Eric Stern Music
Oud Maniac
Posts: 89
Registered: 7-15-2013
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Is the Moroccan oud very different from other arabic ouds?
Hi guys, I've been enjoying this forum ever since I got my first oud (turkish) and tomorrow I'm going to look at a Moroccan oud for sale . I know all
the usual caveats, that arabic ouds vary greatly and feel that I'll be able to tell reasonably if it's any good or not. The seller (not an oud player)
got it from someone in Morocco and keeps emphasizing that it is a MOROCCAN oud, so my question here is...is there much of a difference between
Moroccan ouds and other arabic-style ouds? What I'm hoping for is an araby sounding instrument that will resonate lower than my Turkish one and where
I can play my favorite Oum Koulthoum songs, etc! I'm enclosing a picture and thank you so much in advance for any advice! I love the oud forum.
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Jody Stecher
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To my eye the unusual element about this oud is that the soundboard seems to be made of many pieces, some of which are quite short and which are glued
to other short pieces to attain the full length of the soundboard. I've seen many ouds with soundboards of 6 or 8 pieces but this one seems to have at
least 12. It might sound fine. Or not. I don't think it matters much if this glueing together took place in Morocco or New Jersey. The soundboard
looks a bit like a parquet floor made on a day when everyone at the factory was drunk. Don't get me wrong, I LIKE this look but I don't know how it
will sound. I also cannot tell from the photo if the soundboard has been stained and or finished with something or whether it's relatively dark color
is just from age and exposure to light.
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Brian Prunka
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 )
My thoughts too. Might sound great, though . . . it looks old and it hasn't fallen apart, that's a good sign.
Moroccan ouds are not vastly different than other Arabic ouds. There is a kind of "octave oud" type instrument that some players in Morocco play, but
this looks like a normal oud.
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Eric Stern Music
Oud Maniac
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That IS interesting regarding the soundboard. Thanks for your advice about it.
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nouphar
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Hey Brian, what do you mean with "octave oud"? An oud with octave stringing just like 12 string guitars?
In this video Master Said Chraibi plays a fretted oud, which seems to be tuned higher than normal.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5C8kxxhGeQ
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