elrabee3 - 10-6-2003 at 08:09 AM
hi everybody,
i am making this thread about the ouds with 6 strings.
1.which string is the extra in the 6 stings (the top one or the buttom one) ?
2. who added the 6th string to the oud ? and when ?
3. anyone of u guys used (or still using) the 6th string ?
4 what it is the main differnt between the 5 and 6 stings ouds ??
which one is more diffecult to play (i heard abadi said the oud with 5 strings is more difecult to the ouds players, it is easier for the oud player
to play with 6 strings than 5 strings, and thats why he is using ouds with 5 strings, like Farido).
more quistuions later .
mavrothis - 10-6-2003 at 02:40 PM
Ok, here goes man...
1. & 2. First, realize that in the old days, the oud had the 'bam' string, the bass string, under the most treble strings, not where it
is today. That is why Munir Bachir put it there on his ouds, to be more authentic. But the old (i'm talking OLD) version had only 4 double
strings and one single. Then over time the fifth double was added (often you'd see a single string hole in the bridge under the treble string
even if it wasn't used).
In Constantinople (Istanbul) at the turn of the 20th cent., Manolis Venios (Monol) redesigned the Arabic ud to the Turkish ud. He made the body
smaller, added the 6th string to the position it has today, and made other changes too. That's what I know about that.
(3. I use only 6 string uds)
4. The main difference is you have more range, you can play more notes. Also it's nice to have that extra bam string as a drone string, to play
octaves and stuff.
5. I don't want to sound mean, but what Abadi said doesn't make any sense to me. If you want the 6 string, for the extra range, use it.
If you're happy with the 5 string, use that one. Or have one of each and experiment. How is having more strings easier or harder?
Let me know what you think about that man.
Tuning
spyros mesogeia - 10-7-2003 at 12:24 AM
well,I had a 5 string oud for 2 months,and I can say that I wasn't that much pleased,as with one with 6 strings[11].....
I prefer the six strings ouds,I believe that they have the equilibration that I need,on my syrian type oud I use tuning C,G,D,A,E,D and on my turkish
type I use the same tuning but with a tone higher, D,A,E,B,F#,E, and its a paradise for me....
Try and the 6 strings ouds,I prefer them most of all.....
Regards
Mike - 10-7-2003 at 05:53 AM
Hey guys,
There is also the possibility to use a treble set of sixth strings that are usually tuned to fa (f). Many oud players shun this, because they
encourage getting these notes from the do (c) string. I like having the single drone bass string for my sixth. About Abadi's comments, I think
what he means is what was mentioned above. I have a feeling he is referring to the sixth course of treble strings. More strings just makes getting
those higher notes a little easier. So I can understand his point.
Mike
mavrothis - 10-7-2003 at 10:07 AM
i see, my mistake. i assumed Abadi was talking about a drone string.
sorry for the confusion.
mav
elrabee3 - 10-8-2003 at 06:36 AM
thanks guy, and yes, mike, thats what i wanted to say.
so, the 6th string came from the turkish ouds.
i want to add more thing, mavrothis u mentined that the OLD ouds have 4 double strings and 1 singls string, sometimes i see people still use these
kinds of ouds, so are the oud makers still mae these ouds ?
another thing, is it possible to put the extra string to any oud, or there is somthing to be done to the oud constructure (from my basic knowlege, i
heard that any changes done on the oud after building it, could affect on the sound).
mavrothis - 10-8-2003 at 09:56 AM
That's cool that people still use them. That proves you can use any kind of ud you want, as long as you like it.
I've seen uds where they've added strings, but you should check with an oud maker and see what they tell you. Tension and spacing are the
biggest things to think about when considering adding strings i think.