Oud Tunings (Full Version)

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Pimientito -> Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 13:22:09)

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[:o][:-][&:]
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



sean65 -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 15:18:38)

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/



Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px



James Ashley Mayer -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 15:31:18)

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.



edguerin -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 16:39:28)

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



Estevan -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 16:47:37)

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...




estebanana -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 17:50:37)

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.



Janne H -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 18:23:39)

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



James Ashley Mayer -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 18:49:28)

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.



Tomrocker -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 20:02:10)

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



sean65 -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 20:55:32)

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




estebanana -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 16 2011 21:10:27)

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



estebanana -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 17 2011 0:06:39)

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



sean65 -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 17 2011 8:14:00)

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.[;)][:D][:D][:D]



Pimientito -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 17 2011 9:04:15)

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.



Tomrocker -> RE: Oud Tunings (Mar. 17 2011 17:44:49)




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