Mike's Oud Forums

Bone Rosetta

naf - 9-15-2021 at 05:38 AM

Last year I acquired an Oud from Aleppo to train on and Lately I started a project to improve it. The oud has oval uncovered openings, so I thought that I could make some Rosettas for them.
I did not want to make them from wood or plastic or use CNC machines, instead I wanted to make it manually and cut it by my hand from camel bone.
I searched Damascus for people who prepare such bones, and found a guy with a small workshop next to the Ummayyad moseque and in his he told me that he has a rosetta drawing from Rophan Nahhat:

20210325_035443 by Priapus_D, on Flickr

This drawing was for a circular Rosetta, so I tried to fill it up to cover the oval opening I have on my Oud, and I also wanted to change the name of Rophan into my own name:

20210325_205357 by Priapus_D, on Flickr

I pasted the design of the sheets of bone, and started cutting the design:

20210326_035809 by Priapus_D, on Flickr


20210416_214310 by Priapus_D, on Flickr

I did not like the calligraphic design for my name, so I went o a professional calligrapher and asked him to write my name in Nastaliq style and used his design:

20210421_211042 by Priapus_D, on Flickr

Here is my first attempt of installing the rosetta on the oud:

20210421_211727 by Priapus_D, on Flickr

and this is the finished rosetta with all its components:

20210422_082001 by Priapus_D, on Flickr

20210719_114521 by Priapus_D, on Flickr

I wonder if anyone can share with me designs of Rosettas they have on the ouds, and what the material that the rosetta is made of.

suz_i_dil - 9-20-2021 at 11:45 PM

nice work and idea on an oval shaped soundhole ! Thanks for sharing

suz_i_dil - 9-20-2021 at 11:48 PM

nice work and idea on an oval shaped soundhole ! Thanks for sharing