Chris-Stephens
Oud Junkie
Posts: 155
Registered: 5-19-2016
Member Is Offline
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What's different about Persian ouds?
So I know there are different styles of oud which change not only the design (pick guard, inlay/decoration, holes, rosette, etc.) but regional
variations that change the shape of the instrument itself like Turkish but the Persian oud played by Ostad Behroozenia (and this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLkWhDw-vkQ) looks very different from everything else. Yet other Iranian oud players like Mansour Nariman and
Arman Sigarchi play Persian music on an oud that looks more similar in shape and size to 'standard' ouds. What's the difference between these two
Persian ouds? tuning, size, material, construction, etc. Is Behroozinias smaller oud more suited to play Persian music as opposed to Anatolian or
Mashriqi styles?
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majnuunNavid
Oud Junkie
Posts: 622
Registered: 7-22-2013
Member Is Offline
Mood: Dude, where's my Oud?
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Craftsmanship will be different. Attention to detail will be different in terms of superficial cosmetic appearances. You may find different
preferences for wood with Persian makers, but I'm not sure. More expensive Barbats have an additional metallic mechanism on the nut which I think
allows for smoother tuning and possibly for other reasons.
Strings are attached to the peg box in a different way, following guitar headstock pattern.
Bowl is deeper perhaps, (or seems deeper) but not as wide.
Most importantly, the sound is different. I'm very critical of Persian Barbat sound but that is just me.
1. The high register is lacking tone and definition when compared to Arabic Ouds where the high register is punchy and piercing.
2. The bass is clean, clear and punchy, thick in tone. Not muddy or soulful like an Arabic Oud.
Barbat is usually 5 courses instead of 6. But 6 course Barbats are available.
I guess that the Barbat is more suitable for Persian tastes. You may hear more sustain, but this may be attributed to effect preferences.
Other than that, it's exactly the same thing. Even though Hossein Behroozinia was my teacher, I'm not a fan of Barbat. He uses Barbat because he is a
proponent of re-appropriating the Oud to Iran and using a completely Iranian instrument. So you'll hear 100% Persian style and he uses a 100% Iranian
made instrument. That's his mission.
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Mortys
Oud Junkie
Posts: 163
Registered: 7-12-2009
Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands
Member Is Offline
Mood: As happy as Oud face
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Sound wise is very difficult to say as everybody has its own taste. But worksmanship of some iranian luthiers are just immaculate and imho if a
luthier can make such a neat and clean instrument to every last detail, there is no risk at that the sound would not match that workmanship.
And there is also a lot of difference between an oud a barbat soundwise.
There is a lot of info on my site, maybe interesting to read.
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