Newoudie - 2-28-2023 at 04:58 AM
I just bought an oud-like instrument, advertised as a Turkish Oud. It is very small, with a 48cm scale length. It seems to play well enough, but I'm
not sure what it actually is. It has 10 strings, 5 pairs. I've tuned it, low to high: GBEAD.
Any ideas what it is and/or suggestions?
BTW, I bought it because I love the sound of the oud, but I'd never seen one before, so wasn't sure it wasn't what they were supposed to look like!
coolsciguy - 2-28-2023 at 05:40 AM
It's probably for young players and not adults. Scale length should be above 57 cm for full size ouds. See if you can return it. You can ask on this
forum about your next oud to make sure you buy an item with high quality.
Newoudie - 2-28-2023 at 01:49 PM
Thanks, coolsciguy -- the instrument is smaller than the child-size specs that I've seen, but I guess that's what it is. Sort of like violins that you
can get in all sorts of different sizes. I am curious about its origin, though. I can't see any sign of a label anywhere through the rosette.
I'm not unhappy with it, it's well-made and playable, not just a wall-hanger. It probably wouldn't suit a serious player of Turkish music, but as an
old folkie, it's a fun addition to my guitars, banjos and dobro. If I find I like playing it, I will probably look for a full-sized instrument though
this forum.
Brian Prunka - 3-2-2023 at 08:40 AM
If you post a picture here, it's possible someone has a guess as to its origins.
48cm is defintiely a child's oud. But it could be treated as sort of an alto oud, using a higher tuning. This might be interesting in context of a
duo with someone playing a regular sized/tuned oud.