leop_ardee
Oud Admirer
Posts: 2
Registered: 10-19-2023
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Question about tuning new oud
Hi all
I just received my first oud which is this one
https://www.ethnicmusical.com/shop/arabic-oud-pro-maple/
Unfortunately it has arrived with rusted strings. The strings were loosened for shipping.
I'm finding it hard to maintain tuning (Arabic C to C) - this might be due to my inexperience. I have found that the peg box is a bit of a mess with
the strings overlapping each other. I have found that the tuning pegs want to give in to string tension and just unravel. I'm not sure if this is
because I'm not pushing the tuning pegs in hard enough, or because one tuning peg's strings are pushing other strings while tuning, causing things to
unravel.
Any advice would be welcome. Do I just need to tidy up the peg box and get better at tuning? Will new strings improve the situation? or could there be
a problem with the instrument?
Appreciate your replies
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coolsciguy
Oud Junkie
Posts: 249
Registered: 5-14-2020
Location: Washington D.C.
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Hello,
Congrats on your first oud!
What you are facing here is typical for new oud players and new ouds. It's always recommended to restring any instrument (oud, guitar, etc) with fresh
strings when buying new as the default ones sit in storage for a long time and may not be the best quality strings. Part of your journey includes
finding the best set of strings that would make your oud sing, so I suggest trying different brands every few months or so.
Regarding the pegs wanting to unwind, this is a common issue too. You can address it by spraying your pegs with talcum/baby powder which increases
friction. With increase in air humidity as you approach summer in Auckland, this issue will go away (the pegs will absorb humidity and expand).
On the issue of messy peg box, you can manage this when you change strings and make it better but you'll need a bit of experience which comes with
time. There are a couple of way you can string your instrument (what string goes to what peg). I find the traditional way a bit unnecessary complex
and do it the simple way (strings and pegs are connected sequentially).
Hope this info helps!
-- Amir
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