Front and back of an Oud. Image Courtesy of Wikimedia commons.

Ryan Libel: May I ask what kind of instrument that is? [eyes toward unfamiliar shaped case strapped to stranger’s back]

Random Stranger: It’s an Oud.

RL: Hmm!  How do you spell it?

RS: O-U-D pause it’s like the granddaddy of the lute.

RL: Oh!  Pause I play the violin.

RS: Hmmm!

From Wikipedia:  “The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in Arabic, Greek, Turkish, Persian, Jewish, Byzantine, Azerbaijanian, Armenian, North African (Chaabi, Classical, and Spanish Andalusian), Somali and Middle Eastern music. Construction of the oud is similar to that of the lute. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths. One instrument that has been suggested as ancestral is the Barbat. The oud is readily distinguished from the lute by its lack of frets and smaller neck. Alongside the lute, it is considered an ancestor of the guitar.”

I learned something today!

Thanks for reading.

Ryan