The oud is a stringed instrument. The origin of the word comes from the Arabic word "al-oud," which means aloe or gall tree. Oud is one of the musical instruments with an older history corresponded to other stringed instruments. Playing the oud is a complex craft. So, Professional ouds selection is significant.
Although it has a unique sound, it has a fuller and thicker sound reached to other stringed instruments. The oud is used in entertainment music and was also frequently used in entertainments held in the palace during the old palace periods. Meanwhile, listening to the oud is quite enjoyable for most people. Professional oud categories and the best professional oud materials are topics of interest. Please continue reading our article for more detailed information on the subject.
Categories of Professional Ouds
There are many types of professional ouds. The most well-known of these are as follows:
- Persian oud
- Iraqi oud
- Syrian oud
- Egyptian oud
- Armenian oud
- Turkish oud
What is the best material for professional oud?
As in many handicrafts, great mastery is required in making ouds. In addition to knowledge, the materials used in the oud must be of high quality. The raw material of the professional oud is wood, as in most instruments. An average of eight types of wood are used even in the most uncomplicated oud making process. Even those of the same species among these trees have different characteristics.
In this regard, it is significant that we know how to intervene in which tree and what kind of effects that tree can have on the sound of the oud. Some of the primary trees used in making oud are as follows:
- Walnut
- Mahogany
- Linden Plum
- Apricot
- Cherry
- Rose
- Maple
In addition to these trees, imported trees are also used. The most well-known of them are; tropical vehicles such as vengi, megase, and rosewood.
Where to buy professional ouds
If you want to buy a professional oud, you can examine our oud varieties in each category and choose the most suitable one for you. As Sultan Instrument, we aim to offer the best instruments worldwide while reducing costs and hassles for our valued customers. All the products you buy from our site are made and sold by us and are protected by the Sultan Instrument seal.
We strive to provide our customers with a great experience, from purchase to delivery. From the moment you choose your oud and other instrument or accessories you want to buy, you can see the Sultan Instrument difference.
Check the quality of the oud string
Every professional oud must have some features to obtain a solid and correct sound. One of these features is the quality of the oud strings. Otherwise, it is impossible to play quality music, and it will produce wrong sounds.
Ease of tuning is significant for beginner learners. Some pegs are difficult to turn in the slot even if by hand strength it seems it is not. When it is rotated it plays sounds differently. However, the rotating peg may only stay fixed at a different point.
Sometimes, although the tuning is done, with the counter force of the string, after a short time, the peg slips, and the string loosens. In an oud where the peg works well, the pegs should turn and remain constant when the pressure is slightly increased and released when approaching the desired point.
In addition, when the fingers of the left hand press the strings, a clear sound is produced. Suppose the packed place is in the hole due to the deformation in the handle. So, the vibrating part of the wire touches the high points, and a deficient sound is produced. Sometimes, the swelling of the chest board causes the same result.
The strings may form pits in the neck in used ouds with heavily pressed frets. However, when these sounds are pressed, the vibrating string on the forward side of the handle creates value and sizzles.
Evaluate the appearance according to your choice and the sound quality according to your purchasing power from the features. However, you can only decide after thoroughly checking the features of direct playing or having it done by an expert. For a beginner, we recommend taking the time factor into account.
Why is it essential to have a professional oud
Although it is believed that playing the oud is complex and challenging, it is easy indeed. In just a few days, anyone can play a song or two.
Playing the oud is one of the most fun activities. With practice, anyone interested can acquire abilities. Therefore, it is significant to have a professional oud while playing the oud.
While playing a professional oud, you can get a clean sound by pressing the strings with your fingers. This pressure should be one that does not tire you much. So, you will push hard, but your fingers will not hurt. The wires should be close to the keyboard, which we call keys. For this, it is significant to choose a suitable oud for yourself.
The closer the strings are to the keyboard, the more likely it is to sizzle. Craftsmanship is significant here. Making the strings high prevents the oud from sounding bad, but in a professional oud made in forms, both lines are close to each other, and you will get a clean sound.
To play a professional oud, you must start with tuning, as with almost any musical instrument. The tuner and dowels on the oud instruments are used for the tuning process. We need to use the upper strings to tune the right strings, and the lower strings to adjust the left strings.
An essential detail you need to pay attention to when using a pick is to keep it parallel to the strings. In addition, while playing the oud, you should direct your wrist with up and down movements. These wrist movements that you will do while playing the oud are significant. The activities you will find difficult at first will turn into graceful movements that you will get used to and keep under control over time.
As Sultan Instrument, we have discussed what you need to know about the professional oud in this article. Our goal is to reduce costs and hassles for our valued customers and to present the best instruments worldwide. You can visit our website for detailed information about our products.
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