DJCrabtree
Oud Maniac
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Registered: 7-26-2005
Location: Northern Ireland
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Maurice Shehata
I too took delivery of a Shehata oud this week, and one very similar in design to that posted by Syrianoud. The bowl of mine is padouk wood, which in
certain lights seems to ripple like water.
I can only agree wholeheartedly with the considerable praise which has been heaped on Mr Shehata by contributors to this forum. Every word is well
deserved. And if Mr Shehata's craftsmanship is to be praised, then the professionalism and courtesy of Yehia must be too.
I am only sorry that this beautiful instrument will have to live its life in the miserable climate of Northern Ireland rather than in the sun of
Syrianoud's California.
Once again, thanks and congratulations to Maurice Shehata !
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DJCrabtree
Oud Maniac
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Oh, and just a quick postscript :
the soundboard is without doubt a single piece of wood
David
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SamirCanada
Moderator
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any pictures? 
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DJCrabtree
Oud Maniac
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Location: Northern Ireland
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Sorry, Samir, but I don't have a digital camera. But the oud is on the Nileshop website as SH1 - very classic and restrained decoration which focuses
the eye on the beauty of the rosette (and hopefully distracts from my less than beautiful playing !)
David
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John Erlich
Oud Junkie
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Location: California, USA
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"I am only sorry that this beautiful instrument will have to live its life in the miserable climate of Northern Ireland rather than in the sun of
Syrianoud's California."
Dear DJCrabtree,
Hopefully, if your beautiful oud could talk, it would regard it as an HONOR to have been acquired by someone in a place so far-flung.
Maybe you can use the oud to bring people together. In 1998--on the same trip that took me to Belfast--I bought an ud in Istanbul (Turkey) and
brought it with me to Israel. I had it with me in the Old City of Jerusalem, and some shop keepers in the Muslim Quarter asked me to play for them.
I took it out and played and we started to sing. Pretty soon other passers by stop and joined us singing, including several ultra-Orthodox Jews (!).
I almost got a Greek Orthodox priest to sing, too! If the mystical sound of the oud, even in my minimally capable hands, can bring together
Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews, maybe it can do the same for Nationalist Catholics and Unionist Protestants in Northern Ireland.
Actually, many parts of California are drier than Istanbul (though not drier than Cairo), and the dry weather can cause the wood soundboard to crack,
which can leave an oud even more banjaxed (as you would say) than the cold, which can increase string tension and pull off the bridge.
Good luck!
Best,
John "Udi John" Erlich
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DJCrabtree
Oud Maniac
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Hello John,
That's a sweet thought, and apposite to Northern Ireland in more ways than you might imagine - there was a period recently when loyalists took to
flying the Israeli flag and republicans the Palestinian ! Crazy place. Sadly I think the only thing that unites both sides is a deep distrust of the
English (I'm English, have lived here for the last 11 years).
I hadn't considered the advantages of a damp climate for the oud, thanks for that.
All the best,
David
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John Erlich
Oud Junkie
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Location: California, USA
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Hi David,
Great name--we named our son David.
A few months ago, I stumbled into and read articles on-line about the Israeli and Palestinian flags flying in Northern Ireland. I knew about a
long-standing identification that many Irish Republicans have with Palestinians and had long wondered whether Ulster Loyalists had any identification
with Israelis. Beware of Irishmen/Ulstermen weilding hyperbole! 
How did you end up in Northern Ireland?
I live in Berkeley, California, which, as far as moisture goes, probably be renamed, "Moldistan."  )
All the best,
John
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Elie Riachi
Oud Junkie
Posts: 582
Registered: 4-9-2004
Location: Kansas
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Mood: Gebran Tueni Lives For Ever, 12-12-05.
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Palestine48, maybe we should leave politics out of the forums! The SLA and the Phalangists joined forces with the IDF because they felt something in
common, they were all being victimized by the armed Palestinian militias on Lebanese land and both the Israelis and the Christian Lebanese are hated
by surrounding Arab regimes who wish their extinction. As for the Palestinians in Lebanon, they were guests (brought in as refugees by the Christian
Lebanese) and they violated the rules when they first attacked the Lebanese Phalangists in Lebanon. If they would have done the same thing against
any other Arab country they would have been kicked out immediately, a recent case is what happened to the Palestinians in Kuwait after the liberation
of Kuwait from Saddam by the US. It doesn't get publicized much, but in Lebanon, the Palestinian militias under the command of Yasser Arafat
slaughtered thousands of Christian Lebanese in el Damour and Arafat turned a Church there into a parking garage, but instead what gets publicized is
the Sabra and Shatila.
Recently in Lebanon, the Palestinians are bringing arms into the camps in Lebanon without any respect to Lebanese law and sovereignty and are probably
preparing to start a second civil war. If these were Lebanese doing that in your country wouldn't you ally against them?
It is unfortunate what happened to the Palestinians, but the leaders they chose to follow should have realized early on that they could have gotten
much more than they will now, with much less blood shed, if they would have accepted the idea of sharing back in the early forties. Abbas seems to
realize this and he will accomplish in a couple of years what Arafat had failed to achieve in a lifetime. Violence will bring more violence and
peaceful means will bring peace, at least this is how it has been so far.
Peace and freedom for all.
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Elie Riachi
Oud Junkie
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Location: Kansas
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Mood: Gebran Tueni Lives For Ever, 12-12-05.
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No offense taken Palestine48. You know the lyrics to the Black Sabbath song "Heaven and Hell" something like this: the world is full of kings and
queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams... it's heaven and hell...
Take Care.
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SamirCanada
Moderator
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Registered: 6-4-2004
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How nice!
At least we can agree on that. Iam impressed at the level of maturity that is on display. Its important to say that although politics should stay out
of the forrums The oud is a arab instrument And eventualy at some point politics are going to come into play. Music and politics is probably the
formost things a middle easterner thinks about in his day (... hehe exept food) The other thing is that if it was built up behind peoples mind
eventualy it comes out one way or another before it explodes. Iam verry impressed that the quality of people that are here didnt let it become a war
of insults. The other thing is that we all live in north america because its becoming impossible to live in our respective countries. Damour was a
attrocity my grandfather was there the things he witnessed were horrific. My friends and my relatives have been killed in the fighting yet its not for
me to blame anyone in these situations. Lebanon and Palestine are the chessboard of much bigger nations and its important to listen to all sides of
the story. Palestine48 you can read the info on here to see some great info on the lebanon war http://www.cedarland.com and to see. Yet dont think we should let this escalade to anything more since it can create a snowball when people get
wound up. I send my blessing to all that enjoy the oud... its already amazing that we can all get along and share this love for music. It does unite.
In fact I have seen a website about musicalmission its a guy who goes to Iraq and Falestine to play oud the punch line? he's american and doesnt speak
much arabic but its a nice sight to see people come togheter like this...
Regards
Samir
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DJCrabtree
Oud Maniac
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Location: Northern Ireland
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Whoops, didn't mean to set off a chain reaction.
Nevertheless, may I just clarify a couple of things for Palestine 48: Northern Ireland is not under British occupation; it is part of the United
Kingdom because the majority of its citizens wish it to be so, and in signing up to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement republicans endorsed this principle
of consent.
My remark about the distrust felt towards the English was not meant to be taken too seriously, but it does touch on the fear that many unionists have
of being 'sold out' by the the British government. Also, most protestants feel a cultural affinity with Scotland rather than England. It's
complicated, and so much more tedious than talking about the oud.
Hi John, in answer to your question: I've come across quite a few Englishmen here who all came, or stayed, for the same reason - we all fell in love
with northern Irish girls. The simplest and best reason there is.
Take it easy
David
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John Erlich
Oud Junkie
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Location: California, USA
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Hi Folks,
Sorry...
It was not my intention to start a political debate, nor to judge Irish Republicans nor Ulster Loyalists EXCEPT to suggest that, if by flying
Palestinian and Israeli flags, respectively, they are identifying themselves with Palestinians and Israelis, respectively, they are seriously
exaggerating their own dilemmas and privations.
I strongly oppose Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and support Palestinian self-determination, but my close contacts with Jews from Arab
countries and good knowledge of their history makes me very suspicious of the concept of Jews living as a minority in a united Arab Palestine, which
in practical terms is really what we mean when we speak of a one-state solution. I don't really feel like going into this any further, having said
way too much for this forum already!
Elie's reply, above, just goes to show how many different legitimate perspectives there are among us.
I only hope that my music helps lay the foundation of a more just and peaceful future for all of us.
Shalom/Salaam/Shlama/Khoda Hafez etc.,
Udi John
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DJCrabtree
Oud Maniac
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Location: Northern Ireland
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An interesting and good natured discussion, and everyone still smiling.
David
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Elie Riachi
Oud Junkie
Posts: 582
Registered: 4-9-2004
Location: Kansas
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Mood: Gebran Tueni Lives For Ever, 12-12-05.
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Samircanada,
The website you linked to is under construction, did you mean this site http://www.cedarland.org/war.html ?
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Greg
Administrator
Posts: 926
Registered: 7-22-2004
Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Gentlemen,
Two days ago, I was asked to "do something about" this thread. My response was, "It is not the task of a moderator to censor reasonable comment and so
far the comments have remained reasonable."
However, I was pleased when David (DJCrabtree) effectively drew a line under this topic two days ago. But the subject has now been brought back to
life and it therefore continues to have the potential to develop into dispute.
I thank you all for the sensitivity and restraint displayed in this discussion, but I respectfully request that you refrain from prolonging the life
of this thread with further posts.
Regards,
Greg
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