Bearded Bugs
Oud Admirer
Posts: 2
Registered: 2-22-2010
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Tuning a five course oud as a lute.
Hi guys,
I was recently given an oud as a present and am very eager to start playing. It is a six course instrument but only came with five courses strung.
However, instead of oud tunings, I'd like to know which tuning you guys would recommend for lute music.
I realise that "lute music" is incredibly vague... but as a novice in the field I'm not sure whether it would be medieval or Renaissance styles which
would use a five and six course instrument.
Any help would be much appreciated!
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Tarbool59
Oud Maniac
Posts: 50
Registered: 6-3-2008
Location: France - Lille
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Mood: No brain, no gain !
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Hi,
Renaissance lute music requires 6 courses instrument .. For medieval tuning you can try g’ d’a f c .
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1865
Registered: 7-25-2009
Location: San Francisco, California
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Mood: m'Oudy
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Five, did you say five? Tune it like a banjo, hi-dee-ho!
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Bearded Bugs
Oud Admirer
Posts: 2
Registered: 2-22-2010
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Thanks for the reply! Is the "c" the highest or lowest course? What do the primes mean on the "g" and "d"? Lastly, what are the tunings in scientific
pitch notation (c4, f5 etc.)?
I already have a banjo! 
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1865
Registered: 7-25-2009
Location: San Francisco, California
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Mood: m'Oudy
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Generally the primes indicate an octave higher, so I think he means the list reads high to low.
I sense a possible disaster coming on, so let me be thoroughly proactive.
The common notation for the "Arabian 5 course plus bass" tuning is C EE AA DD gg cc
where the single bass wound C string is on the left, the double wound strings are in upper case and the plain doubled strings are in lower case. This
is a handy shorthand that leaves little to the imagination. The high cc are 261 Hz. Generally called C4. In that case people don't use the primes.
People are shy of the C2, C4 type numbers. Because of MIDI confusing the numbers, where C2 or is it C3 is middle C, and some Japanese tuner makers
adopting the MIDI numbers, everybody is now confused. Add to that the fact that the harmonics make many tuners unsure if they are reading a note's
fundamental or an octave higher.
The more common 6 course Arabian is then C FF AA DD gg cc
The older Arabian 5 course tuning is FF AA DD gg cc
Notice the trend: the melody strings are tuned in fifths. The bottom is used as a drone and variable.
What Tarbool is recommending is apparently CC FF AA DD gg (low to high).
Notated CC FF AA dd gg if two courses are plain.
Where the high gg are 196 Hz or G3.
That's a safe recommendation though only the 3 top courses are in the fifths sequence.
Why is that safe? Many ouds come with 5 course, like yours. People will often try to tune them with the "common Arabian 5 course" tuning. The problem
I've seen is that many ouds with 5 courses have strings that are NOT appropriate for tuning up to cc as they are too thick. Don't ask me why but they
ship often with the 5 BOTTOM strings of a 6 course tuning. If the bass string is e.g. 0.041" it's not meant to pull up to F = 86 Hz. If the top course
is 0.030" it's not meant to pull up to c = 261 Hz.
I had this happen. When I tried pulling the tuning up to FF AA DD gg cc the wound strings started to pop and unwind, and the whole instrument nearly
imploded. When I mic'ed the strings I realized they were indeed too thick to be pulled up to FF AA DD gg cc.
String instrument players should have a micrometer and know their strings. You can get a very good one that will read down to 0.0001" on Amazon.com
for $10 and shipping:
http://www.amazon.com/0-1-VME-Outside-Micrometer-0001/dp/B0007CXJKE...
if a plain nylon string is a 0.030" or so on a 24.5" scale it will not pull up to c' = 260 Hz without a LOT of tension. Why? Look at Arto's tension
calculator, for instance. Enter that data and it shows almost 6 Kg of tension. That's OK for a guitar but not for an oud. If you ask it how thick a
nylon string will give you 3 Kg, it says 0.022".
So Tarbool is wise. Chances are nothing will go wrong at that tuning. You will in fact be playing like the bottom of an oud tuning. If you get some
0.020" fish line at the corner store you can try adding a (6th) cc course on top!
Before you do tune it to standard oud tunings, get some new strings 
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