Ararat66
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1025
Registered: 11-14-2005
Location: Portsmouth, UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow yellow
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A DEVOTED LIFE: Artistry, innovation, evaluation and public opinion
Hi Faruk
An artist should never go hungry in that way (same as anyone else) - it is a romantic myth. I hope to meet with Hama in London soon when my time is
more free and try the oud you made him.
God bless you
Leon
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farukturunz
Oud Junkie
Posts: 569
Registered: 8-16-2005
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Member Is Offline
Mood: hopeful
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Hi Leon,
God bless you too.
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Ararat66
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1025
Registered: 11-14-2005
Location: Portsmouth, UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow yellow
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shayrgob
Oud Maniac
Posts: 57
Registered: 9-23-2009
Location: Chi-Town!
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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what happened to the original post??
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farukturunz
Oud Junkie
Posts: 569
Registered: 8-16-2005
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Member Is Offline
Mood: hopeful
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APOLOGY I had just wanted to edit the title and add a clincher but instead deleted the whole post
temporarily and delayed to post it back. Here it is again:)
ARTISTRY, INNOVATION, EVALUATION AND PUBLIC OPINION
Dear Forums members!
I’ve seen it as a necessary task to say something about the concepts apposed in the title of this post and their attachment with the art of luthiery
in general and “Art of Oud Making” specifically.
Artistic ability and artistic achievements of luthiers are endowments and it is meager how much they thank God. But again it is meager but obligatory
for luthiers to search, to learn and to work with determination forever. As far as “Art of Oud Making” is concerned, the tasks grows considerably.
While there is a vast background of “Art of Luthiery” in general, only some piece of art ouds have left behind the great masters as inarticulate
witnesses. They say something of course but one must be intellectual enough and informed a lot to understand what they say. So the tasks and home
works to do for an Oud Maker and secrets to be explored are incommensurable.
Most of the time “Art of Oud Making” is regarded as solely sort of fine woodworking art involved in some “secrets”. But recently some Artists
started a “New Approach” in this Art.
It may be considered as an “Applied Mechanics” or “Applied Mathematics” and “Applied Physics” as well. This is an innovative approach
which seems to dominate over this field in time.
Some may try to prevent this approach from becoming widespread in favor of “secrets” and they are always “opponent” ! They tend to assess the
superbness of an instrument to the intuition of the maker. They are right to a certain extent: That maker may have the intuition for understanding
where to refer. Still “Art of Oud Making” stays as full of “unknowns”. We the pioneers of innovations have been “nominated” for exploring
those “unknowns”
This is a very long and arduous path efferent to the “perfection”.
Nonetheless, this story does not exist in the vacuum. It stands and evolves in the economic domain. An Oud Maker as an artist who has to spend time
and funds for his/her art has to regenerate himself or herself every day for regenerating the products. An artist must not suffer poverty; on the
contrary, he or she must feel accomplished for the upcoming productivities. He or she has the right to value his or her own work of art. Being in the
knowledge of the determination of the “law of supply and demand” he or she values the “products” in question. Interrogation of that
“value=price” is fulfilled by the “law of supply and demand”. In conformity with being “sold” or “unsold” of the product, artist may
raise or drop the preset price. He or she never makes a “change” in the price by force of some “self-styled criticisms” but only by force of
the “law of supply and demand”.
Knowledge of Economics may not compulsorily shape “the public opinion” as long as it stays in the pages of Economy Books but the “public
opinion” can be shaped by the “prices in the market” If majority countenance that price and purchase that product for that price, the
“investigator” may also countenance or may not purchase that product. It is a “free market”
There is a technique in the marketing known as “product differentiation”. If the manufacturer has put something substantially distinguishing
property into a product for getting access to a “product differentiation” then it must deserve a better price. The range of price gap between the
price of an undistinguished good and the price of a good having some distinguishing property can be examined and it may cause interest.
Every body who has visited my website must have noticed a “price gap” between the prices of my ouds.
Let me try to explain it: I started to manufacture ouds in 1984 and until March1996 I worked all alone. During those years I tried to achieve an
“original method” for making the oud soundboards. Along with the progression of my “method” my ouds’ sound improved bit by bit. Every
consequent oud’s sound started to be better than former ones. My ouds’ fame exceeded the borders of Turkey. I started to get orders from abroad as
well. The construction period of one oud was longer than one month and I did not have the chance to start with many of them all together. In March
1996 the ordered ouds in my waiting list reached to 27 and I was feeling helpless. I decided not to accept any more orders until I finish the first 15
ouds. By the help of my good fortune I made partnership with my friend Suat who accepted working with me and making many gigs to facilitate and
standardize the oud production process. We finished those 27 ouds within a couple of months and started to experience a surplus product. At that point
we were making all the ouds in only one price category and all were made with “tuned braces”. Tuning of the braces is a time consuming process and
cause to drop the amount of products. It was possible to develop a new model which would be less time consuming so we could sell it more easily if we
priced it cheaper and we would solve the surplus product. We decided to copy the brace shapes and intersections of the “tuned braces” for making
the braces of this model. By adding a wood differentiation for this new model we started to sell it for reasonably good price.
Recently we have introduced our “Double Soundboard Model” and we decided to price this model with a price that doubles the Grand
Concert Oud’s price. Of course in addition the laborious and time consuming innovated tecniques we make those “expensive” models out of very
expensive wood selections.
I believe these sort of explanations were not needed for many to presume and suppoze the said "price gap" to be "logical"
and "explicable" . At least they have the understanding for not to be in doubt about justificability of our pricing policy. Because this trust is the
requirement of good sense: A man who necessarily must have used his "logic" for the accomplishments in his career of art, would not fall into
"unreason" in pricing and push strategy
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Sazi
Oud Junkie
Posts: 786
Registered: 9-17-2007
Location: Behind my oud
Member Is Offline
Mood: مبتهج ; ))
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[rquote=65395&tid=9835&author=farukturunz
I believe these sort of explanations were not needed for many to presume and suppoze the said "price gap" to be "logical"
and "explicable" . At least they have the understanding for not to be in doubt about justificability of our pricing policy. Because this trust is the
requirement of good sense: A man who necessarily must have used his "logic" for the accomplishments in his career of art, would not fall into
"unreason" in pricing and push strategy[/ rquote]
I do believe you are right there!
I'm sure the majority here know your work and therefore know the pricing is both "logical" and unquestionable
All the best for the future and for your trip, Master Faruk.
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JasonM
Oud Addict
Posts: 26
Registered: 7-12-2008
Location: Western Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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I play saxophones as well as ouds and sadly there aren't many quality saxophone makers left - it's all been reduced to big factories who produce
unremarkable instruments!
So when I became interested with ouds I was excited that the instrument is still being made by many quality luthiers - with their own distinctive
design and sound.
Luthiers are the 'custodians' of the instrument and deserve to be supported based on the prices that they demand for their work. I would hate to see
'benchmark' prices and 'benchmark' processes because then only the quality of the instruments and the music will suffer (as with saxophones). The
'justification' in any luthiers prices is (i) the quality and sound and (ii) that there is a musician(s) who value the work of the artisan/luthier.
Each maker will have different 'overheads'. So price is obviously linked to the amount of work they dedicate to innovate, explore and experiment with
the instrument design. As well as how much they pay their assistant staff, suppliers etc...
The true 'value' of an instrument is how happy you are playing it, and how connected to the music and to the maker you are because of it. I don't
think 'value' of an oud equals the comparison of the price of maker 'X' versus maker 'Y'. Otherwise we will be reduced to factory produced ouds using
machinery and the same materials - but I don't think we want that!.
Good luck to all luthiers and players of their instruments!
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MatthewW
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1031
Registered: 11-5-2006
Location: right here
Member Is Offline
Mood: Al Salam
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Dear Usta Faruk
Thank you for posting your thoughts and insights into the art of the luthier working with that wonderful instrument we all love, the oud. Coming from
a man with the long experience and God-given talent that you posess, it gives us somewhat of a deeper understaning into how things are and appear from
your side of the river, so to speak, and deserves a read by all.
My oud is the single most expensive purchase I have made for a musical instrument. I often hold it in my hands and stop to feel the perfect weight of
this hand crafted work of art, I look closely at the various woods, I admire the shape of its body, the bend of the ribs, and all the features- and
pause to reflect on the skill and love that has gone into making this oud. When I play this instrument, and if I am in the right place with heart,
soul and hands, the oud makes me come to life, it is the tool that connects me with something higher within myself and leaves me with a spirit of
gratitude, love and joy that cannot be valued in monetary terms, and I feel what I paid for this instrument is nothing to the joy it brings and the
sounds it can produce.
You set the price how you wish for your instruments, anyone who wishes to purchase one of your ouds will already have some idea of the cost, the work,
and the reputation of the sound. It's the things that you can't put a value on that count, which I have tried to touch upon above, and to which Jason
mentions. To create an instrument of real and lasting quality, in this world of mass-marketing, media- hype and instant gratification, is a blessing,
both for the maker of the instrument and for the one who plays this instrument.
As for the 'mystique' of making the instrument and the luthier's special intuition for just the right combination of materials to give a truly unique
sound, I wonder what Anontio Stradivarius would have to say on this aspect of the art of sound reproduction?
best wishes, MW
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JasonM
Oud Addict
Posts: 26
Registered: 7-12-2008
Location: Western Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Hi Matthew
A well written reply.
This is slightly off the topic BUT - seeing as you mentioned Stradivarius, you may like to follow the link below, which will take you to a recent
radio interview with Simon Morris-Brown (an Australian luthier) who talks about violin design. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bydesign/stories/2009/2686740.htm
Cheers
Jase
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farukturunz
Oud Junkie
Posts: 569
Registered: 8-16-2005
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Member Is Offline
Mood: hopeful
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Dear Sazi, Jason and Mathew
Thank you for your contributions and precious remarks.
Kind regards...
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