Hi,
I found that working the right hand technique is one of the trickiest thing on the oud. I saw many videos, I found that many different right hands
technique are used.
In my case I found that plucking the strings with a strict parallel risha attack give the best results in term of sound. Do you share the same
experience with your oud ?Dr. Oud - 2-17-2016 at 08:54 AM
parallel with what? Take care to pluck parallel with the face as much as possible so you don't hit the face. You'll hear a snapping sound if you do.
The best sound is found where you pluck more than how.Brian Prunka - 2-17-2016 at 09:54 AM
There are three planes with respect to the oud face. I don't find that being parallel with any of them produces the best sound.
It's really impossible to tell what you mean from your statement. It's not clear:
1- what is parallel (the hand, the risha, the motion)
2- what it's parallel to (the face, the string, the bridge, the floor)
The plucking motion is very complex and involves several parts:
-the angle of the risha in the hand
-how much risha is sticking out
-the angle of the risha to the strings
-the angle of the risha to the face
-the angle of the hand to the strings
-the angle of the hand to the face
-the motion of the forearm
-the motion of the wrist
-the motion of the thumb
-the motion of the index finger
-the starting point of the motion (preparation)
-the stopping point of the motion (follow-through)
-the shape of the motion (circle, ellipse, arc, line, figure-8)
-the tension in all parts of the hand and arm
-the weight of the arm
I strongly disagree with Richard that the best sound is determined by where you pluck more than how. After a couple of decades of careful observation
and experimentation, I'm pretty confident that the difference between good sound and poor sound is not simply or even primarily a matter of
location.
For instance, I've found that hitting the face is largely a matter of incorrect follow-through on the stroke—the end point is in the wrong place
which means the apex of the arc of motion exceeds the distance necessary to hit the string, hitting the face instead.
What I would suggest when observing is not just points of difference, but points of commonality.
Put another way, points of difference (assuming the person has technique you would like to emulate) are noise, points of commonality are signal. If
an aspect of technique varies, then it is most likely to be irrelevant. If an aspect of technique is consistent, then it is certain to be important.
It's natural to notice differences, but that's not where the information is.juju - 2-18-2016 at 06:00 AM
You'are right the motion is quite complex, I should have given more precisions.
If you consider the part of the risha that sticks out. This part could be included in a plane. When I pluck the strings this plane is parallel to my
strings. .
If you consider the soundhole as a disk, I hit the strings above the limit of this disk.
NB : I never hit hit my soundboards !!! I only own one oud, I'd like to keep it alive !!! Brian Prunka - 2-18-2016 at 06:33 AM
I'm not sure what you mean by:
"If you consider the soundhole as a disk, I hit the strings above the limit of this disk."
My hand is in a plane parallel to the soundboard, so consequently it's impossible to have the risha parallel to the strings. My risha sticks out at
an angle. For it to be plane with the strings, I would have to rotate my hand into a strange position, it would no longer be parallel to the
soundboard.
I don't find that a playing parallel to the strings produces a good sound myself. I tried it that way when I started playing oud, but I started
getting a better sound after my teachers showed me to hold the risha at a slight angle.Omar Al-Mufti - 2-18-2016 at 08:00 AM
Since hitting the soundboard (or pick guard) was mentioned here, and also after observing many great oud players (especially Arabs, like Simon Shaheen
for instance) I don't find it very odd to hit the oud with the reesha, not in an exaggerated way of course.
For me, together with the picking sound horn reeshas produce, it could add some old Arabic tarabi flavour. Dr. Oud - 2-19-2016 at 09:23 AM
... The best sound is found where you pluck more than how.
To clarify, in my experience the tone quality changes depending on where you pluck: closer to the bridge produces a short duration, hard tone; near
the shams (sound hole) sounds more mellow with longer sustain. I think this is due to the dynamics of the waveform of the string as it vibrates.
Volume is determined by how hard you pluck, and how tight you hold the risha. Many of the other criteria depend on the size of the oud and the size of
the player. If you look at all the great players throughout history, you'll see many different techniques. I say find a comfortable hand/arm position
and search for the tone you like along the axis of the strings. If you force your hand into an uncomfortable position your technique will suffer. Your
risha hand must be as relaxed as possible to achieve the speed for trills and nuances of tone.Humam - 2-20-2016 at 07:35 PM
I agree with juju. I'm having the same problem, and the more I research online the more confusing it gets. I know it's important to stay a way from
the face of the oud, and the risha angle should be around 45 degree to get to both strings in the same time. However, I could not find a generic rule
of thumb. I think Richard concept makes total sense, the best approach is to find a comfortable hand position and work on improving the sound
overtime.
