Mike's Oud Forums

Strings for FADGCf on Turkish oud

Rafalcao - 12-22-2013 at 09:54 PM

Hello everyone,

I'd like to know which strings to use on a Turkish oud, for Arabic tuning FADGCf. I don't want to damage the instrument, nor end up with too loose strings.

I found two fairly old threads (1 & 2) discussing the matter but with no actual conclusion. Does anybody have an answer?

Thank you!

Microber - 12-23-2013 at 04:15 AM

Hello Rafalcao,
Welcome to the forum.
For a Turkish oud I once used a set of Pyramid strings for lute made by Matthias Wagner.
Like this one..

The set I had was slightly different.
ff - PYNR0500
cc - PYNR0650
gg - PYNR0850
DD - PYK10095
AA - PYK1016
F - PYK1024

Robert

Lysander - 12-23-2013 at 04:23 AM

Do you know what the original tuning of the instrument was?

Matthias - 12-23-2013 at 08:26 AM

Hello Robert and Rafalco,

yes this set is good, but a little bit different to the values you gave Robert. The actual list will be a quite equal tension. The following strings will have too low tension:

cc - PYNR0650
gg - PYNR0850
AA - PYK1016
F - PYK1024

The ones it my set are optimum I would say.

It any question remains, please contact me directly through the shop. The strings I do have on stock.

Best regards
Matthias
Quote: Originally posted by Microber  
Hello Rafalcao,
Welcome to the forum.
For a Turkish oud I once used a set of Pyramid strings for lute made by Matthias Wagner.
Like this one..

The set I had was slightly different.
ff - PYNR0500
cc - PYNR0650
gg - PYNR0850
DD - PYK10095
AA - PYK1016
F - PYK1024

Robert

Microber - 12-24-2013 at 03:41 AM

Yes Matthias, I know these are two different sets.
The one I described is the one I ordered to you and I did ask a very low tension.
The "P21" in your web shop is also quite low tension (34N).
http://music-strings.de/index.php?a=10791&lang=eng

Robert

Matthias - 12-24-2013 at 07:57 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Microber  
Yes Matthias, I know these are two different sets.
The one I described is the one I ordered to you and I did ask a very low tension.
The "P21" in your web shop is also quite low tension (34N).
http://music-strings.de/index.php?a=10791&lang=eng

Robert


Hello Robert,
yes it is a low tension, I would say a minimum tension for an aoud. But for me alwyas is important that the tensions of each string are more equal to each other to have nearly the same string response when you play.
What do you think about that?

All the best

Matthias

Brian Prunka - 12-24-2013 at 08:42 AM

Mimmo Peruffo has written extensively about the reasons why equal tension across all strings is not necessarily a desirable goal.

Some things to consider:

Timbre is important, more so than tension.
Different strings are different materials, and exhibit different tonal properties
Even the same material exhibits different tonal properties at different diameters (e.g., thick nylon sounds different than thin nylon)
Perceived tension is not the same as measured or calculated tension
High frequencies and low frequencies propagate differently and exhibit different energy profiles

Regarding Robert's set, I would make the following changes based on my experience:
f' .500mm - this is fine
c' .650mm - this is fine
g .850mm - I would go no higher than .825. Personally I would use .800mm.
d 10095 - this is fine
A 1016 - this is too low, I would use 1116 or maybe even 1017
F 1024 - this is fine.

I consider "minimum" tension for an oud to be around 28N, but it differs for different courses. 34N is medium-low tension, in my opinion. Ouds tolerate low tensions very well, it is part of the characteristic sound of the instrument, so generally if there is some uncertainty I consider it best to err on the side of lower tensions.

The LaBella OU80A should actually work fine on a Turkish oud. Maybe not as perfect as a custom-assembled set, but the tensions are within normal limits for the instrument. The high f' course is a bit high in tension, a .021in or .020in string would be better. Still, buying an OU80A set and replacing the high f' will be much less expensive than a set from Pyramid.

Brian Prunka - 12-24-2013 at 08:45 AM

Here is Mimmo's treatise:

Equal Tension

Rafalcao - 12-25-2013 at 10:58 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Brian Prunka  

The LaBella OU80A should actually work fine on a Turkish oud. Maybe not as perfect as a custom-assembled set, but the tensions are within normal limits for the instrument. The high f' course is a bit high in tension, a .021in or .020in string would be better. Still, buying an OU80A set and replacing the high f' will be much less expensive than a set from Pyramid.

I'll give it a go then. I'm a beginner and my oud isn't a professional instrument. I just need something decent to get started without worrying about changing strings every day.

Thanks to all of you for the useful information!