An in-depth instruction manual for the Arabic oud, the ancestor of the lute and guitar. A companion instructional DVD is included showing key points to playing the Oud.. Contents include: Holding the oud, Plucking the Strings, Basic Plucking Rules in Arabic Tradition, Positions of Left Hand Fingers, Basic Notes on the oud, Advanced Left-Hand Techniques, Maqamat, and much more. Over 40 tunes are included in the book. Standard notation only.