billkilpatrick - 9-3-2004 at 05:31 AM
i'm looking for any information on the pint sized syrian oud i just bought off ebay, germany.
the label inside says:
"orientalische laute
oriental lute
oriental wood products co.
al bringi for trade
p.o.box 12822
telex 419150 - 411921 booth
damascus, syria
dat: 10/2/1988"
there's a logo at the top made from the initials F and B.
i'll try and send a photo as well.
thank you - bill
spyrosc - 9-3-2004 at 10:49 AM
It's a standard "children's" oud, in the Syrian style. Because of their smaller size children's ouds traditionally have only
one rosette, and probably just 9 strings.
Pass the tradition on to the new generation !
Mabrouk
Spyros C.
billkilpatrick - 9-3-2004 at 11:31 AM
not on your nellie!...
this oud is mine! i'm waiting for some strings from aquila and when they comes ... it won't leave my hand!
do you have an idea how much they would cost new? ... ball park figure?
forever young - bill
Child's play
spyrosc - 9-3-2004 at 02:26 PM
The one in the picture, bought in Syria should not have exceeded $ 60. Probably less.
Spyros C.
Cool!
Oud987 - 9-3-2004 at 10:08 PM
I like the little bugger! - Please record it when you get the chance, - if possible.
Fret distances
Elie Riachi - 9-5-2004 at 10:14 AM
Hi Bill,
Here are the fret distances from the nut in mm for 49.5 cm scale length.
Elie
billkilpatrick - 9-5-2004 at 10:50 AM
dear elie -
thanks mate. two brains are better than one ... but in this particular case, one is better than none what-so-ever.
i hope i'll be able to return the favor.
sincerely - bill
Elie Riachi - 9-5-2004 at 02:20 PM
Bill my friend,
Your humorous remarks and the tip on using nail polish (okay on a cheap oud if you don't care about disolving small areas of varnish in concealed
spots on the neck) are good enough pay back.
By the way I took my wife to buy the nail polish for me and she picked platinum instead of pearl white, that's okay noone will see those dots
except me or whoever plays the oud. Thanks for the tip they have lasted longer than the sticky paper dots and they do not move around!
Elie
billkilpatrick - 9-5-2004 at 11:55 PM
i made a dash down the aisle in the cosmetics section of the supermarket when no one was looking - aside from the security guy on video, who proved to
be very difficult during negotitions for the tape.
real men use pearl.
would it be possible to explain how you calculated those distances - in words that even a baby could understand?
ciao - bill
Elie Riachi - 9-6-2004 at 07:51 AM
I use a formula which is based on the relationship between the ratio of vibrating string lengths and ratio of resulting frequencies.
What is that little square on the oud in the image, it looks like a little window cutout? or is it a little sticker tatoo thing?
I am thinking of buying a small for my 4 year old boy, do you think that would work? Doe it sound like an oud?
Elie
billkilpatrick - 9-6-2004 at 01:36 PM
it's a sticker that left a discolored patch on the face.
"...ratio of vibrating string lengths and ratio of resulting frequencies..." sounds absolutely impenetrable - don't leave town without
giving me a forwarding address.
i think it would be perfect for your boy. it seems to be built quite sturdily, for one thing, though quite narrow at the neck. even if it's too
big now and he doesn't get the hang of it immediately, i'm sure he will grow into and then beyond it.
eraydin has little ouds for sale and there is a russian trader from israel offering small, inexpensive ouds from time to time on ebay.
i'm waiting for the strings. i'll let you know what it sounds like as soon as they arrive.
pace - bill
billkilpatrick - 9-8-2004 at 05:45 AM
for 'dem 'dats interested ...
i put some aquila, nylgut strings (turkish set) on the oud and its sounds ... small.
that's not to say "bad," just small - that's all.
i think ouds in general are at a disadvantage in that every one is different. when compared to the uniform (more or less) sound of a guitar, each new
oud is expected to sound like the old and there's a period - at least in my experience - when it doesn't.
then there comes a time when you pick it up and you start to hear it instead of trying to make it sound like something else.
i think it's an intimate instrument, quite strong in the bass and perfect accompaniment for voice - just what i wanted. i replaced the wooden
nut with one made from bone, reduced the fifth course to a single string (to give me more finger space) and resisted like crazy the temptation to
remove the thin coat of varnish that someone else put on the face. could it be that i'm finally leaving well enough alone? ...
i have a cd by cheikh salim fergani, "un troubador de constantine" from the buda records, "music of the world" series. if
you're familiar with this cd, the oud sounds a bit like his. i found it strange that the same oud is featured in photos of him as a young man
and as he was when he recorded the cd. now i understand why. big, power house instruments come and go but a little intimacy lasts forever.
makes me wonder about those reasonably priced, half-sized ouds that eryadin makes ...
ciao - bill