Oops! Hit the wrong button yesterday... It would seem that the ud was once fretted, but evolved into the fretless instrument we now know. As for the courses, both stringing and tuning vary from country to country. The basic configuration in Syria, for example, is five doubles. Mine is Iranian and has bridge holes for six doubles, holes for twelve pegs, but only eleven actual pegs, and only eleven, more or less equally spaced, grooves in the nut. This gives me the option of a single additional top or bottom string. The tutorial I have in Farsi shows an instrument with 5 doubles in the middle with one single above _and_ one below them.
Tony > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Vance Wood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "lute list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2003 9:14 AM > Subject: Re: fretted ud > > > > Hi Ed: > > > > It is my understanding that the Ud is fretless and has only a single first > > course. I am no authority on the Ud, I am just echoing what I have learned > > around here and in some reading. However contrary to what most Lute > > players that I know think or believe, in the early history of the Lute > there > > were as many Lutes with a doubled first course as there were those with a > > single Chanterelle. According to Lundberg's research Lutes did not start > > finding themselves with a single first string until conversions starting > > making 6, 7, and 8 course Lutes into 9, 10, and larger formats. > > > > Vance Wood. > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Ed Durbrow" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "Vance Wood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "lute list" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 8:53 PM > > Subject: Re: fretted ud > > > > > > > >Does anyone know when this picture was painted? Not only are the frets > > > >interesting but the fact that the first course is doubled is > interesting > > as > > > >well. Here is an interesting thought (probably way off the wall) is > it > > > >possible that this is a painting of a very early Lute and not just an > > Oud? > > > > > > And what is the difference between a very early Lute and an Oud? > > > Double first strings are not all that rare, are they? > > > -- > > > Ed Durbrow > > > Saitama, Japan > > > http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/ > > > > >
