ross kalenderidis
Oud Admirer
Posts: 2
Registered: 8-9-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: very up
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Oud bowl depth
Only a great forum like this could supply the detailed info on all things oud.....so my question to luthiers & players alike is....I've been
wondering how critical the bowl depth is on the sound of an oud. Does a shallower bowl have a great effect on tone, sustain or projection.
Would it affect the way the top vibrates substanially. or minimally. I've seen pix of ouds which seem to have slightly shallower bowls.
What are the parameters on this. And also what effect if any does the rossette play in the sound quality?
I hope somebody can enlighten me on these couple of points.
cheers
ross
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Dr. Oud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1370
Registered: 12-18-2002
Location: Sacramento, CA, USA
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Mood: better than before
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The bowel acts like an echo chamber and has no effect on the vibration of the top, it'sactually the other way around. As the top vibrates it
pumps air in and out of the back in what's known as the Helmholtz effect. It is the string itself that produces the most sound, the top amplifies
the sound slightly and adds harmonics which determine the tonal characteristics, and the bowel adds low frequency reinforcement to the mix. While some
vibration can be felt in the back, it is not affecting the sound of the oud any more than the vibration felt in the peg box or neck. The bracing of
the face is related to the volume of the back as well as the length and width of the top, and can enhance the resonant or dominant frequencies thereby
affecting the tonal characteristics. Sustain and projection are produced by the strings and the soundboard, but not affected by the bowel. The Rose(s)
itself does not affect in the sound, but the placement and size of the holes can affect resonanance and volume. All of the sound production of the
face happens below the big Rose and between the small Roses. The final answer is that the top, braces, Roses and bowel all are related and must be in
balance . This balance can be achieved with many different combinations of these features, so there are many different sizes and shapes of good
sounding ouds.
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ross kalenderidis
Oud Admirer
Posts: 2
Registered: 8-9-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: very up
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|
oud bowl depth
thanks richard
for such a comprehensive reply to my queries. I hope they were of interest to others also. It's good to get a modern and experienced veiw of oud
physics. Particularly from someone with such a healthy respect for the processes and acheivements of earlier traditional craftsmen.
kind regards
ross kalenderidis
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