Oud (written as “ud” in Turkish) is the ancestor of the European lute. Its name derives from “al-ud” (the lute). It is not a native Turkish instrument, but it has been played in Anatolia for at least five centuries. The oud is an instrument that is considered as the king, the sultan of musical instruments. This instrument occupies a great place in Turkish Art Music, Turkish urban music (in fasil orchestras) and in arabesque music. Turkish ouds have a bright, nice sound due to their tense strings and thin soundboards. This timbre differs Turkish oud from the Arabic oud. Turkish ouds are kinds of ouds employed in Turkey and Greece. Turkish oud, like other types of oud, is fretless and it is played with a single pick. The contemporary Turkish oud is a six-course oud: it has five pairs and an additional sixth, bass string. This extra string enables the instrument to generate a wider range of pitches. It also increases the ease of playing by enabling the performer to wander through three octaves. Therefore, modern In general, Turkish ouds consist of eleven strings, but on our website, you will find special Turkish ouds with thirteen strings. Turkish ouds have large soundboxes made of a series of ribs. The soundbox of the oud is also the body which is called a bowl. The materials used in the bowls of the ouds in our store vary. Certainly, they are all made of high-quality woods such as mahogany, maple, and walnut. Their flat front surfaces or the faces are from spruce, which is a lightweight wood that reverberates when struck. As you know, when you grab the oud and pluck the strings, if you hear the vibrations and the sound of the oud inside your chest, it means that you have found a good instrument. Our Turkish ouds’ tuning pegs and fingerboards are constructed from ebony. A good-quality oud is surely handmade and our professional ouds are produced from materials of the best quality. In our store, we sell standard, special and professional ouds. We have a wide selection of handmade ouds produced for professional musicians and instrument players. The professional ouds are excellent because they increase the quality of the players’ performance since holding and playing these great ouds is really comfortable. Our handmade ouds are manufactured by famous luthiers who have been masters of their craft. We sell special Turkish ouds that are manufactured by the best oud makers of the world such as Mehmet Caymaz or Mustafa Copcuoglu. On the other hand, we provide for standard ouds and a range of factory-made Turkish ouds which would be convenient for beginners, who have just begun to explore this authentic instrument. Turkish ouds on our website come in different sizes; you can find any size from big ouds to zenne ouds mostly produced for women players and ouds manufactured for left-handed instrumentalists. We can assure you will find the best Turkish oud for your needs among the oud types on our website. All of our ouds are made of high-quality products and we offer our Turkish ouds with the best prices for their quality.
History of Turkish Oud
It is estimated that the first instruments that can be considered as the ancestor of the Turkish oud, one of the oldest stringed instruments made by mankind, were made in Ancient Egypt (1320-1085 BC). An instrument similar to the Turkish oud is depicted on one of the clay reliefs from this period. Likely, this new oud, like the ancient oud, was carved from a single piece of wood, and its body was smaller than that of today's oud; his chest was leather. Iranians called this instrument the barbat.
It is used with the same name in Turkey and almost all Arab countries. It is among the famous instruments in Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Greece. It is called "barbat" and in Iran, it is called "uti" in Greece. The first instrument similar to the oud was invented in ancient Egypt in the 19th-29th century. It is thought to have been created during the dynasties (1320-1085 BC). B.C. An Elamite clay figure dating to the 8th century has a similar instrument. The history of the ud until its re-emergence in the Muslim Middle East centuries later is not well known. Like the old oud, this new oud was probably carved from a single piece of wood, and its body was smaller than that of today's oud; his chest was leather.
Features of Turkish oud
The Turkish oud is a fretless pear-shaped stringed instrument. This oud is used in traditional Turkish and Mediterranean music. The Turkish oud is an exotic instrument that dates back to the Egyptian pyramids. The unique sound of the Turkish oud is unique for every listener, eastern or western. The strings of the Turkish oud are similar to the classical guitar. Playing the Turkish oud requires precise intonation on the short fretboard. The plectrum used to play the Turkish oud is called the "mizrab" and is held in the right hand. This plectrum is long and rests in the palm of your hand.
The body, the number of strings, and the thresholds are the shape differences of the ouds. The Turkish oud is still a preferred string instrument today, as it is effective in terms of its characteristics and can sound in different octaves.
In addition, Turkish ouds are the types of oud used in Turkey and Greece. The contemporary Turkish oud is a six-pitch oud: it has five pairs and an additional sixth bass string. This extra string allows the instrument to create a more comprehensive pitch range. It also increases the ease of playing by allowing the performer to navigate between three octaves.