Oud is an Arabic Musical Instrument belonging to the Chordophone family of instruments. It is a short-neck, lute-type, pear-shaped stringed instrument having no frets. Normally an Oud has 11 strings grouped in six courses. There are Ouds with 5 or 7 courses having 10 or 13 strings respectively. It has a Fingerboard and Tuning Pegs.
A Lute is a Plucked String Instrument having a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity. Usually Lute instruments have a sound hole on its body. Ouds have been used in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia for many years. There are three main categories of modern-day Ouds – Arabian, Turkish and Persian. The Arabian Ouds are larger than the Turkish and Persian ones. They produce a full, deep sound. The Persian one is also called as Barbat but have a smaller body, longer neck and a slightly raised fingerboard.
The strings of Oud are plucked using a Plectrum. It is called as Risha in Arabic, Mizarp in Turkish and Zakhme in Persian.
Let us watch a video on basic Oud Lesson
