Yemeni oud players' habits
Hello oudists,
with this thread I just want to bring about a topic which is quite interesting to me: I have seen many Yemeni oud players in the London community who
use the High Arabic tuning with the single bass string (tuned D, E, F or G), having removed the other one for a speedier tuning . Nothing strange
here.
But at a closer inspection, also one of the two high f strings has been removed, thus playing with the single high f string.
After breaking an high f, I decided to experiment, and the result has been amazing. My oud has an action a bit on the high side, so playing the high
ff was always a bit onerous. But with just the single f string it becomes much easier to play and I can go far down the neck if the mood takes me.
I decided also to remove one of the bass strings (previously I played with two), and with the two strings (high f and 1 bass string) removed, the
quality of the sound improved dramatically, giving it a lot more resonance, reverb and volume.
So, my 12-string oud now is tuned to a single F (or G or D or E), AA (or BbBb or CC), DD, gg, cc, and a sinle high f . The two strings at each end of
the course were originally placed in the holes further away from the rest of the courses.
The problem with the high f being in such a place is that it tends sometime to slip off the fingerboard in a downward fashion while playing.
So I decided to experiment a bit more and swap the string placements, putting them in the holes closest to the rest of the courses, thus being closer
together so that I could practice the "jumps" from low to high easier. But I noticed that the sound just wasn't the same.
I thought I might have had just a false impression, why on earth would the sound chance so much by just moving the strings 1 mm inside (or outside)?
So I spent the whole day trying out various combinations.
Eventually I had to conclude that, as much as I'd like to have the two single strings closer to the rest of the courses, they sound infinetly better
when they are placed in the holes at each end of the bridge.
Now, does anybody know the reason for this peculiar phenomenon? My knowledge of acoustics is quite rudimental, I was wondering if any of you out there
has experienced the same thing as me and/or can explain it to me, possibly in layman's terms...............I know that string tension is a decisive
factor in the sound quality of a delicate instrument like the oud, and that is why many players "lose" one or more strings, but what about string
placements? Especially is the placement is shifted just by a tiny distance like 1 mm?
Thanks in advance
Peace
Giorgio
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