john (beloved) habib
Oud Junkie
Posts: 104
Registered: 2-5-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: love my new oud
|
|
how hard to pluck?
You know. When I'm getting into playing ... I just can't help but really go tough on my strings (and consequently, the bridge.
I feel like I maybe pluck too hard,.. But isn't it expected.. isn't it the norm to pluck the strings (with a Risha of course) pretty
vigorously?
I'm wondering because... my bridge broke (came off the face... just found it like that when I went to go get my oud to play). I'm 95%
certain it's because I had a cheap Oud .. and the bridge was put on really badly.  
Should bridges be able to take a great deal of tension, or should we ease on the pressure we put on the bridge?
How does that bridge stay on the face? how is it constructed? Is it secured from inside, or just superficially with glue?
|
|
|
spyros mesogeia
Oud Junkie
Posts: 896
Registered: 9-10-2003
Location: WASHINGTON DC
Member Is Offline
Mood: play my ouds
|
|
Dear friend,
Maybe it wasn't that well glued on the soundboard....I never had an experience like that,but I know an incident like yours,and the cause was that
the bridge wasn't glued well.....
If the soundboard didn't destroyed you can glue the bridge back on the correct position....
And try to learn to play without that much force-strong,play slowly and smooth....easy....than you will used to play softly....
I had this problem when I was at the begining,and doing that I used to play easier and softer....
Regards 
P.S.Keep the practice,feel the instrument....close your eyes and just feel the oud.....as it is a part of your han,your body your soul.....
|
|
|
john (beloved) habib
Oud Junkie
Posts: 104
Registered: 2-5-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: love my new oud
|
|
thanx. 
I appreciate the response
|
|
|
Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stringish
|
|
Hi John, sorry to hear about your oud woes.
Playing too hard can be a problem, but I don't think that playing hard is what caused the bridge to come off--especially since it happened when
you weren't playing.
here are some things I can think of that may have contributed:
-poor oud construction (most likey, i think)
-too much string tension (because of wrong guage of strings/too high tuning)
-humidity issues. Especially in the winter in heated houses/apartments, the humidity can get really low and this causes the wood to contract. this
can loosen glue, cause cracks, etc. properly seasoned wood should be less susceptible to this, but you still have to be careful. around 50% humidity
is ideal for the oud.
A general note aboud playing hard:
most of your playing should probably be about midway between your lightest plucking and your hardest plucking. Picking too hard actually impairs the
projection of the oud's sound, since vibrations become somewhat irregular. So control is the real issue; a forceful controlled attack will
actually be "louder" than really hard picking. I know what you mean, though--when you get into it, or are trying to be heard over some
noise etc. you just start picking harder (happens to me all the time ).
when you're practicing though (not just playing), it helps to be aware of how in control you are of your picking.
here are some things to look for:
1. is your arm or forearm moving up and down? they should be stationary (although your forearm can rotate slightly) and the movement should come from
your wrist and the base of your thumb.
2. are you constantly hitting the face of the oud with your risha? This is a big one and really separates good oud players from excellent ones.
While it's okay to hit the face once in a while (everyone does, even the greatest players) it should be pretty infrequent. If it's
happening a lot, some of the following things may be happening: (a) your arm is moving (b) your picking motion is too big (c) your risha extends too
far outside your fingers (d) you're pushing too much towards the face of the oud with your risha.
Of course, I'm not talking about deliberately hitting the face of the oud for some musical reason--only the usual unintentional
face-smacking.
If you are watching for these things, you'll start to develop more control over your sound.
|
|
|
john (beloved) habib
Oud Junkie
Posts: 104
Registered: 2-5-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: love my new oud
|
|
thanx for the reply Brian.
My oud Picking... I think I'm pretty good for a self-taught player... I can't remember ever hitting the face... My arm does move a bit...
but i'm pretty sure it's to the extent that is necessary to play the instrument.
I have a question about HUMIDITY.
I often hear about that as a problem. How do you measure humidity in your home? Like... when do I know, "oh crap, it's humid!"
Because my face was cracking like crazy, but I seriously doubt it was humidity but was again just a result of an incredibly poorly constructed Oud...
the face looked cheap and the sound was weak.
But.. how do you fix the humidity problem? I heard you should keep your Oud Out of its case? Or what?
Thanx 
|
|
|
Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stringish
|
|
You measure humidity with a hygrometer (or just call it a humidity sensor), and you can control the humidity by using a humidifier (if it's too
dry) or a dehumidifier (if it's too wet).
Too much humidity is rarely a problem with ouds, unless it's not being played (i.e., sitting in a musty closet).
Where do you live? if it's cold enough for you to consider wearing chapstick, you probably should get a humidifier.
When I bought a humidifier, it came with a hygrometer.
|
|
|
john (beloved) habib
Oud Junkie
Posts: 104
Registered: 2-5-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: love my new oud
|
|
Wow.. I never knew that people actually do try to measure and if necessary adjust the humidity as a precaution to protect the Oud... Wow.
I live in Philly right now... but I live in ATL too...
Which leads me to another question:
TRAVELING WITH THE OUD
Is it bad for your Oud to take it over a plane? Does the air pressure or whatever, change in altitude, whatever... does that cause any unwanted
effects on the Oud?
I've always wondered about that...
|
|
|
Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stringish
|
|
John, If you're in philly you need a humidifer for your oud. is ATL atlanta? you might be okay without one there, I don't know.
about the plane . . . taking it in the cabin shouldn't be a problem. I don't know about the luggage area.
|
|
|
john (beloved) habib
Oud Junkie
Posts: 104
Registered: 2-5-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: love my new oud
|
|
Oh my gosh. You sound so serious  but in a good way...
I mean... it seems that it is absolutely necessary to get a humidifier. Thank you so much for your advice.
Are those things expensive? I hope not. I guess it'd be worth it right?
THANX BRIAN
|
|
|
Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stringish
|
|
Well I had my oud crack partly because I put off getting a humidifier . . . just trying to save you some of my pain
They come in all price ranges, usually 30-50 dollars. Some of them are noisier than others, so you might want to ask about that.
|
|
|
john (beloved) habib
Oud Junkie
Posts: 104
Registered: 2-5-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: love my new oud
|
|
Wow... thanx for the info...
What part of your Oud Cracked?
|
|
|
Al Billings
Oud Addict
Posts: 46
Registered: 1-31-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
how hard to pluck?
To paraphrase the guitarist Norman Blake about the matter of picking and volume: " with good strings on your acoustic instrument, begin to pluck
a string very softly, at a whisper's volume. Listen for roundness and fullness of tone. Slowly increase the volume as you pluck, and try to hear
the center of the string's tone. Keep getting slowly louder, until you find a spot where you're getting rich resonance and tone from your
instrument. Play past that spot, until the sound actually begins to degrade from overdriving the top, and then go back to that sweet spot you found.
However loud your instrument is at that level, that's exactly how loud your instrument should be played." I'd also say that we need to
remember that playing forcefully can interfere with dexterity. I think Norman's sweet spot might also be the outer limit of that dexterity.
Personally, when I play at home for myself, I play softly. I think my ouds produce the most beautiful tone at low volume.
|
|
|
Al Billings
Oud Addict
Posts: 46
Registered: 1-31-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I don't mean to imply that one should stay at the same volume forever! I think Norman means the we should center our playing around a particular
instrument's ideal volume and then use dynamics as needed.
|
|
|
john (beloved) habib
Oud Junkie
Posts: 104
Registered: 2-5-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: love my new oud
|
|
very nicely put... 
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbprobrown/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
