Oud
Arabic short-necked fretless lute.
What it means
The oud (Arabic al-ʿūd) is a short-necked lute with a pear-shaped, deep body and no frets. The pegbox is bent back. The oud usually has eleven strings: five double courses and a single low string. It is played with a plectrum, traditionally made from a feather quill.
Musical use
The oud is widespread in Arabic, Turkish, Persian and North African music. It accompanies singing, plays solo improvisations, the taqsim, and carries melodies in the maqam system, in which the lack of frets proves an advantage: the player can also stop quarter tones and fine gradations of pitch. The Iraqi oud master Munir Bashir (1930–1997) shaped solo playing. Its name lives on in the European word "lute", for the lute developed from the oud.
The oud should be distinguished from the European lute, which has frets, and from the guitar, which has a flat body and frets.
Performance practice
When you play the oud, listen for the finer points of intonation: without frets you determine every pitch yourself. Practise with a drone and stop the maqam steps exactly. Hold the plectrum loosely so that the attack stays soft.