Joe_080 - 2-2-2013 at 03:03 AM
Hi all,
I have a turkish oud, but I am not tuning with Turkish tuning. The strings I use are for standard Arabic tuning, e.g., from low to high: cfadgc. The
oud sounds very soft, and really does not carry in performance. Do you think this is because I am not using turkish strings and tuning? Or is it just
the nature of the smaller body on the instrument than some larger ouds? Is there a solution, e.g., specific strings that will be fuller, etc.?
Joe
paulO - 2-2-2013 at 05:53 AM
Hi Joe,
I've only heard a couple of turkish ouds that sound good tuned to both Arabic and Turkish tuning - both of them are on the larger side.
You're correct, you'll need to experiment with strings to get more out of the instrument. I'd contact Brian at http://www.oudstrings.com and see what he suggests.
You could try some PVF trebles for the high g and c - this might get a little more oomh out of the top end. I have a turkish oud that was made to be
tuned (EABead), that's tuned down to (DGAdgc) and it sounds acceptable - but nowhere near as good as when it's tuned up to where it was intended. If
you're going to be playing mainly in Arabic tuning, you might want to keep an ear out for another oud. Good luck.
Regards...paul