ancientwell - 9-10-2014 at 04:19 AM
I've just registered and thought I'd introduce myself.
I bought my first oud as a birthday present to myself last month and started this week working in the exercises in Marina Toshich's book and reading
David Muallem's book on maqam.
I found this forum mentioned in Toshich's oud book and I was glad to know there's an online oud community.
Gocauo - 9-10-2014 at 07:18 AM
Welcome!
I am new here myself and am still reading and absorbing everything before I actually buy an oud.
If I may ask, where did you get your oud?
SamirCanada - 9-10-2014 at 09:27 AM
Welcome to the forums, have you guys seen this page. http://www.mikeouds.com/learn.php
Some very good information there for free.
the best thing to do is to spend a few weeks reading through the forum and absorbing some knowledge. you will learn what is a good oud and the
recomended makers.
ancientwell - 9-10-2014 at 12:47 PM
To fill in my resumé a bit...
I have a BFA in music from the California Institute of the Arts. I also spent some of my time as an undergrad at UCLA taking courses in
ethnomusicology. My main instrument at CalArts was the harp.
I decided, however, that I wasn't cut out to be a professional musician so I worked at other things, eventually becoming an IT hardware and networking
specialist for a major multinational corporation.
I recently started giving my daughter beginning harp lessons, which sparked a renewed interest in playing music. I wanted to try something that would
be new for me and I wanted an instrument that I could carry about more easily than a concert harp. I'd been curious about Arabic music theory for a
long time and loved the sound of the oud.
My oud is an Egyptian import from a Cairo-based company called Bavly Music. I got it through a Mid-East, stateside importer in Florida after trying a
similar model in a local luthier's shop near where I live.
One thing I can tell you about buying an imported oud is that you should order two sets of strings because you'll probably want to replace the
original set as soon as you get it. The maker's label on my oud shows that is was built almost a year before I bought it and the nylon strings had
deteriorated while it was sitting in storage. Old nylon strings sound "sour" and clangy. We harp players call the sound "false." No matter what you do
they never sound "in tune." I replaced the old originals with a set of La Bella strings and it sounds like an entirely different instrument...clear,
smooth highs, even played forte, and a warm middle register.