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How did you learn the craft of making instruments, specifically ud and buzuq?
Being an 'ud player who's deeply in love with the instrument and having extensive knowledge about all kinds of wood collectively motivated me to learning how to make 'uds and pursue it as a second career. The early beginnings took place in 1997 when I carried my first attempt in making an 'ud on my own, with no body's help. After seven months of experimentation I completed my first 'ud and followed up with seven more during the following three years.
As I was confronting some crucial technical and aesthetic difficulties, I traveled to Turkey and studied under Faruk Turunz, one of Turkey's most prestigious and skilful 'ud makers. As a result, I managed to overcome all the related obstacles and pursued further studies with the support of the Edward Said National Conservatory and its director Suhail Khoury, to whom I am immensely grateful. These studies include attending workshops in France and Belgium mainly concentrating on repair of string instruments.
The most common woods used for making 'ud:
It's true that precision in making an instrument has a great deal to do with the quality of the final product, however craftsmanship must be supported by certain types of wood that are necessary to enhance the quality of the sound and highlight its beauty. Some of the most common woods used in making 'uds are American grown, European and African. This is a provisional list of woods commonly used:
Preservation of all these woods requires climate controlled rooms throughout the seasons where they must remain for at least five years before attempting to use them for making instruments. This is crucial so the woods, when used, will have minimal moisture and oils. The finger board, especially the face, must be made out of hard wood with hight intensity to guarantee smoothness and durability. Among the most desired types of wood used for finger boards are ebony, Indian rose wood and saysam.
How do you preserve 'ud?
These are some tips: 'Uds must be kept, when not played, inside the house in a special case. After you finish playing, you need to clean the instrument and the strings with a dry and soft piece of cloth. Make this a habit and you will provide your 'ud and the strings with a longer life. Avoid having the 'ud exposed to direct sunlight. Avoid having the 'ud placed in a room with high levels of humidity and/or mold. Make sure that the room where you keep your 'ud has stable and moderate temperature. Do not attempt to fix the 'ud yourself if you should discover a problem, consult with an expert. Be aware of tightening up the strings on the 'ud to a level that contradicts with the proportions of the 'ud. So if you have an Arab 'ud that is tuned c,g,d,a,f,c don't attempt to raise is a step higher in resemblance to Turkish 'ud, this may actually ruin your instrument and cause it to crack. Turkish 'uds are designed to bare that kind of pressure because they are designed that way. It must be noted that tension on the upper open c in Arab 'uds equals 50 kg. This tension naturally decreases when pitches go lower.
About the 'ud
Arab and Western researchers alike maintain a consistent position on the history of the instruments based on ancient carvings (two round stone stamps) found in Mesopotamia over 4500 years ago that resemble the 'ud (Subhi Rashid and Hilman). These two stamps are dated back to the Akkadi age.
Evolution of the shape of the 'ud:
During the times of the Babylonians, its sound board was made of animal membrane and its finger board was longer than the current and had a smaller back. It had two and three single strings tied to pegs. String were usually made from certain types of metal and/or from animal intestines. Unlike the Cuds of today, old 'uds used to have frets. The way 'uds were played didn't differ much in comparison to today's; left hand to on the finger board and the right hand to hit the strings with the index finger and the thumb, it's not clear if plectrums were used to hit the strings with.
Stepping Stones in the history of the 'ud:
In the 7th century, the 'ud evolved to having a wooden soundboard instead of the membrane one. AI-Nadhrin 'Harith was the first one to achieve this breakthrough in the year 624. 'Harith was a poet and musicians born in al Hijaz and lived in al- 'Hira and is accredited for several contributions including instrument making.
'Ud during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods
'Uds had four strings for the most part during this period and it continued to have the same shape. Prestigious and famous 'ud players during those times acquired strings that were made from the intestines of cubs rather than from other animals. The following are some highlights of the major improvement that took place during this period: 1- The addition of the 5th string by Ziryab in the 9th century, which was also presented in theory by al-Kindi around the same time. 2- Development in string manufacturing and production. 3- Incorporation of the eagle's feather as a plectrum replacing wooden ones.
The 'ud in Europe:
AI-'ud made to Europe through the Arab Islamic conquer of Spain. The term eventually became known as the lute in Europe and then evolved on its own.
Today's 'ud:
Currently 'uds have from five to seven strings. In theory, the sixth string was introduced in the 14th century but didn't materialize until the 20th century by Sherif Muhiddin Targan who is considered the founder of the Iraqi modem 'ud style. He headed the National Iraqi Conservatory when it was first established in 1936. In the Arab world and elsewhere in the Middle East, the cud is currently considered the most important instrument in the Takht and is used for writing music and accompanying vocal repertoire.
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