Mike's Oud Forums

how do you think is this sound achievable?

fameeyyoud - 2-12-2020 at 06:59 AM

Hey guys,

i was recently listening to a couple of “awel hamsa” versions on youtube when i stumbled over this version.

https://youtu.be/SGUgTawSqrA

And i was wondering how he is able to achieve that amazing full sound? I mean his playing is amazing, but i think the oud takes very big part in this.
What do ya'll think?

Thanks in advance!

ilnokaly - 2-12-2020 at 07:46 AM

The oud in the video is tuned a whole step lower. I.e. A is G.

Try to do this and let us know if you notice any difference in the sound of your oud.

fameeyyoud - 2-13-2020 at 02:41 AM

Wow thanks!
Didnt know the solution would be this easy!
Now that we are at it, just curious, any idea how hi hits that long note on 0:37? haha
thanks in advance!

fameeyyoud - 2-13-2020 at 10:27 AM

fameeyyoud - 2-13-2020 at 11:15 AM

Wow thanks!
Didnt know the solution would be this easy!
Now that we are at it, just curious, any idea how hi hits that long note on 0:37? haha
thanks in advance!

ilnokaly - 2-18-2020 at 08:37 AM

Could you please further explain your question ?

SamirCanada - 2-18-2020 at 03:45 PM

Let's make it clear. Yes the oud is nice and had a great sound. It the hand is the secret sauce here. You are looking at a very accomplished player.

He can make any oud sound great.
https://youtu.be/a68WlbvqCCQ

Jack_Campin - 2-19-2020 at 02:34 AM

Don't you need a larger than usual body to get adequate resonance tuning down that far?

I have two ouds - the bass on my old Syrian one (58.5) doesn't sound very convincing below D, but my Moroccan one (60) booms epically down at B.

Jody Stecher - 2-19-2020 at 08:39 AM

Scale and body volume are two different factors. I have an old Syrian oud with a 62cm scale and a capacious bowl. It sounds sensational tuned low. It's OK tuned "standard". I used to have another old Syrian oud with a similar scale length and an average size bowl. It sounded similar tuned down or not. I have a Faruk Turunz Turkish tuned oud with a scale of 58.5 cm. The lowest course sounds as good or better tuned to B as it does to D or in between. The 5th course sounds equally good at F# as at A. The bowl on this oud is ample.
I have a Moroccan Arabic oud with a 58.5 cm scale. The bowl size is average. The bass course sounds ok at C and noticeably better at D. So it seems that it all depends on the interaction of factors. Another factor is what strings are being used.

SamirCanada - 2-19-2020 at 03:42 PM

I think this is an old fathi Amin oud. The tuning down also does help. But mostly I think this is a player who knows how to let the instrument speak and his phrasing is excellent.

Badra - 2-25-2020 at 04:14 PM

It's one of my favorite players Rami Hatem. He is from Sweida, Syria, Farid's home town, and he has mastered a lot of Farid's techniques. He is active on Facebook if you want to follow him, not active on youtube.

Badra - 2-26-2020 at 11:50 AM

In case anyone was wondering, Farid sometimes tuned his oud a whole step down, such as in Kelmet Etab, but I would say he usually tuned it a half step down. He didn't use the standard tuning often. One exception would be in Gamil Gamal, where if you watch the film, the oud appears to be tuned a half step up, but in reality that film is sped up by 5% which to equates to about a half step in pitch change, so in reality Gamil Gamal was at standard oud tuning.

One thing is for sure, if you watch any classic Farid films, they are all sped up between 3 and 6%. So any song pitch can't be trusted! My youtube channel publishes videos with fixed pitch and tempo. It's amazing how much of a difference 5% can make on voice and feel of the song.

nassic_zhd - 3-21-2020 at 05:25 PM

On the same topic as this thread, I want to ask about how the Oud Proff YouTube channel gets their ouds sounding so low.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyx7UI737e8

Can this really just be achieved with a long scale length? Every single video on this channel has a very very low pitched oud but mine struggles to make a good sound when tuned any lower than a whole tone down.

Brian Prunka - 3-22-2020 at 07:41 AM

Quote: Originally posted by nassic_zhd  
On the same topic as this thread, I want to ask about how the Oud Proff YouTube channel gets their ouds sounding so low.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyx7UI737e8

Can this really just be achieved with a long scale length? Every single video on this channel has a very very low pitched oud but mine struggles to make a good sound when tuned any lower than a whole tone down.


You need to match the strings to the scale length and tuning.
Oud Proff is using custom Pyramid Lute sets to match the tuning he is using, I believe.
Each oud will have a pitch range where it resonates best, and for many old ouds this is nawa=F# or F.

You can't just tune the same set of strings up and down and expect it to sound good. Most prepackaged sets have fairly high tension so can be tuned down 1/2 step or a whole step to good effect (likely better than concert pitch, depending on the size of the oud), but to tune lower you need both a larger oud and appropriate custom strings.