| 1. Oud building book | 3. My own oud building project |
| 2. My comments regarding this book | 4. Rosettes designs |
1. Oud building book
If you intend to make your own oud, it's not so simple to get plans and/or directions for it. I can assure that, since I was looking that info for a long time. Richard Hankey is an American luthier who wrote the book shown below.
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"The Oud, Construction and Repair" by Richard
Hankey (Dr. Oud) 138 pages with 100+ pictures, detail drawings of all parts,
and instructions for fixtures and tools. The design is based on the early
Hanna Nahat model, circa 1910. The book sells for USD $35, plus
shipping cost to your location.
The book can be ordered directly from Richard's book
store at: Richard's website: www.droud.com Inquiries to droud@droud.com Dr. Oud Press |
Comments by the author: "I started my first oud in 1968, after
being frustrated trying to find one to buy. My friend let me measure his
Karibyan, and I made my first oud from those measurements. This oud is now with
a friend whose 5 year old son has declared that he wants to play oud, not his
father's mandolin!
I developed my construction methods and techniques by doing guitar repair and
studying European lute construction. I found no information in any language
describing in detail how to make the oud. Over the years I repaired many ouds
and bought several broken ouds to measure and analyze. I have parts of 3 old
Nahats, a face from Hanna, a back from Roufan (brothers) and a complete oud by
Georges (the nephew). I recently restored a 1902 Hanna, back to original
condition complete with all the decorations, from photos taken in 1946.
My purpose for writing this book is to pass down my knowledge and hope others
add their experiences to preserve and improve the making of ouds. Dr. Oud is a
nickname I acquired after repairing ouds for musicians that had given up trying
to get repairs done by guitar shops".
Go to Richard Hankey's instruments shown in "photo & sound gallery"
2. My comments regarding this book : This book is an amazing tool to whom are looking for a handbook in order to make their own ouds. I must say, since I had no previous skills regarding woodworking, that is intended mainly for people with some knowledge of woods and how to work them. Anyway, it is fully explained (step-by-step) with many photos, and some doubts I had were cleared by Richard himself, or my local wood store seller. Highly recommended if you plan to make your oud.
3. My own oud building project : Well, finally I started my own building project. I'll build an oud based on Richard Hankey's book, but slightly modified to make a 7-course oud. Anyway it will have just one rose, like the Nahat model seen in the cover above. Click here to check out my slow (but steady I hope) progress... :-).
4. Rosettes designs : here you have different rosettes (roses) photos, so you can get an idea about how to make your own pattern, or simply copy one of them. Go now!
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