My first oud (pics)

Hi there,

although I registered here about a year ago, I haven't contributed much yet.... but lurked and learned a lot in the past year. This is really a great community, and I hope I'll be able to contribute more now that I finally am a playing member.

Anyway.... after a full year of hesitations, I finally bought my first oud during my latest trip to the Middle East. It is a relatively cheap student instrument (Turkish oud) that I bought from a shop in Abu Dhabi (Dandana music, if I'm not mistaken). I had the original nut changed to a (5-courses + 1 bass) nut and it's now ready to go.

I've been playing guitar for 20 years and was surprised to see how quickly I felt at home with the oud. I can't put it down anymore and my guitars are now collecting dust.

Here are some pictures:




I have no idea who built it, but it looks very similar to some of the ouds shown on Haluk Sazevi's website. I also have no idea of the woods used for the bowl... any idea?

Now I need to work on my maqamats, try to master the upstroke (which I find surprisingly difficult -I'm used to very thick picks and single strings-)... and start looking for the next one.

Not that I am unhappy with this one, but you certainly know what I mean...

Cheers,

Pascal.

welcome Pascal.
nice to have you with us.

Thank you Samir for your kind words.

Although I'm afraid it'll take some time before I have as much to contribute as you do...
I have to say I have been really impressed by most of the clips and videos posted by the members. Including yours, of course. Many great players here...

Myself, I'm just beginning my journey in the world of the oud... but I'm loving it so far.




*goes back to his oud, tries to hold his risha correctly*

Hi Pascal,

Welcome on Board the oud jerney. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask, any time.

If you are looking for oud, i recommad Mr. Haluk ouds for beginers level. Nice sound and easy to play. And he is a member on this forum. here is his web:

http://www.eraydinsazevi.com.tr/

cheers

yes, welcome to the forum Pascal! I also came from a guitar playing background, but when the oud came into my life she is now taking up more time than the guitar, so I know what you mean. I'd like to repeat what Mike said to me when I got my first oud ( also Turkish, by Haluk Eraydin, a top-notch oud to get started with) - "Welcome to the world of oud. No turning back now bud. "...You'll find this website and forum very helpful; plenty of experienced players to offer good advice and provide that inspiration on your oud journey, and no matter what level you play at you are made to feel 100% welcome. The greater community of Mike'sOuds have become like my extended family!

Thanks guys.

And I hear you about the Haluk recommendation. As I said, I've been lurking here for some time now, and read many praises about his work, seen his website, etc... and I was actually wondering if my oud could not be one of his: see the similarities between mine and this one, posted on his website (bridge, rosettes, pegbox, 'pickguard'...).



Hopefully he'll pop in and tell me what he thinks.

Anyway, whether this oud is by Haluk or not, it was a cool experience and a good introduction to ouds to be able to actually play and compare several instruments within the same price range (construction, playability, tone) and finally pick up the one for me. This one stays in tune well, plays well, doesn't buzz, looks great, and would probably sound good in anybody else's hands! So it does its job perfectly.

Hopefully my next instrument will be a direct order to a respected builder like Halu, Faruk Turunz, Maurice Shehata, etc.... But I'm not there yet.

The forum is already a great ressource for me. I'm still working on how to hold my risha (damn upstrokes!), and getting used to the fretboard. Next, I'll move onto the maqams....
The more I read, the more I realise I have a lot to learn. And it's very exciting. All my CDs of oud and oriental music are out of their boxes again!

Cheers