A oud, 'oud, or 'ud (Arabic: عود ) is a microscopic, pear-shaped, stringed musical instrument, still around utilize inside numbers of Arab musical traditions.

Regarded as a precursor to the European lute, its name is from either a Arabic word العود al-‘ūd 'a wood', which is probably a title of tree from either which the oud was processed. (A Arabic title, by using a definite article, is the source of the word 'lute'.)

Based on data from legend, a oud was invented by Lamak, a sixth grandson of Adam. the legend tells that a bereaved Lamak hung a body of his dead boy from either a tree. A 1st oud was inspired per shape of his boy's bleached skeleton. Historiographer yet, guess that a oud was invented per Mesopotamians between 1600 and 1150 BC.

A oud's features come similar to the guitar: a healthy pack, 5 to eight pairs of strings (except the last-place string which is unremarkably upright one string) which are then known as awtar (singular watar), the shorter neck (relative to the guitar) known as al-raqeba, at least of these hole (a bit of use many) known as al-qamaria, the bridge called al-ghazala, and keys for tuning a strings known as mafateeh. the bridge & a strings come bonded to the instrument within a similar fashion to the flamenco or even authoritative guitar, i personally.e. knotted at a bridge. A soundbox of the oud is parabolical or even pear shaped, that is, it doesn't have a straight back rather a guitar.

Arabic ouds come constructed somewhat other than than people obtained inside Turkey, Greece, & Armenia. Arabic ouds come somewhat deeper, have a hanker neck, & come unremarkably tuned other than than their Turkish-style counterparts. Turkish-style ouds have a brightly healthy than Arabic ouds.

A pick for a oud is usually just about the length of an stock-finger. Arabic players refer thereto as a reeshe or even risha, when Turkish players refer thereto as a mizrap. Traditionally these are mass produced from either the bird's feather, however these times thin plastic picks come utilized additional typically.

A oud plays an significant role inside virtually all Arab & Turkish classical music because of its ability to attractively express music in the Arabic patterns of maqam. A oud's fretless fingerboard allows players to more freely play a untempered intervals that come green to numbers of maqams.

A oud was introduced into Europe by Zyriab, where it evolved into a lute and ultimately a guitar which we understand in todays world.