What Is Oud Instrument? How to Play Oud?

What is Oud instrument?

The oud, which is a fretless instrument, is included in the strings and plectrum categories. It is one of the most central instruments in Arabic music. Any of the ancient cultures that lived across the Mediterranean and the Middle East used the Arabic oud in their music for centuries. Nowadays, despite the fact that the Arabic oud is an ancient instrument identified mostly with Middle Eastern music, many modern musicians also integrate it into their work. Although it is not easy to play the Arabic oud, you can easily master it with a lot of practice.

Also, Turkish oud has a very important place among oud instruments.

How to Play Oud Instrument?

The first thing that you need to do is pick up the oud instrument to understand how it feels. Then, it is necessary to tune the oud, as in almost every musical instrument. After taking the right posture, whichever string you pluck while playing the oud, you have to pluck that string with the risha you hold in your right hand. There are many famous Arabic oud players you have to listen to their works.

3 Oud Players in World

Naseer Shamma

Naseer Shamma is an Iraqi oud player and composer who is regarded as one of the best oud masters in Arabic music. He was inspired by one of the predecessors of oud music, Al-Farabi, who lived in the 9th century and produced an oud with eight strings using an ancient manuscript.

Farid El-Atrache

Farid El-Atrache was a Syrian-Egyptian composer, singer, and oud player.

He is recognized as the "King of the Oud" and is one of the most influential figures of Arab music in the twentieth century.

Yurdal Tokcan

Yurdal Tokcan, one of the most prominent oud players of today, developed his own unique technique by combining the traditional performance of the oud instrument with today's sounds.

Oud History

Oud instrument’s history dates back to Sassanid Era of Iran (224-651) in Middle East. Instruments that considered as earliest form of oud instrument have been seen in frescos, cylinder seals and statues dates as old as 3000 B.C. There are lots of myths about invention of oud instrument. One of them is that it is invented by Lamak, a direct ancestor of Adam.

How To Change Oud Strings

Changing oud strings seems hard to do at first. Here is a step-by-step guide to change oud strings. If you’re doing this the first time or have doubts about the process, please consult with your music store.

1. Firstly, take off the strings you need to change by unwinding the pegs all the way and untie the loop on the bridge.

2. To tie the new oud string, place one end of the string into the hole on the bridge. Make a knot with 2 to 4 loops, then pull it tightly and check if it holds.

3. Tie the other end of the string to the corresponding peg and cut off the extra part of the string. It is important not to cut it too short.

4. Wrap it around the peg by twisting the peg. This process needs to be done gently so the string won’t snap.

5. After fixing all the oud strings you’ll need to retune your oud.

The Structure of Oud

The oud instrument is a wooden fretless string instrument with a short neck, played with a plectrum (risha or mızrap). It usually has 10 to 13 strings in 6 courses. The oud instrument has a very unique sound that produced by its pear-shaped body vibrating when the strings are strummed. There are many different types of oud instruments in size and design. They also vary by country.