Omar Al-Mufti
Oud Junkie
Posts: 333
Registered: 3-14-2012
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A scientific clarification is needed
Dears oud lovers, Many of you have noticed that new strings generally buzz. If the oud was correctly made, buzzing would disappear few days or a
couple of weeks later. Why do they buzz and what happens few days later that the buzzing disappears?
Furthermore, why does the thinnest wound string buzz the most, and its buzzing take longer time to disappear?
Many friends would use the expression "until the strings settle". What is this settling process?
The only things I could think of is that new strings are not homogenous in terms on the number of winds per unit length, and the are not perfectly
straight. This non-homogenity would probably make the two adjacent strings vibrate a little differently which might cause touching each other . I
thought time under tension could redistribute the number of wire winds evenly and also straighten the strings. Please give me your opinion
Many thanks
Omar
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Bnouhet
Oud Lover
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Hello Omar,
As a forer piano tuner/maker, The only explanation that comes to me is that 1: the strings lengthen with the time and that so the turns of the
spinning are separated. The string becomes more flexible, loses in power (reduction of the harmonics) but gains in roundness (sound quality). During
manufacture, spinning must be very tight. I guess this is the main problem. When too tight on some places, the flexibility of the string become
irregular.
2: The strings are filled with dust and others, between the turns, which muffle the string: it becomes less brilliant (which brings it closer to the
sound of gut). Piano makers use to beat the old big strings against a workbench to clean them.
3: imperative. If the point of attachment of the string is not steady, we get a sound like on the Indian sitar (but the phenomenon is very rare)
It would be nice to get other meanings about this problem.
Since I just put new strings on my oud yesterday, I'm thinking about tuning 1 or 2 steps higher an wait for a few hours.
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
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If you tune 2 whole steps higher your oud will collapse. Only two things can save it.
1) the bridge comes off before the soundboard or pegbox breaks.
2) the strings will break before any part of the oud is damaged.
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Omar Al-Mufti
Oud Junkie
Posts: 333
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Bnouhet. Thanks so much... It makes sense
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Omar Al-Mufti
Oud Junkie
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Jody...hope you are doing fine.
You answer was probably meant for another question 
Cheers
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
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Hi Omar,
thanks, all is well. My answer was addressed to Bnouhet's last sentence in his reply to you. He wrote "Since I just put new strings on my oud
yesterday, I'm thinking about tuning 1 or 2 steps higher an wait for a few hours." He may have meant 1 or 2 half steps rather than whole steps but
even 1 whole step is likely to break something.
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Omar Al-Mufti
Oud Junkie
Posts: 333
Registered: 3-14-2012
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Got it
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Bnouhet
Oud Lover
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Hi Guys
As you can tune the low string as C or D and the folling as E, F, or G and that's already 2 and 3 half steps
It's not a problem to tune a bit higher.
Maybe it's not a great idea ti do it for all 11 strings at the same time..
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1378
Registered: 11-5-2011
Location: California
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The bass string is a single course and as such does not exert much extra pressure when being tuned up a step. You can safely tune a 5th double course
that is gauged for GG *down* to FF or EE. I would not advise tuning a pair of strings gauged for EE *up* to GG and I would especially be wary of doing
that on an oud whose scale exceeds 61cm.
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