How To Tune An Arabic Oud
About The Arabic Oud
The oud is an ancient instrument which is one of the most popular instruments in Arabic music. Its name means "a thin strip of wood" in Arabic. In the Arab countries, we see that the oud was first seen in Egypt, and later used in Syria and Iraq. At the beginning of the 20th century, we know that the oud is spread in all Arab countries. One of the most important reasons for this is that the Ottoman Turks served in the Arab countries. The uds produced in Istanbul were sent to Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Arabia and other countries. It is known that Arabs and Turks used this instrument here.
The oud making in Arab countries. started in the city of Damascus in the beginning. Armenian-born Abdo Nahat and his family, who migrated from Mardin to Syria, began to produce the first uds.
How to tune an Arabic Oud
In stringed instruments, the first condition for the performance to be smooth is that all the strings are in full arrangement. A musician playing the oud controls the oud tuning of the oud. If it is broken, it corrects it, wants it to be perfect, and its first concern during execution is that the oud can always stay tuned tune.
Tuning of an Oud in Arabian method has a special feature. In most of the cases, tuning starts from low notes to high notes.
When you doing tuning
1)Do the first tuning work under the control of a connoisseur.
2)First, learn to fuse the double wire, one of which is tuned.
3)Hear the sound you will get for tuning thoroughly, the wire to be arranged, according to that sound is thin or thick sound gives, after understanding the rotate the twirl in the required direction. Once it is understood that when needed a wire tuning , it is most important to understand whether it will stretch (thin) or be loosened (thicken).
4)While turning the auger, constantly hit the pick, check how much the sound is thinning and thickening.
5)There is no danger when loosening the wire. While you are stretching, be more carefull. Tune is not learned without breaking the wire.
6)If you need to thin, do not stretch the wire immediately. First loosen slightly, then slowly thin.
7)Don't push completed auger into the saddle with excessive force.
8)This auger, which is too tight, does not move when it is later tuned. But a great force can separate it from where it's stuck
9)Don't wet the auger to keep the tuning, swells in the saddle. Then no tuning can be made.
Construction of Arab Uds
The Construction of Arab uds should be examined in two categories.
1. The uds that we call fixed bridges as we know before
2. Floating Bridge and the invention of Muhammad Fadil uds
Today, in the Arab countries, uds are produced by many masters in both systems. These uds are very successful productions.
Arab uds also differ from the Turkish uds in the tuning system. Arabian tunes are made as one more deep sound than the Turkish uds.
Also every oud is different, and what works well on one oud may not work the best on another.
The most popular tuning is DO - SOL - RE - LA - SOL - DO
In this video we explain How to tune an Arabic Oud.
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