Mike's Oud Forums

Wanted rishi of natural material

shareen - 2-17-2008 at 05:01 PM

Does anyone know where I can get rishi made of bone, antlers, etc. I heard Najib Shaheen makes them from deer antlers and they are a thicker guage. I played with one and it was fantastic. I just don't know where/how to get them.

Thanks

Abusaid - 2-17-2008 at 06:03 PM

Hi Shareen,

You can find rishi made from buffalo horn in Sphinxshop.com.

Best regards,

shareen - 2-17-2008 at 07:54 PM

Thanks, but I have those. They are not what I"m looking for. They are too thin.

adamgood - 2-18-2008 at 07:09 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shareen
Does anyone know where I can get rishi made of bone, antlers, etc. I heard Najib Shaheen makes them from deer antlers and they are a thicker guage. I played with one and it was fantastic. I just don't know where/how to get them.


Call up Najib, I'm sure he'll make some for you. He gave one to me when I bought an ud from him years ago.

Or, you're only in Upstate NY, pay him a visit? He lives in the West Village.

adam

shareen - 2-18-2008 at 10:49 AM

Yeah, I know, but I can't find his number. Also, I know he lives on MacDougal Street..looked for him there, couldn't find him. Do you have his number? (I met him at the Arabic Music retreat last Summer)

adamgood - 2-18-2008 at 02:48 PM

Shareen, check your u2u box, I sent you a number.

best,
Adam

Brian Prunka - 2-18-2008 at 03:25 PM

His number is on his website, too.

Koura - 2-21-2008 at 04:20 AM

Shareen,

Just yesterday I made myself a risha out of a slab of mule deer antler. I have an extra blank that is @ 100x20mm. I'd be happy to send it to you so you could make your own. I also live in upstate NY, so posting it to you is no problem.

pauldata - 2-26-2008 at 03:53 AM

What size and thickness did you make the antler risha? Is it consistent width & thickness all through, or does it taper and get thinner at the end. How thin can you cut the antler and still have it strong enough to not break?
If you have any more spare antler bits, I would LOVE to have the opportunity to try to work with them. I have done a good deal of crafting using both antler and animal horn; I've made many flutes of african animal horn, the Topi and Gazelle, Springbok, and have some risha of Buffalo horn.
I'm very interested in how the antler sounds and feels and how you crafted/sized it... You can e me at pauldata AT hotmail DOT com.
Thanks! :)

Koura - 2-26-2008 at 05:56 AM

Pauldata-

My risha is 110mm x 10mm, tapering to about 3mm wide at the tip. The body is @ 2mm thick, and it tapers down so the tip is a little less than 1mm. I was able to cut the blanks about 4mm thick with a bandsaw with no breakage. I then sanded it to the dimensions above and polished the tip with super fine steel wool.

As far as feel and sound, I like the way it performs, with the caveat that I am very new to the oud. I have been playing guitar and mandolin for many years though, and use a very thick pick, so this is a more comfortable feeling risha for me than the very soft and flexible ones that came with my oud.

I promised the last blank I have from this antler to Shareen, but I'll poke around and if I find any more suitable bits I'll let you know.

pauldata - 3-6-2008 at 12:28 AM

Quote:

I'll poke around and if I find any more suitable bits I'll let you know.


Fantastic! I'd love to work with some antler to try and create unique risha! :)

jazzchiss - 3-13-2008 at 03:02 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shareen
Thanks, but I have those. They are not what I"m looking for. They are too thin.


I've just bought a set of buffalo horn rishas from 'Egypt Card' and they aren't thin at all.
And they are very, very large!
I think I'll have rishas for quite a few years!