My new `oud aw yeeah!

[michaelsanford]

My new Turkish `Oud, soon to arrive from Istanbul!

Mahogany body, spruce sounding board, rosewood tuning pegs and finger-board.

ooooh

 

[michaelsanford]

Front view...

 

[adambyte]

What is that, 12 strings? Can you tune it like a regular guitar? Or is it funky, like a Bouzouki?

 

[michaelsanford]

It's the ancestor of the European lute.

It's got 11 strings, 1 "bass" string and then 5 pairs of strings. I tune it to the "Arabic" style which is D-GADGC. The first D represents the "bass" string, the others ane tuned in pairs from left to right.

I know of the Bouzouki and have heard it a little, but I'm not familiar with it in any useful sense, so I can't tell you how funky the `oud is in comparison . You can, however, listen http://oudpage.tripod.com for yourself

 

[adambyte]

Ah, now I know, it's a very Arabic sounding instrument. Definitely odd tuning. Can't tell what kind of scale it's tuned to.... locrian, I think?
Edit: nevermind, I found out about it, here: http://oudpage.tripod.com/maqamat.htm

Any particular reason the neck is so bent at the end?

 

[michaelsanford]

That I'm not sure about. But being an Arabic instrument, it's likely just highly decorative. Perhaps at some point it was structurally necessary but I really don't know.

What do you play?

 

[adambyte]

heh. I just play a little guitar. And because I'm half Greek, I've heard plenty of Bouzouki music, too. That's all. And I think I tried playing a Banjo once and.... woah, that threw me off... heh