Etman - 5-12-2016 at 01:06 AM
Which scale length is better for oud?
arev all strings length available ? Or which length is difficult to find ??
What is the difference in sound of each one of them ?!
Greg - 5-12-2016 at 01:28 AM
Hi Etman and welcome to the forums.
Your scale length question is a little like asking which duco colour is best for automobiles. There is no right answer to that question.
If you like the sound of Turkish oud, then most will be 58.5 cm. But if you prefer the sound of traditional Arabic ouds, then you should probably be
looking at 61.5cm. But you can also get Arabic ouds with shorter scale lengths that will sound very similar to the longer scale versions.
The short answer is that there are many factors influencing the sound of an oud (including the fingers of the person playing it). I do not believe
scale length is anywhere near as important as most of the other factors when assessing sound quality.
Rather than fixating on scale length, you would be well advised to listen to as many ouds and players as you can until you develop an ear for what you
want. Then try to find an oud by the same luthier and roughly of the same vintage and style as the one that most attracts you.
Greg
juju - 5-12-2016 at 03:59 AM
Not so easy to answer.
Today most arabic ouds have short scales length (58,5cm is very common). It 's a matter of playability.
I own a 61,5cm oud. I like the sound. In one hand I find it more difficult to play (large intervals), but in the other hand it's easier to get the
arabic intonation (quarter tones, etc...).
63cm is also common for older ouds (like Hamza's Nahat ?).
best.
Brian Prunka - 5-12-2016 at 08:26 AM
The differences in scale are not large enough to affect the string choice with respect to length of string in most cases. The only exception is a
scale that is both long (61cm+) and has a floating bridge (because the floating bridge requires longer strings).
I've come to the conclusion that 60-61cm is ideal for Arabic ouds if you are going to be tuning to concert pitch (i.e., the 'nawa' course is G). The
old ouds that were 62-63cm were generally tuned lower (nawa at F or F#).
I wouldn't personally use any oud for Arabic tuning that was less than 59cm.
The longer scale generally has more projection and a bit more clarity to the sound, all things being equal. The notes obviously are farther apart,
which makes some things easier and others more challenging (obviously also depending on what your hands are like).
The same set of strings will have more tension on a long oud, less on a short oud. You need to take this into account when purchasing strings and
trying to find the right set.
The commercially available sets for Arabic tuning are made assuming ~61cm scale. So they will be heavier on a long oud and lighter on a shorter oud.
Most commercially available sets are a bit higher in tension than is ideal, in my opinion, so going down to 60cm will give you a better tension. If
you have a very long or very short oud, you will almost certainly need to customize the strings you'll use for the oud.
Bear in mind that there are certain physical constraints in stringmaking that will affect the boundaries of tensions available for certain strings.
1- nylon sounds bright at thin diameters and dull at thick diameters. Regardless of tension, the diameter needs to be considered for timbral reasons.
If you have a short oud, it is very difficult to impossible to get a nylon third (d) course to sound very good because of the tradeoffs between
thickness and tension. Doubly so if you intend to tune down.
2- On the other hand, wound strings sound tinny when made thin, so there is a tradeoff in trying to reduce the tension of a wound string past a
certain point, it will begin to sound weak. They also become less durable and prone to breakage. So it is very difficult to get a good wound third
course on a long oud, because either the tension is high or the sound and string are weak. Pyramid somehow makes good-sounding (lute) third courses
that have low density yet last a long time. If you want a wound third on a long oud, you are going to want to pay the extra $ for Pyramid lute
strings.
The d course is the big challenge usually, and having a short or long oud limits your choices. This is one of the reasons why I think ~60.5cm is
good, because it's long enough to get a nice tension on the g and d courses with nylon, but short enough that you can use a variety of wound strings
for the d also. It's also short enough to use concert tuning easily, but long enough that you can tune down without problems. Kind of a 'Goldilocks'
length.
Floating bridge ouds have their own concerns, and it really depends on various factors: tuning, tension (typically higher), length. Most floating
bridge ouds are between 57-58.5 cm, which works well if you want a wound g course. Keeping the scale shorter helps with the issue that floating
bridges need longer strings—most strings are long enough for a short floating bridge or a long fixed bridge oud. The problem is when you have a
long scale and a floating bridge.
If you play Turkish oud, the scale is 58.5cm, that's it. Nothing to consider, really
Alfaraby - 5-13-2016 at 10:08 AM
Very enlightening Brian. Thank you
Yours indeed
Alfaraby
suz_i_dil - 5-13-2016 at 11:32 AM
very interesting feedback Brian !
Never thought about regarding the choices of strings, just focusing until now on my habits of playing
thanks
Etman - 5-13-2016 at 02:54 PM
Thanks a lot Greg & Juju.
I appreciate your extensive valuable review Brain !!
Etman