Born in Baghdad, Rahim AlHaj started playing the oud when he was 9 and studied under well-known Iraqi oud musician Munir Bashir. He's now 40, and still playing.

The oud (pronounced as "ūd") is an ancient guitar-shaped instrument carved from a solid piece of wood.

On a recent March Sunday, he taught four oud novices at a Manhattan cultural center how to play the Iraqi way.

Photo: Rima Abdelkader