates: 23 September '18 | 30 September '18 | 7 October '18 | 14 October '18 | 21 October '18 | 4 November '18 | 11 November '18 | 18 November '18 | 25 November '18 | 2 December '18

This course will focus on new complex rhythms which will be learned and executed by combining the simpler rhythms covered in the beginner course. Such rhythms will include 5/4, 7/4 and 9/4 timing.

Various ornamentations will be added to known rhythms by filling in the silent beats and controlling the speeds at which rhythms can be played.

Also, new techniques will be taught such as the mahbous using both the right and left hand. An alternate combination of techniques will be applied to rhythms in order to develop students’ ornamentation skills.

Additionally, the course will focus on improving the quality of sound students produce from their Darbuka. An emphasis will be placed on developing the techniques learned in the beginner class such as the dum, tek and shek.

Note: Students will need their own darbuka as they will need to practice between lessons.

Registration: £200 (paid online)
Course book: £5 (paid on the first day of class)

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Dates: 21 September '18 | 28 September '18 | 5 October '18 | 12 October '18 | 19 October '18 | 2 November '18 | 9 November '18 | 16 November '18 | 23 November '18 | 30 November '18

New maqamaat that will be covered in this course include: Nahawand, Kurd, Lami, Bayat and Maqam Bayat Shor. You will also learn new techniques using the second octave and some ornamentation.

This course is designed for students who are interested in improving their Oud ornamentation techniques and to extend their knowledge of the maqamaat.

In order to enroll for the Upper Intermediate course, it is required to have attended an Oud Intermediate course or to be comfortable with previously covered material and have your own instrument. Students with existing knowledge may apply but will need to be assessed by a teacher. Please contact: school@taqasim.net

Students need to allocate time for daily practice and study. The Oud Upper Intermediate course is made up of 10 lessons of 2 hours each, for a maximum group of 7 students. Lessons are taught on a weekly basis. All course materials are provided.

Registration: £200 (paid online)
Course book: £5 (paid on the first day of class)

Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Dates: 22 September '18 | 29 September '18 | 6 October '18 | 13 October '18 | 20 October '18

This course is highly recommended for students who want to take oud lessons for the first time but haven’t seriously studied music before.

Learning a new instrument is challenging enough as it is: new ideas, new techniques, new pieces of music and lots and lots of practice! So, let’s make things a little easier. In this short series of classes, consisting of 5 lessons, you will learn all the basic skills you need to read, write and “talk” music. Taking a practical approach to music theory, we will be adapting the best bits from Western classical music theory and Arab classical music theory to give you all the tools you need to start your new life as a musician. Topics for the course will include how to read and write rhythms; how to read and write melodies; understanding the basics of theory and how to recognize maqams in notation; how to understand all the signs and symbols on a musical score.

NOTE: We highly encourage students interested in this course to also sign up for the Oud Beginners course running straight after it on Saturdays from 12:00 – 14:00

Registration: £105 (paid online)
Course book: £5 (paid on the first day of class)

Time: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Dates: 22 September '18 | 29 September '18 | 6 October '18 | 13 October '18 | 20 October '18 | 3 November '18 | 10 November '18 | 17 November '18 | 24 November '18 | 1 December '18

The Oud is a short-necked fretless lute, the most important and wide-spread instrument in Middle-Eastern music. The objective of the beginners course is to acquire the fundamental techniques needed to play the Oud and understand the characteristics of the Maqam music system, studying the eight fundamental Maqams together with traditional and popular repertoire.

No previous music knowledge is required to attend this course, as most music is notated as tablature, a visual representation which does not require understanding of music notation. However, we do encourage beginners to sign up to our Music Literacy for Beginners Course. (You can find the description below)

The course is made up of 10 lessons of 2 hours each, for a maximum group of 7 students. Lessons are taught on a weekly basis and it is recommended that students spend time practicing in between lessons. All course materials are provided in printed and digital format.

NOTE: Students need to have their own instrument, and the teachers are available to assist in finding an Oud and in assessing instruments.

Time: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Dates: 22 September '18 | 29 September '18 | 6 October '18 | 13 October '18 | 20 October '18 | 3 November '18 | 10 November '18 | 17 November '18 | 24 November '18 | 1 December '18

The Taqasim Music School offers a more advanced set of courses for groups of students who are interested in further improving their Oud playing skills.

In order to enroll for this course, it is required to have attended an Oud Beginner course or to have basic information about the oud, and have your own instrument. The teachers are available to assist in finding an oud and in assessing instruments.

Students need be comfortable with some basic oud information and allocate time for daily practice and study. The course is made up of 10 lessons of 2 hours each, for a maximum group of 7 students. Lessons are taught on a weekly basis. It is recommended that students spend time practicing material learned in between lessons.

The maqamaat that will be analyzed during this course through the study of traditional songs and piece are: Nahawand, Ajam, Kurd, Hijaz, Bayat, Rast, Saba and Segah.

Registration: £200 (paid online)
Course book: £5 (paid on the first day of class)

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Dates: 22 September '18 | 29 September '18 | 6 October '18 | 13 October '18 | 20 October '18 | 3 November '18 | 10 November '18 | 17 November '18 | 24 November '18 | 1 December '18

Taqasim Music School offers a more advanced set of courses for groups of students who are interested in improving their Oud playing skills further.

In order to enroll for the Intermediate course, it is required to have attended an Oud Upper Beginner course, and have your own instrument. The teachers are available to assist in finding an Oud and in assessing instruments.

Students with existing knowledge may apply but will need to be assessed by a teacher: please contact: school@taqasim.net The level is more advanced than Lower Intermediate, so students need to allocate time for daily practice and study in order to see an improvement in their playing technique. The Oud Intermediate Level 1 course is made up of 10 lessons of 2 hours each, for a maximum group of 7 students. Lessons are taught on a weekly basis. It is recommended that students spend time practicing material learned in between lessons.

During the course, a selection of Maqamaat (Ajam, Hijaz, Hijaz Kar, Rast, Suzak) will be analyzed in detail while studying traditional repertoire to highlight the characteristics of each Maqam, accompanied by technical studies on right-hand techniques, left-hand positions, and 2 octave scales.

Registration: £200 (paid online)
Course book: £5 (paid on the first day of class)

Time: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Dates: 21 September '18 | 28 September '18 | 5 October '18 | 12 October '18 | 19 October '18 | 2 November '18 | 9 November '18 | 16 November '18 | 23 November '18 | 30 November '18

The darbuka (also darbuka, doumbec, tabla and goblet drum) is a drum with an ancient history and is widely used in the music of the Middle East and neighboring areas. It is played with the hands and has a single “head”. Originally, it was made of baked clay and an animal-skin head. Modern versions are usually made of a light metal such as aluminum and have a plastic “head”.

This course will cover basic techniques such as the correct way to hold the darbuka, how to produce the correct tones (such as “dum” and “tek”) and the correct right and left-hand strokes. Students will learn a variety of popular rhythms such as Wahda, Maqsum, Ayyub, Malfuf and Thurayya. Also, a piece of music will be studied and students should be able to play this to the best of their abilities by the end of the course.

At the end of the course, students will have the option of progressing to an intermediate level darbuka course. This will involve more advanced playing techniques and the use of the darbuka to accompany singing.

Note: Students will need their own darbuka as they will need to practice between lessons.

Registration: £200 (paid online)
Course book: £5 (paid on the first day of class)

Time: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Dates: 23 September '18 | 7 October '18 | 21 October '18 | 4 November '18 | 18 November '18 | 2 December '18

[Ensemble:  A group of musicians who perform together.]

The objective of the Oud Ensemble Course is to provide students with the opportunity to further progress their performance skills in a group setting. Each class will focus on a single Maqam and its corresponding repertoire with the goal of further developing students’ ornamentation skills such as tremolos, trills and the use of qarar and jawab within each song or piece.

The course will differ from the Oud Ensemble class since the Maqamaat covered will enable students to explore a variety of different techniques using different notes, quarter tones and different qarar and jawab combination.

Through this course, students will have the chance to progress their skills collaboratively while performing as a collective ensemble as well as playing solo. A selection of traditional songs and pieces will be analyzed in detail, adding various ornamentations and dynamics. Maqams that will be explored in detail include: Maqam Hijaz, Kurd, Segah and Saba.

The course consists of 6 lessons lasting 3 hours each. The maximum capacity for this course is 10 students.
Lessons are taught on a bi-monthly basis. All course materials are provided in print.

This Course is open to Taqasim students who have successfully completed the Lower Intermediate, Intermediate 1 or Intermediate 2 courses.

Registration: £255 (paid online)
Course book: £5 (paid on the first day of class)

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Dates: 20 August '18 | 21 August '18 | 22 August '18 | 23 August '18 | 24 August '18 | 25 August '18

This course is open to students of all Arabic musical backgrounds (complete beginner to advanced knowledge).

This intensive course will introduce the basics of Arabic music. The objective of this course is to give students a good basic theoretical and practical understanding of Arabic music.
Material covered will include a brief history of Arabic music, maqamaat, rhythms and musical forms presented along with a select repertoire of traditional and popular music. These will be analysed and presented in a cultural and historical context.
If students play a stringed instrument, they are encouraged to bring it along to play during the course, regardless of skill level. A Oud is preferable, as it is one of the main Arabic musical instruments used today.

To make the best of this course, students are advised to practice regularly.

The course will run for 2 hours on a daily basis for 5 consecutive days, from 6:30pm-8:30pm. The last class will run for 4 hours on Saturday 25 August from 12pm – 4pm. This time will be dedicated to playing a select number of pieces that have been covered during the course.

Time: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Dates: 30 September '18 | 14 October '18 | 28 October '18 | 11 November '18 | 25 November '18 | 9 December '18

The objective of this course is to introduce students to playing Arabic maqamaat along with a select traditional and popular repertoire on the acoustic guitar. The maqamaat covered will include Ajam, Nahawand, Kurd and Hijaz. Techniques learned will reflect Arabic musical styles applied to a predominantly Western instrument.

No previous music knowledge is required to attend this course, as most music is notated as tablature – a visual representation which does not require an understanding of music notation. However, we do encourage beginners to sign up for our Music Literacy for Beginners Course.

Students must own their own acoustic guitar.

This course is 6 lessons long running for 3 hours each. Lessons are taught every other week. It is recommended that students spend time practicing material learned in between lessons.

Registration: 255 (paid online)
Course book: £5 (paid on the first day of class)