luan
Oud Junkie
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Pain from playing, and where to get picks
Hi!
I'm a guitar player, I play since 7 years ago, and since yesterday I'm owner of a Oud.
I love the instrument, however I'm having these problems:
1) The action of the strings made my left hand hurt a lot, and now I'm using ice...
2) Maybe because I play tense, but I got pain in my right hand also, it's difficult but I will try
3) The pick I got is too thin and has a "clack" sound that I don't like, plus I can't play fast passages with it, but they've told me I can't get
other ones here (argentina). So, where can I buy online or something?
4) Some of the tuning pegs are haaaaard, some are "ok". Is it ok to take this instrument to a luthier so he fixes it? Considering he is a very good
luthier but is not specialized in oriental instruments
Thanks!!
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David.B
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Hi luan,
1) and 2), the pain will disappear with a regular practice. Horn will appear at your fingertips, and the muscles of your wrist will strengthen. Try to
play relax, but it will take time.
3) check out my post -> http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=11289&p...
"0.71 mm thick, this is the part I like (black part). Nervous way of playing, but not too much, just enough flexibility. Lot of response, with little
effort.
0.66 mm thick. Smooth way of playing. This gives a kind of nonchalance, difficult to control when the pace is accelerating. The risha noisily hits the
pickguard."
Just test different materials. Then, find your favorite thickness for the risha.
4) a luthier should have the tools, and the skills, for the job. Violin pegs are not so different. But I'm not a oudmaker, and I've never tried such
an intervention on my ouds ...
Welcome  and good luck 
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BaniYazid
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Hi Luan, welcome.
The action is lower on an oud than a guitar, between 3 and 5 mm is good for me.
For the pick you can buy Pyramid, the grey one is not too thin. You have good picks on this forum here http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=11289&p...
About the pegs you can put some dry soap and some chalk. A violin luthier can fix your peg, but if it's just a problem of hardness, i think it's not
necessary, But if they are not well fitted it could be.
Your best friend on this forum is the search button  use it !
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David.B
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[/url]
2 guys 4 John's rishi, it seems to be a good advice 
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luan
Oud Junkie
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Can't I get tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome??
The thought of having my wrist become more strong makes me think of carpal tunnel...
Where do you guys measure the action?
Thanks!
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luan
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Another question:
What would be in size a good pick for playing fast passages? something like a heavy pick for example?
Thanks!
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Greg
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In the beginning, try to play slowly and accurately. I wouldn't worry too much about 'shredding' until you have developed some basic skills on the
instrument. Don't overdo it with long and painful practice. Several short sessions a day is safer than one long one. If you are feeling pain, stop.
Greg
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BaniYazid
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You can measure the action at the junction between the neck and the body.
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freya
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Even with a properly setup instrument, improper hand position can lead to damage to the tendons of the left hand. When I was just starting, I held my
left hand with the thumb too far around the neck so that my pinky would have to extend too far to depress the string. I developed tendonitis and
permanent damage to the tendon in the pinky.
The other mistake beginners often make is to use excessive force to depress the string. I still find myself pushing down harder on the strings with
the left hand the harder I strike the note with the right hand. No more force should be used with the left hand than is required to depress the string
regardless of how loud one is playing. There are exercises to develop this practice.
Bottom line - find a good teacher early on who can correct possibly-damaging habits from getting established.
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luan
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Thanks guys!!!
I will ask the same thing I did some posts earlier:
What would be in size a good pick for playing fast passages? something like a heavy pick for example?
Thanks!
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David.B
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Quote: Originally posted by David.B  | 3) check out my post -> http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=11289&p...
"0.71 mm thick, this is the part I like (black part). Nervous way of playing, but not too much, just enough flexibility. Lot of response, with little
effort.
0.66 mm thick. Smooth way of playing. This gives a kind of nonchalance, difficult to control when the pace is accelerating. The risha noisily hits the
pickguard."
Just test different materials. Then, find your favorite thickness for the risha. |
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luan
Oud Junkie
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Those are the only sizes available?
Thanks!
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David.B
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OK ...
You can ask for your own dimensions, John makes custom rishi.
My advice : choose 0.70 mm thick, or more, if you don't want the "clack" sound on the pickguard.
Attention! Thicker doesn't necessary mean faster. You need some flexibility too.
Again, all you need to know is written here -> http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=11289
And there -> http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=9935#pid661...
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luan
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Thank you man!!!!
Thanks everybody, this is a nice forum!
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Danielo
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Hi,
for risha (picks) my advice is to buy one or two packs of those inexpensive horn-made ones :
http://www.mid-east.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=OUDP&eq=&Tp=
They should only be considered as blanks, not finished products. This is not a problem, on the contrary.
Take some sandpaper (medium-grain for shaping, fine-grain for finishing) and you can experiment variouswidths, thickness and shapes until you find
exactly what suits your playing preferences .
regards,
Dan
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fernandraynaud
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I gather you know by now that a risha has to be long, it cannot be like a guitar pick, or you have no "swing". The MidEast blanks are very good, horn
sounds great. If you have some very long ones, you can cut a blank into two. Some prefer a thicker body, and these are not very thick. You can wrap
tape around the portion you hold, if you really want a thicker "handle", or even glue two of the blanks together. Or (better) order a custom
thick-handled risha from someone on this forum. In most cases the thickness is just fine, and the tricky part is the tip, that you need to try
different shapes and thickness tapers on. And of course you shape the two ends differently, so you should have enough ends to work on. Sandpaper and
more sandpaper. Many possibilities. There was even one idea of making the very tip thicker than the portion 7 mm back from the tip! Delrin is another
very popular material, it's also called acetal, and it's the black shiny stuff that MidEast sells:
http://www.amazon.com/Oud-Pick-Plastic-10-Pack/dp/B000AZ420O/ref=sr...
Sometimes they will have "grab bags" of different rishas: nylon, polypropylene, etc on eBay. The nylon cable-tie is surprisingly popular. You have to
be on the lookout for new materials. Ultimately you will find your dream risha-destiny. Making rishas is what oudists do when they're not tuning, or
playing.
If you're having significant pain, something is not right. Try to find a teacher for at least a lesson or two. And not everybody's hands work in the
"correct" positions. My pet raccoon accidentally (but very precisely) bit off the 1 mm tip of my left hand's middle finger, and my pinky is weak, so
there are some things I do better "incorrectly". It helps to remember that Django played with his stumps, Bashir mutilated his ouds, some people play
the accordion, and nobody complains while they're dancing.
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luan
Oud Junkie
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Thanks everybody! nice posts!
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