Ambient Oud - About the Oud, Artists, Tunings, History

The oud or 'ud is a small, pear-shaped, stringed musical instrument, that is still in use in many Arab and Turkish musical traditions. Regarded as a precursor to the European lute, its name is derived from the Arabic word al-'ud, meaning "the wood". It is a short-necked, fretless instrument, that is unmatched in tone and sound. The construction of the oud builds upon a staved, vaulted back with a body made of strips of hardwood, such as rosewood, walnut, maple or mahogany (usually, in two contrasting colors). The peghead angles sharply back from the plane of the neck and has friction tuners. It's face is fit with a thin sheet of wood (soundboard), that has at least three soundholes, al-qamaria, and a fixed bridge, al ghazala, where the strings are attached and tied. There are eleven strings, arranged in five double courses, with a single bass string. The instrument is tuned to a Turkish (E, A, B, E, A, D) or Arabic (D, G, A, D, G, C) variant (or preferred tuning). Depending on the country of origin, the instrument, will vary in size, sound and ornamentation. Arabic ouds are somewhat larger, have a longer neck, and are characterized by a darker, deeper tone. Turkish-style ouds are smaller, have a brighter sound and are less ornamental than their Arabic counterparts. Traditionally, the strings were plucked with an eagle quill known as a mizrap or risha, today, a plastic plectrum is the standard preference. The oud plays an integral role in Middle Eastern music; it's fretless fingerboard allows players to beautifully express the untempered intervals that are common to the Arabic system of maqams (scales).

For more information on the oud's history, technique

or maqams, please visit the

oud links.