Mike's Oud Forums

Double Floating Bridge

Reda Aouad - 2-18-2009 at 10:06 AM

Does anyone know what is the advantage of double floating bridge ouds (and disadvantages)? Its like when there's the usual floating bridge and another smaller one behind it (below it if the oud was up straight) to the side of the bottom of the bowl..

Reda Aouad - 2-24-2009 at 04:32 AM

Here is a picture of a Fadi Matta oud with 2 bridges..
Can anyone explain please?

Thanks

hama - 2-24-2009 at 05:10 AM

Hi Reda
Is it possible to post a sound sample please? I havent seen or heard one before will be interesting
regards
Hama

katakofka - 2-24-2009 at 05:11 AM

hi Reda
This is to avoid the strings touching the soundboard

Reda Aouad - 2-24-2009 at 05:14 AM

But it definitely affects the transmission of waves through the soundboard.. Or does it?
And why is it the only oud I've seen so far with the second bridge? Why other floating bridge ouds don't have it?

Reda Aouad - 2-24-2009 at 05:15 AM

Besides.. there is some angle between the top of the bridge and the bottom of the bowl.. so the strings shouldn't touch the sounboard. Or am I wrong about it?

katakofka - 2-24-2009 at 05:21 AM

No, i don't think it affects the waves transmission. I have asked Fadi about that issue a while ago he said to avoid the strings touching the soundboard. In some ouds he add the second small bridge and in other he doesn't. In mine I don't have one

katakofka - 2-24-2009 at 05:27 AM

check the pictures in this link
http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=7649#pid569...
3 out of 4 ouds have no second bridge. The last one only has.

Reda Aouad - 2-24-2009 at 05:29 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hama
Hi Reda
Is it possible to post a sound sample please? I havent seen or heard one before will be interesting
regards
Hama


I'm sorry it's not my oud and I don't have a Fadi Matta yet.. but I can tell you it has been built nearly 7-8 years ago and has matured well.. It is just amazing!! I will soon buy a oud by Fadi he's one of the best builders.

You can check this thread http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=7649 and see some of his ouds and sound samples..

Reda Aouad - 2-24-2009 at 05:47 AM

Btw Souheil.. what type of wood is ur Fadi's made of? If you can give me all the details u know about it please..

Thanks :)

suz_i_dil - 2-24-2009 at 06:02 AM

Out of this small bridge you are talking about he made also oud with 2 real floating bridge, it seems in order to permit the soundboard to support higher tension.
You can see it on the oud from Bassem Rizk on his youtube videos ( orbit TV show ). It is the only oud I ever saw with 2 bridges.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO55miIT4i0

jaron - 2-24-2009 at 07:39 AM

The portion of the string that isn't directly played- the segment between the bridge and the rim, near where you arm rests- will still resonate. Some floating bridge designs have the strings attach to end points on the curve of the oud- which probably results in a cluster of tunings. Others designs have the strings attach to a straight line so that all of them can be tuned precisely.

I played around with placing a thick guitar string between the rim of a floating bridge oud and the strings- which acts a little like a "second bridge." That way I can adjust this secondary tuning and get either the cluster tuning effect or the precise tuning effect.

Very slight adjustments create interesting and profound colors in the oud. It is nice to be able to change the tuning of the secondary segments from time to time to experience these variations.

(This oud is the one Samir created from a Haluk bowl.)

Reda Aouad - 2-24-2009 at 08:58 AM

Jaron.. Im sorry but I didn't understand what u said. What is the cluster effect? The secondary tuning? Can u please explain better?

Thanks :)

jaron - 2-24-2009 at 10:37 AM

Hello Reda Aouad,

If you look at the pictures of the Fadi Matta ouds that DON'T have the "extra" bridge, you'll see that the strings end in points on an arc- which is the edge of the oud. That means that the ratio of the played part of each string to the little lenght of string on the other side of the bridge is different for each string.

So the tuning of the unplayed string segments is going to "cluster" around an approximate tuning, instead of being perfectly tuned.

Since the bridge is straight, the endpoints of the strings would all have to lie on a straight line if those little segments were to be tuned to, say, an octave and a fourth above the tuning of the playing portion of each string.

If you tune them perfectly, you get an effect like adding extra, resonant strings. If you tune them approximately, in a cluster, then you get a more complex sound that sounds as if the face has a little bit of skin, like a cumbus, along with the wood.

With the setup I described, I can get a little of each effect in one oud.

-jaron