Oud Tunings

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Oud Tunings

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Pimientito

Posts: 2481
Joined: Jul. 30 2007
From: Marbella

Oud Tunings

Admin - feel free to move this off topic if you think necessary.

The reason that I'm asking is if any guitar players here also play Oud.
I have an Arabic Oud from Egypt and I have been fiddling around on it this week. I thought it would be nice to do a Zambra with an Oud introduction. My oud unfortunately badly need a new set of strings and thats when things started to get interesting.

After much asking and searching I edventually found a Guy in Granada who sold Oud strings. Holy Cr@p...did he see me coming! There is a monopoly in the Arabic quarter of the Albaicin on oriental strings and you can only get them from one guy at the back of a little store selling incense and silks...they cost 30 bucks

Saying that he asured me they were a professional set, would last a long time and there were 11 strings.

After a lot of swearing I finally got the thing Strung...now i know why people invented machine pegs. 11 strings all tuned with pegs, aaaargghh!!!

I have looked on the net at a bewildering variety of tunings.
http://www.oud.gr/tunic.htm
I am not so interested in what is the most common tuning as what is the easiest way to tune the oud if you are already a guitarist. I managed to get it into a Rondeña tuning without much problem but there is a lot of uneven tension throughout the set and Im not sure how much good it is doing the instrument.

The turkish oud is strung either E A B E A D or D A B E A D neither of which I find very easy.

Of the Arabic tunings C E A d g c seems to be the easiest to play.

So ...rather than get into a lengthy discussion about Arabic music and why you should use traditional tunings...can someone preferably with experience of playing oud please give advice to a Spanish guitar player on the best tuning if you already play guitar. P

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 13:22:09

sean65

Posts: 414
Joined: Jan. 4 2010
From: London

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to Pimientito)

quote:

After a lot of swearing I finally got the thing Strung...now i know why people invented machine pegs. 11 strings all tuned with pegs, aaaargghh!!!

lol.

Try this forum

http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 15:18:38

James Ashley Mayer

Posts: 115
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Portland, Oregon

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to Pimientito)

I have a Turkish oud and the widely available D'Addario string set works fine. Mine is tuned C E A d g c. Get some Precision Pegs installed. Definitely worth it.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 15:31:18

edguerin

Posts: 1589
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to Pimientito)

Sorry to hear you were probably taken

Strings by mail sells the D'Addario Oud strings for less than 12 US$ and Savarez for 16.99:
here

In Germany you can get Oud-strings for under € 7.-- here

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Ed

El aficionado solitario
Alemania

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 16:39:28

Estevan

Posts: 1936
Joined: Dec. 20 2006
From: Torontolucía

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to Pimientito)

quote:

After much asking and searching I edventually found a Guy in Granada who sold Oud strings. Holy Cr@p...did he see me coming! There is a monopoly in the Arabic quarter of the Albaicin on oriental strings and you can only get them from one guy at the back of a little store selling incense and silks...they cost 30 bucks

You just didn't do it right...

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Me da igual. La música es música.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 16:47:37

estebanana

Posts: 9367
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to Pimientito)

If you really want good oud strings it's more buying a ready made set. To get the most out of the oud you need to calculate a set based on scale length and which tunings you want to use.

The reason you are getting uneven tensions is because the pre packaged oud strings are not a one size fits all for lengths and tunings These days oud players are turning to lute string suppliers to get the best strings. If you are in Europe try England or Germany for lute string suppliers and have them calculate a set of gauges based on the tuning and scale.

If you go over to Mikes oud board ask the other Europeans how they are getting better sets by calculating scale and tuning. If you are going to have to pay for expensive strings it would be better to get what you need. I have another oud restoration going right now and I got the strings from a lute string supplier in Boston. I can pass that also to you, but there should be someone in Europe doing this too.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 17:50:37

Janne H

Posts: 51
Joined: Sep. 19 2010
From: Sweden

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to estebanana)

Hi,

I play some cümbüs and I´m also looking for a oud. As a guitar player I prefer to take the obvious shortcut:

The cümbüs is usually tuned G A D G c f, but I prefer to use E A D G B e, exactly as the guitar, and there´s not much altering needed.

You could just tune the C strings down a half step to B (from the arabic tuning), then you have B E A d g b, much like a guitar.

Janne

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 18:23:39

James Ashley Mayer

Posts: 115
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Portland, Oregon

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to Pimientito)

estebanana, I'd like that lute string contact you have, if you don't mind.

I have a cumbus as well, but I don't think it sounds very good in EADGBE tuning. I leave it in DADGAD tuning because it seems to resonate so much more. The sympathetic vibrations of the unplayed strings adds to much to the cumbus sound.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 18:49:28

Tomrocker

Posts: 404
Joined: Apr. 18 2010
From: Italy

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to Pimientito)

Hola Pimientito, try this online Oud Tuner: http://www.arabinstruments.com/112730/Online-Oud-Tuner
also PM me with your email and i shall send you some interesting materials about the instrument

Cheers

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This is hard stuff!
Don't give up...
And don't make it a race.
Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 20:02:10

sean65

Posts: 414
Joined: Jan. 4 2010
From: London

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to Pimientito)

Why not go with the Modern Turkish tuning of . c3# F# b e a d just like Steampunk does.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 20:55:32

estebanana

Posts: 9367
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to sean65)

quote:

Why not go with the Modern Turkish tuning of . c3# F# b e a d just like Steampunk does.

Because scale length of an Egyptian oud is longer and the higher tuning is more difficult to achieve and it could also distort the face of the oud. I would stick with lower arabic tuning on a longer scale oud. I think he said he has a egyptian oud....anyway

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 16 2011 21:10:27

estebanana

Posts: 9367
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to James Ashley Mayer)

quote:

estebanana, I'd like that lute string contact you have, if you don't mind.

The strings not be cheap, but better for the instrument, especially older more fragile ouds. The older ones were certainly made for gut strings and modern nylon strings can distort the top too much and cause the top to be over fatigued with time. I'm pretty sure that is why the last oud I restored had to have a top replacement. The string tension peeled the top off the rim of the bowl so many times, and it kept getting poor repair jobs it eventually end up being toast.

Olav C. Henriksen
34 Newbury St., Somerville MA 02144.
Regards,
Olav Chris Henriksen
Tel. (617)776-8688

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 17 2011 0:06:39

sean65

Posts: 414
Joined: Jan. 4 2010
From: London

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to Pimientito)

quote:

Because scale length of an Egyptian oud is longer and the higher tuning is more difficult to achieve and it could also distort the face of the oud. I would stick with lower arabic tuning on a longer scale oud. I think he said he has a egyptian oud....anyway

You're absolutely right. I said it more in a jocular sense in order to introduce the bizarre video.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 17 2011 8:14:00

Pimientito

Posts: 2481
Joined: Jul. 30 2007
From: Marbella

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to sean65)

quote:

...just like Steampunk does.

The problem is I dont have a German paratrouper outfit although I do have the moustache now.

Listen, thanks a lot guys for all this helpful information. I actually played my first live Oud solo last night as an intro to a zambra. Luckily noone there knew anything about Arabic music which is just as well. Its actually quite rewarding instrument to play and you only have to worry about 7 or 8 (frets) tones on the neck which obviously is much easier than a guitar. With a bit of practise its easy to find the intonation.

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Follow my blog http://pimientito.wordpress.com/

"Ceremonial" by Mark Shurey "Pimientito". CD and digital download vailable on Amazon and
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 17 2011 9:04:15

Tomrocker

Posts: 404
Joined: Apr. 18 2010
From: Italy

RE: Oud Tunings (in reply to Pimientito)

_____________________________

This is hard stuff!
Don't give up...
And don't make it a race.
Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 17 2011 17:44:49