History Of OUD

OUD is Arabic instrument which is as popular as guitar in the western countries. It is an instrument which has played a major role in evolution of the guitar. There are hundreds of musical instruments which are found in various cultures for the past many centuries.

A women sitting on a boat and playing the instrument with her right hand has special mentioning and there has been a picture depicting it. Arabic musical instrument was developed from Kopuz which was used by Turkish people around 6th century.

Kopuz in the past was believed to have magical effects and was used during war time in military bands. It existed throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East. It was the Arabs that introduced it to Spain when they marched into Iberian Peninsula during 8th century. It is believed that during this time only the instrument gained popularity but the possibility of Greeks and Romans introducing a similar instrument way before cannot be denied.

It is believed that the transferring of the instrument from Muslim to Christian culture must have been in Sicily where it was made popular by the musicians but there are no hard facts that support these findings. By the end of the 14th century it gained popularity throughout Italy and many German speaking regions.

OUD is not like a guitar and its lower portion is like a shape of a half watermelon. The shape of the instruments makes it structurally very strong enabling the upper portion to be very thin. It is made of hardwood but is not heavy if the wood is good. It has one to three sound holes which can be either oval or circular in shape.

With the modern influence on everything it has also changed the tradition musical instrument. The new one is completely different from its old prototype. Turkish make is different from the Arabic and differ in both playing style and shape.

OUD has long history in Iraq traditions and there it is said that in the music lies the countries soul. As per many believers the instrument has lot of healing power. It keeps the temperament down and calms the heart. After the Islamic militants the music has lost its favour as many players and teachers where exiled for playing it as secular music is considered to be forbidden.

Turkish OUD can be easy to handle and it is not very difficult to take care of the instrument just you need to play it often. Every time you play it the strings and the instrument should be cleaned with a soft cloth. The string replacement should be done in every 6 to 12 month time period.

Article Source: http://www.avidarticles.com

If you want to listen and feel the beat of ethnic musical instruments, you should try bodhran. It has a distinct sound that creates music to hear. Or you may want to try left handed sitar.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated