History Of OUD

OUD is a musical instrument which is very popular in Arabic country same as the guitar is a part of the western music. It is an instrument which has played a major role in evolution of the guitar. All the cultures across the world have their own musical instrument which has influenced the music of the region for 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 was used during war time as it was believed to have some magical affect. The instrument existed throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East and it was the Arabs that introduced it to Spain when they invaded into Iberian Peninsula during 8th century. During this time only it is believed that the instrument gained much popularity although there is a possibility that Greeks and Romans introduced a similar instrument much earlier in the region.

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 having its root in Iraq has a very popular saying there that the music lies in the countries soul. Many believe that this instrument has lot of healing powers. It helps in keeping the body temper low and clams 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.

If you want to listen and feel the beat of ethnic musical instruments, you should try celtic bagpipes. It has a distinct sound that creates music to hear. Or you may want to try chinese gong.