HISTORY OF THE "OUD" In Persian mythology, the invention of the "OUD" is traced to Lamak, a decendant of Biblical Cain. As the story goes, on the death of his son, Lamak hung the young man’s remains on a tree and the desicated skeleton suggested the form of an oud. Throughout history, versions of the instrument have made their mark in various civilizations from Spain to China. The Oud first appears in Mesopotamia during the Kassite period (1600- 1150BC) with a small oval body. A larger variety, similar to the instruments present day dimensions, appears at Alaca Huyuk in Anatolia dating from the Hittite New Kingdom (1460-1190BC). Today, the Oud is known as ut or ud in Turkey, laouta in Greece, udi in Africa and barbat in Iran. In Arabic, the word means "wood", "twig", "flexible rod", and also "aromatic stick". The construction of the oud has a large, pear-shaped soundbox, a short broad arm without moveable frets, its head almost at right angles to the arm, with tuning keys at the sides. Its soundbox is a little larger than that of the lute, about 37cm at its widest point. The oud is usually about 87cm long, and 20cm of which consist of the head with its tuning keys. The soundbox is made on a wooden frame, onto the top of which a triangular piece of wood (dakos) made of lime, or other soft wood, is temporarily screwed. The "dakos" remains inside the soundbox as a support. Later on in the process, a runnel is carved into this, into which the arm is fitted. Thin sheets of wood (always an odd number of them) called "doughes" are fitted into the "dakos" to form the soundbox. The first sheet is fitted onto the middle of the "dakos" and then the rest are attached alternately left and right in a fishbone pattern. For the sound box, only hard woods such as ebony, palisander, maple ,beech, rosewood, mahogany, walnut or cypress are used. The arm is made in one piece and is fitted into the groove carved into the section of the "dakos" situated at the top of the soundbox. The arm must fit perfectly and be firmly glued into place. The more the two sections form a solid entity, the better the instrument will be and it will not warp. The soundhole on then lid is decorated with a rosette of walnut, mother of pearl or horn. The finishing touches to the instrument are made in the following manner. First of all, the rear part of the arm is arched to enable the left hand to slide up and down easily while playing, while the arm is also cut to the desired length. When the arm is made in one piece, the arched section is covered in a veneer of thin sheets of the same wood as the soundbox. A thin strip of wood, the "plaka", usually made of ebony or other hardwood, is stuck to the front of the arm to form a continuous surface with the lid of the soundbox. The "plaka" is usually decorated down its sides with fine pieces of wood in geometrical shapes.. Then the "karavola" is attached to the top of the arm, and five or six holes are drilled into the tuning keys, which are similar to those on the violin. They are known as the "striftaria" or "kopilia". Traditionally, an eagle feather is used as a plectrum, though modern day performers often use plastic picks. The original gut strings, too, have been replaced with silver-wound nylon strings similar to those used on a classical guitar. The art of oud making reached its golden period during the turn of the twentieth century. The master Greek luthier, Monol, began constructing ouds in Istanbul, which produced a sweeter, more refined sound. Later, an Armenian by the name of Onnik Karibyan built ouds which became the favorite of many throughout the Middle east.
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