As in every area of life, there are criteria that buyers should pay attention to when buying an oud instrument. If we add the appreciation of the buyer, it is crucial to examine the issue under three main headings while determining the quality of the oud selection:
- Appearance – Weight – Robustness
- Audio-related features
- Usage-related features
Playing the oud is an essential skill. To use your oud for many years, you need to choose a quality oud. What should be considered when buying an oud instrument, what is the importance of the oud selection, and how do you protect and store your oud? Continue reading our article to learn the criteria you need to know about the choice of oud.
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Make sure it is the best type of oud instrument for you
Another criterion to be considered while buying the oud is that the oud should be the best type of oud for you. While playing the oud, you can get a clean sound by pressing the strings with your fingers. This pressure should be a pressure that does not tire you much. So, you will press hard, but your fingers will not hurt. The wires should be close to the keyboard, which we call the key. For this, it is significant to choose a suitable oud for yourself.
In fact, this is a risky situation. The closer it is, the more likely it is to sizzle. Here, craftsmanship gains importance and comes into play. Making the strings high even prevents the oud from sounding bad, but in a good oud or oud instrument made in the correct forms, both the lines are close, and you get a clean sound.
Choose the best design that fits your taste
Another criterion is that the design of the oud is depending on your taste. The design of the oud, a durable instrument that can be used for many years, is significant in the purchasing process.
In addition, while playing the oud, we try to obtain a clean sound by pressing the strings with our fingers. The closer the wires are to each other, the more likely it is to sizzle. Moreover, craftsmanship is significant here. Making the strings high prevent inadequate sound from the oud. To get a clean sound with quality oud or oud-made incorrect forms is possible.
Especially, oud course students have lots of problems with voice, timbre, or tuning pegs, although their visuals are stunning. The oud, which is plain and has a clean and clear sound, is much more valuable.
Oud care and storage
Oud care is significant for the long lifecycle of the oud instrument and its sound quality. Therefore, you must follow a care routine before you put it back in its box after playing your oud instrument. First, wipe the parts exposed to sweat with a dry and soft cloth. The areas that need to be wiped are the chest and body parts that the right arm touches and the handle and keyboard parts that the left-hand fingers touch. The reason for wiping sweat is that sweat causes oxidation in the wires and rapid wear.
Put your oud in its box after playing it. If you do not put it in the box, you prefer to leave it in a non-humid part of your home or environment where the weather is neither hot nor cold. Please do not leave it in front of heaters, stoves, and air conditioners.
When traveling in extreme weather conditions, help protect it by wrapping it with a suitable cheesecloth or fabric before placing it in the box. All these are precautions that protect your chord along with your oud instrument.
The chest area may turn yellow over time due to oxidation. First, however, do not wipe it with any cleaning material. Then, if necessary, we recommend you seek help from an oud master.
Likewise, do not interfere with the hull section with varnish or similar materials. This kind of oud care requires expert service. Take care not to spill oil and similar liquid substances, especially on the chest area.
In case of wire problems in oud pegs, never wet them and put them back into their holes for the pegs to swell and expand.
The type of string is also significant
Oud instrument is a unique instrument. It is understandable, given the variety of ouds available. Read on for details on tuning, scale length, tension, and materials. The only guaranteed way to find out which strings are best for your oud is to try a few different sets. The type of oud strings is also significant regarding sound quality and life. Oud string types are as follows:
Nylon
The most commonly used oud strings are nylon strings. There are two types of nylon wire: regular nylon and rectified nylon. After discovering that some straight nylon strings cause tonal problems, some businesses have developed straightened nylon strings (e.g., out of tune). A rectified nylon thread is a regular nylon evaluated for excessively thick or irregular segments, crushed, and perfectly shaped using advanced technologies. This method is often used for high strings, known as treble strings. Light metals such as copper, silver, or nickel can be used to wrap the bass strings. Also, thin nylon strips are drawn and twisted using the components mentioned above to make these strips.
Nylgut
Aquila Strings is the exclusive manufacturer of patented Nyglut strings. Nylon is a weatherproof material with all the advantages of PVF and gut. The Aquila Nyglut string set is recommended for Ukuleles. Nyglut has a cloudy white colour, while Nylon strands are transparent. The silver or copper wound will be bass strings.
PVF
PVF strips are an alternative fluorocarbon to nylon strips. This substance is usually found in fishing rods. They also make excellent Oud strings. They produce a brighter tone compared to Nylon and Nygluts. They're also lighter and thinner than they were before. So especially if you like loud sounds, you can play a Turkish oud.
As Sultan Instrument, we have discussed what you need to know about the professional oud in this article. Our goal is to reduce costs and hassles for our valued customers and to present the best instruments worldwide. You can visit our website for detailed information about our products.
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