Josh,
You could re-sting an oud, put frets on it, and tune it as a
pseudo-lute. I assume by "lute" you mean a six-course renaissance
instrument, but there are some major drawbacks that would make it an
impractical stand in for this. The neck is much shorter, which means
that you won't be able to play the upper register of pieces that
require this unless you fret a lot of (fretless) notes on the body. In
Arabic music the oud is almost entirely used to play single line
melodies, so the courses are closer together, which would make it
difficult to play chords. Also, most ouds, being constructed to be
played with a plectrum, are far more heavily built than lutes, which
means that you won't get much benefit out of playing with period right
hand technique.
Certainly purchase the oud if you like it as an oud. It's a fun
instrument all on it's own. Considering all the compromises needed to
make an oud act like a lute, however, I would say a much better
alternative is to just use a guitar if you can't afford a true lute.
Chris
Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A.
Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer
www.christopherwilke.com
__________________________________________________________________
From: Joshua Horn <[email protected]>
To: Lute Mailing List <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 10:58 PM
Subject: [LUTE] Oud as Lute?
Hi ya'll,
I have an Oud that's come my way that I can afford to buy. Can an Oud
be made to play as a Lute?? Is there any major differences that would
make it impossible to play as a Lute?
Josh
><> + Joshua Edward Horn + <><
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