rootsguitar
Oud Junkie
Posts: 144
Registered: 7-12-2012
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fretless, 13 string Lute
In an effort to approach the oud with greater understanding I cut the nylon frets from my 8c Renaissance Lute back in October.
I have been playing it with a bamboo slide, here's a clip if you're interested: http://youtu.be/MLpZ_KYwsgk
Also been experimenting with fishing twine for strings ( 80lb test halibut line)--- selamat tahun baru!
---T.R.
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rootsguitar
Oud Junkie
Posts: 144
Registered: 7-12-2012
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Thanks J.T.!! The soundboard of this lute is made from Sitka Spruce---which grows in Alaska (where the clip was filmed), although the instrument was
built in the UK.
The tuning is: D-GG-AA-CC-EE-GG-A-A
The Neck really comes alive with no frets & I'm curious when frets were first tied onto an oud. Distant past?( I recall a post on this forum that
mentioned fretted lutes in the 7th century).
Also the bamboo slide was made from a broken flute ( a suling actually).
I am also trying to find out if there is a slide-voicing that was used in historical oud playing as well.
The bamboo can work on gut strings too, though the only ones I could find are from a celtic harp here, & don't fit through the bridge holes...(
the fish twine strings are: 0.81mm)
Anyway its fun to experiment here in the dark of winter------Best wishes--TR
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jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
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Mood: No Mood
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Ouds were fretted up until about the 14th C according to Ibn al-Tahan (author of Hawi al-funun wa salwat al-mahzun). The author recommends the use of
dividers to locate fret (dasatin) positions on the fretboard and says that 4 rolls of gut of different diameters should be used. He does say, however,
that he does not use frets because he knew the place of every note on the fingerboard without the need for frets.
The use of graduated fret diameters was also a feature of European lute fretting.
Al-Farabi (10th C) states that frets were tied on the neck of an oud - fixed parallel to the bridge. There are earlier references dating to the 7th C
but these are subject to interpretation concerning the original meaning of 'atab' (nut) and 'dasatin'(fret).
(G.H. Farmer translations).
Fretting of the European lute continued throughout its history as it developed from the oud - 14 C onwards.
The fretted oud had 5 semitone frets - the last fret being the 'little finger' fret. Additional frets were provided between these frets for the
microtones. The early ouds had relatively shorter necks than modern ouds where the fingerboard length is more or less 1/3 string length (i.e. about 7
semitones equal temperament at the neck joint)
The European lute also only had 5 semitone frets until about the 15th C after which time the range was extended from 7 (early 16th C) up to 10 frets
at the neck joint
For a bit more information about the early oud fretting systems see 'Old Oud - New Project', page 15 on this forum.
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rootsguitar
Oud Junkie
Posts: 144
Registered: 7-12-2012
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Hey Thanks! I'm really enjoying the great archives here---I'll read on for sure
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