The Oud

In Persian mythology, the invention of the "OUD" is traced to Lamak, a descendant of Biblical Cain. As the story goes, on the death of his son, Lamak hung the young manÐŽ¦s remains on a tree and the desiccated skeleton suggested the form of an oud. Throughout history, versions of the instrument have made their mark in various civilizations from Spain to China. The Oud first appears in Mesopotamia during the Kassite period (1600- 1150BC) with a small oval body. A larger variety, similar to the instruments present day dimensions, appears at Alaca Huyuk in Anatolia dating from the Hittite New Kingdom (1460-1190BC). Today, the Oud is known as ut or oud in Turkey, laouta in Greece, udi in Africa and barbat in Iran (El-Bacha, 2000).

The oud is one of the most popular instruments in Middle Eastern music. Its name derives from the Arabic for 'wood', and this refers to the strips of wood used to make its rounded body. The neck of the oud, which is short in comparison to the body, has no frets and this contributes to its unique sound. The most common string combination is five pairs of strings tuned in unison and a single bass string, although up to thirteen strings may be found. Strings are generally made of nylon or gut, and are plucked with a plectrum known as a risha or mizrap. Another distinctive feature of the oud is its head, with the tuning pegs bent back at an angle to the neck. According to Khalife, the oud used in the Arab world is slightly different to that found in Turkey, Armenia and Greece. Different tunings are used and the Turkish-style oud has a brighter tone than its Arab counterpart. The European lute is a descendant of the oud, from which it takes its name (al-oud).

The charm of the oud (fretless lute), especially as a solo instrument, has gained increasing recognition in the 20th century. It is indispensable to refer to the art of the taqsim in order to speak of the essence of the oud. The taqsim is an improvisation which presents various characteristics of the maqams (modes) of Arab music. It was originally an attempt to produce sound by an instrumentalist before playing a piece. In this attempt, he produced the typical melody types and feelings of the mode of the piece.

Today, the taqsim is an independent form of performance. It is performed without any accompaniment, or often accompanied by another instrument which produces a long duration of the tonic. It is also sometimes done with a rhythmic accompaniment.

Cairo knew its golden age of Arab music in the first half of the century.

For Egyptians, the oud has been the normative instrument which represents modes and melodies. The audiences admire mainly the musician's tarab (traditional sense of beauty), his profound understanding of the modes and lucidity of the musical language.

A oud taqsim is usually performed before songs or included in a musical suite, and its style is concise. The player acts "as if he sang," according to the Arab tradition in which the instrumental music was originally an imitation of the vocal music (Bulos, 1955).

The sound of the 'ud must be voluminous and constant, with its plectrum assuring as if in a rhymed verse. To show his knowledge of the modes, the musician repeats the smooth and skillful modulations.

In Baghdad, by contrast, a large number of 'ud players who studied under Sherif Muhieddine have appeared and have developed an original style for solo performances since the middle of the century. We today call this tradition "Iraqi Style."

Largely without an accompaniment, the musicians pursue sheer instrumental techniques. As a result their performances tend to be longer; they are faithful to the same mode for a long time and create a massive and meditative sound space. The dynamic range has been widely enlarged, the tuning heightened. Keen attention has been paid to establishing the status of oud as a solo recital instrument.

The oud consists of a large pear-shaped body (or soundbox) attached to a short neck. The front (or face) of the oud's body is flat and contains one or more sound holes, whereas the back is bowl-shaped and constructed from around twenty thin strips of wood known as 'ribs'. Strings are attached to a bridge on the face of the oud and pass over a nut at the other end of the instrument. Tuning is achieved by turning a series of pegs contained in a pegbox, which is set almost at a right angle to the neck of the oud. Notes are produced by stopping the strings at some point on the front of the neck - this area is also known as the fingerboard. The main parts of the oud are shown in the diagram

In ancient times the best instruments were made of mixture of beech, walnut, elm, and vine; the lighter the wood, the better the tone. Nowadays, the sound board is made of apricot wood, since this produces sweetness and warmth of tone, while the back is made of harder wood such as walnut or beech. Its soundbox is a little larger than that of the lute, about 37cm at its widest point. The oud is usually about 87cm long, and 20cm of which consist of the head with its tuning keys. (Bulos, 1971).

Although each player has their own preferences, a good example of how to hold the oud is shown in the diagram below. To ensure that the oud is at a comfortable height, many players use a footstool of the type used by classical guitarists, but you could simply cross one leg over the other. The face of the oud should be vertical and the strings/neck horizontal.

The strings of the oud were traditionally plucked using an eagle's feather, known in the Arab world as a risha (and in Turkey as a mizrap). However, eagle feathers are not readily available nowadays, so modern players have looked to other materials from which to fashion a pick. Many professional players use a risha made from horn (of a cow, for example), which is softened first by being soaked