Mike's Oud Forums

Retunable electric ouds

Jack_Campin - 5-19-2019 at 06:37 AM

You don't have a soundboard to break on an electric oud.

Does that make it possible to retune between Turkish and Arabic pitch level without changing strings?

Jaffa Road - 5-19-2019 at 07:29 AM

No problem for me on my godin multi-oud

Brian Prunka - 5-19-2019 at 08:50 AM

From a safety level, yes, it's possible. There is a theoretical issue that you could put stress on the neck from too much tension, but I think this is unlikely to be a problem.

However, there is a huge difference in tension when changing tuning by a step. So there is no way to have optimal response in two different tunings. Either one tension will be quite stiff or the other will be floppy. You may be able to get acceptable results though; just not ideal.

Matthias - 5-19-2019 at 10:53 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Jack_Campin  
Does that make it possible to retune between Turkish and Arabic pitch level without changing strings?


It's only a matter of the strings. And it's depending which kind / brand of strings you have applied, as some strings are not far away from their breaking point and if you exceed the tension, they may brake. Godin for example works as far as I know with a tension of 5-6 Kg per string, which is already high, very high for a principally fixed bridge.
I created some sets for the godin aoud, which I would say are practically for all electric aouds. In that sets I use the tension which is necessary for a floating bridge aoud.

More of my ideas about stringing an aoud see here.

If you change the tuning for example from arabic to turkish tuning you raise the tension of each string by more than .5 Kg. This may be too much on one side for the strings and also makes the instrument more hard to play for you.

Best regards
Matthias

Jack_Campin - 5-20-2019 at 12:09 AM

I was thinking you'd use strings optimized for midway between Turkish and Arabic pitch (this level would be useful in itself if you wanted to play Indian music). Then you'd only be taking them a semitone away from that in either direction.

sylvainbd - 5-20-2019 at 07:46 AM

Cheapest way : use an arabic oud with small "capodastre" to adjust tuning to turkish tuning. But the neck finger zone will be small ...

Brian Prunka - 5-20-2019 at 10:14 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Jack_Campin  
I was thinking you'd use strings optimized for midway between Turkish and Arabic pitch (this level would be useful in itself if you wanted to play Indian music). Then you'd only be taking them a semitone away from that in either direction.


Yes, exactly, though even a semitone is quite a lot of difference, especially across an entire oud. You will still not have optimized either tuning but this would work the best if you were using both tunings a lot.

Jody Stecher - 5-20-2019 at 02:54 PM

Quote: Originally posted by sylud  
Cheapest way : use an arabic oud with small "capodastre" to adjust tuning to turkish tuning. But the neck finger zone will be small ...


In the absence of frets the sound of the open strings is likely to be muffled and rubbery sounding. A veritable capo disastre.

sylvainbd - 5-21-2019 at 07:01 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Jody Stecher  
Quote: Originally posted by sylud  
Cheapest way : use an arabic oud with small "capodastre" to adjust tuning to turkish tuning. But the neck finger zone will be small ...


In the absence of frets the sound of the open strings is likely to be muffled and rubbery sounding. A veritable capo disastre.


Maybe you don't use the good model. Purchase this one and cut it to adjust rhe length. It works perfectly without changing sound.
https://images.app.goo.gl/d2qKMpQsiwLeWfwF8

Jody Stecher - 5-21-2019 at 07:52 AM

Yes I know this excellent capo. Note however that the photo at the link is for a capodastre for a radiused fingerboard. I don't think that will work well with a flat fingerboard. But it's besides the point. I was just making a silly pun. Un jeu de mots. Nothing serious.