umbolino
Oud Admirer
Posts: 3
Registered: 1-25-2019
Location: Rome, Italy
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Sacrificing acoustic oud sound...?
Hello all! I'm brand new to the forum (..ah, the exclamation marks of the novice..  )
I am in the adventurous process of researching/purchasing a new oud (Arabic/Iraqi), having sold my entry-level Turkish one. A couple of things useful
to state beforehand:
- I came to the oud from the guitar, although via bouzouki, mandocello (Neapolitan), and saz,
- my fascination for the oud (and its history) is enormous but my scope is, essentially, to complement sounds from my other instruments in a
Mediterranean context, rather than pursue full-fledged tradition.
While my research is quite extensive, and through the numerous resources which are a classic stop out there concerning the oud, I am now a bit stuck
and could use a word of wisdom.
Enamoured as I am of my loud acoustic and classical guitars, I'd clearly want to preserve acoustic sound (and maybe tonal integrity?) as much as
possible, although I find deep bowls very uncomfortable and uneasy to play around (my Neapolitan mandocello is d e e p and awkward enough.. ), so I am considering models out there with either a flat back (entirely
guitar-like) or "truncated" half-bowl, which seem to be a sort of a compromise (but how can one know..?)...
The latter models can only be found in the 600-800 US$ range, and some of them look interesting (Sala, for instance); among the former ones, Saandi,
for instance, does produce equally interesting instruments, for a slightly higher price tag. All of these builders, more or less, also offer the
opportunity of a headstock and open tuning machines (and a pick-up, of course), which clearly appear dreamy to my eyes - er, yes, I am a bit afraid of pegs and tuning stability.
My price summit is around 1200 US$ and, of course, I'd try to make the most reasonable purchase for a decent oud with as intriguing as possible a
sound pattern.
Any opinion would be very welcome!
Thank you very much,
Umberto
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2916
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Hi Umberto! Welcome to the forum.
Sala and Sandi are both Turkish—if you want an Arabic oud you'd have to go with someone who makes Arabic ouds. I realize that Sala and Sandi both
have ouds that they call "Arabic", but they really are not.
A well-made acoustic oud is louder than a classical guitar, having doubled strings and played with a pick instead of fingers.
The bowl takes some getting used to, that is for sure. However, it's part of the sound and also has a non-trivial impact on technique in my
experience.
To me the question comes down to, do you really want to play oud, and get the traditional sound from the instrument, or do you just want something
oud-like that allows you to play fretlessly and have a somewhat related sound?
Why do you want to play the oud? What music are you hoping to play on it? Personally, I would be extremely dissatisfied in any of the options you
mention, but that doesn't mean they might not be quite suitable for your desires.
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umbolino
Oud Admirer
Posts: 3
Registered: 1-25-2019
Location: Rome, Italy
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Hi Brian, thanks a lot!
Well... you got the point, of course. The sincere answer to your key question is: It's difficult to tell! - and I easily assume it's the same double
feeling that guitarists may tend to have facing the oud, or even lute or mandolin, in fact.
My fond appreciation of the oud comes the sheer fascination of its acoustic, resonating, far-flung sound and the fantastic mysteries of the natural
scale. In other words, it's a sound that, by any means, I would never be able to attain, were I to play it for a hundred lives - so I should
just be happy by consuming Simon Shaheen's Al Qantara records
Also, while I can recognize a good instrument by its craft and lutherie, and while I grasp the tone and feeling of an acoustic or classical guitar,
the subtleties of sound from diverse ouds are still beyond my ear's capabilities - and possibly always will, simply because my training is not
adequate.
Having said that, there is something magical resonating in me when antique instruments reach my ear. Out of a joke, I like to pretend that I must have
been a musical "counselor" in Marco Polo's expedition toward the Far East But in
that imaginary (...? ) life I never really reached Catai - rather, I stopped
en-route somewhere between Thessaloniki and Ninive, maybe in Persia, and fell in love with everything through the Near-to-Middle East. Marco Polo must
have done without me - sorry, Marco!
So, in practical terms, the oud would fulfill the various Mediterranean flavors that more and more make up the music I play - and that spring up here
and there in my arrangements. I doubt I would embark into full learning of the traditional (immense) literature that exists out there for the oud -
for lack of time, to begin with. I bought and approached my Neapolitan mandocello, which is wonderful, with the same intention, after all, and it's no
surprise. Still, this mandocello is a full-fledged, traditional instrument and, while I might never be able to fully exploit it, its sound pattern and
complexities are truly magical and I am only too aware that a flat mandocello, like the old ones that Gibson used to produce a century ago, may sound
markedly different. Also, the "feeling" of its pronounced shape requires an insight and, if I amy say, a "third eye" that a flatbkack instrument would simpòy not require - the "non-trivial impact on
technique" you aptly mention...
So, while I write I more and more realize the obvious: there is no such thing as a free lunch - or an easy, all-purpose oud, for that matter Maybe, my search for a "practical" oud is just wrong and, like so many others (and
every one on this forum ), I have to acceot a sort of musical challenge and
exploration. Of course, I need to be realistic and my very informative dialogues with Mr. Turunz, Mr. Moussa, and Mr. Palabiyik highlighted this
"challenge".
We'll see what turns out. For the timne being, thank you very much for your spot-on questions, Brian - as you can see, they supurred quite an
anthology
Umberto
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majnuunNavid
Oud Junkie
Posts: 622
Registered: 7-22-2013
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Mood: Dude, where's my Oud?
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I understand your plight.
The Oud world is a mishmash of tastes and types. Hardly is one Oud satisfying to another.
There are those that like certain Ouds made by famous builders but their volume is low, but their tone is pleasing.
Then there is me that requires a loud Oud to stand up to Persian Tar, Kamanche and Santour. But perhaps it lacks character.
Unfortunately, my search is far from over, and yours will likely be quite long too.
Enjoy the journey, and experiment.
Each Oud is different even made by the same maker.
But whatever you do, do not compromise.
If you must, buy and sell, buy and sell... until you find her.
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umbolino
Oud Admirer
Posts: 3
Registered: 1-25-2019
Location: Rome, Italy
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Ah, Navid, you're so much right...! (and, by the way, thank you for the great effort you put into oudforguitarists.com!)
There's one trait that seems to be common to the quest for any other musical instrument that one desires so much - adventure.
Like with highly customized instruments, somehow non-standard, and invariably built "somewhere else", and with a craft that may well depart from that
applied to, say, an ordinary acoustic guitar, the search for the "right" oud (if ever is it going to exist ) holds a wonderful, elusive pull due in part (or all..) to its ineffable world behind. Which, in fact, is the real
flavour that reveals the sound ringing somewhere within us - unbeknownst to us in the first place
The search for something pretty much invisible, drawing from a millenary culture, that has to be purchased from possibly the other side of the world,
requires a degree of abstraction that is precursory to discovery. Accepting the unknown - and taking it for granted: quite an adventure indeed.
I promise, Navid: I won't compromise. I don't yet know how this nice story is going to end but certainly, it is already a very interesting one. I'll
keep you posted - and maybe write a booklet about it
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