‘UD, also spelled OUD, stringed
musical instrument considered "the king of instruments"
by many in the Arab world, is probably the oldest
and most central instrument in the Middle Eastern
music tradition. It is also known as the ancestor
of the European lute. Oud's name derives from al-oud
or in Arabic - branch of wood. The oud has a deep,
pear-shaped body and a fretless fingerboard, which
allows the player to play microtonal modes or nonwestern
scales. The strings are made out of gut and metal
or nylon and metal, plucked with a plectrum (pick
or rishy in Arabic). The rishy can be made out of
plastic, deer horn or eagle feather. The strings are
fastened to a tension (guitar-type) bridge on the
instrument's belly. The oud has eleven strings, five
pairs of strings in which each pair tuned to the same
pitch, and one additional single bass string. The
most common tuning, starting from the bass, is C,
F, A, D, G, C, but there are other tunings that vary
from country to country. The oud produces the most
mellow and deep expressive sounds.