‘When I play the oud, I carry the pains of Iraq as well as the dreams of its youth’: The craftsmen and musicians preserving an ancient Middle Eastern instrument

This article first appeared in our partner site, Independent Arabia

The oud, a stringed instrument, is believed to date back to around 2350 BC to the Akkadian civilisation located in present-day Iraq. It went on to become a popular musical instrument during the old Babylonian era (1950-1530 BC). The enchanting wooden box from which melodies resound was known by the Arabs of yore as an instrument, “the strings of which once moved, creates a melody that at times lulls one to sleep, and others causes one to weep”. The oud was favoured by philosophers and poets, reaching the peak of its glory in the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, and has been passed down through the generations. The instrument that found its root in ancient civilisation has gone through changes in its shape and strings before it took the form that we see today. However, despite the passage of time it has not lost its fascination and allure, and today this eleven-stringed instrument is centre-stage in Arab orchestras and is a part of the Arabic music repertory.

Crafting the oud

In his workshop located in the neighbourhood of Al Salhiya in Baghdad, it takes oud artisan Layth Fouad long hours of meticulous work to produce one instrument. Fouad refuses to use modern machines to craft his masterpieces as he believes they take away from the quality of the sound. He continues to make and assemble the oud by hand without the use of modern tools.

“Previously, in order to make the oud, we would use wood from walnut or lote trees. However, the industry has developed and many other kinds of woods have been introduced such as the Indian shisham and cocobolo wood,” explains Fouad. Speaking to Independent Arabia, he adds: “When the oud is made of Indian shisham wood, it produces a strong sound and is durable and lightweight. As for the oriental oud, it is preferable to use walnut wood for its manufacture, as it gives the oud a melodious sound”.

Fouad, who learned his trade from his father, spends between a month to a month and a half producing an oud without the strings (qayatin) which separate the oud ribs. If these strings were to be added, the process would take much more time.

Forty years of craftsmanship

Fouad boasts 40 years of experience in oud craftsmanship and since he started working independently from his father in 2008, he has made some 430 instruments. “The Iraqi oud has proved its efficiency and merit, and is now widely sought after from outside Iraq, especially from the Gulf countries, as the Iraqi oud differs in terms of sound, quality and durability,” he adds.

Different types of oud

Speaking about the oud market, Fouad says that the instrument comes in different sizes. The oriental oud comes in two types, “The length of the ulna or the neck is 20 cm in the first type and it is known as natural oriental, while the second type is characterised by a neck length of 19.5 cm. There is also a kind called ‘the pulling oud’ and it comes in two types as well. In the first type, the neck length is 19 cm according to measurements used by Naseer Shamma who is known as the ‘master of oud’. In the second type, the neck length is 19.5 cm and these are the measurements used by the famous musician Munir Bashir”.

The measurements adopted by the Arabic Oud House, a music school founded by instrumentalist Naseer Shamma, are centred on the idea that the oud should be comfortable for students who practise more than six hours a day. It is hard to work with a large instrument while practising for long hours. As for the plectrum or the quill, some musicians prefer it to be soft while others prefer a strong sharp quill, which gives the sound an additional depth.

Carefulness is crucial in the oud industry

Hussein Layth, a pharmacy student who has started to learn the craft of making the oud during lockdown, accompanies his father Layth Fouad is in his workshop. “The most difficult aspect of producing ouds is that there is no instruction manual; observing the oud is more important than any written measurements”, Hussein explains. He added that this process requires focus because mistakes can be costly. If there is even a slight mistake in connecting one of the oud ribs, it would be necessary to start all over again.

Learning to play the instrument

What drives Hussein to learn the art of oud making is his desire to learn how to play this instrument. He explains how he wants to master the process of oud making, “You have to grasp 60 per cent of the skills needed to be able to start the oud making process. The lines separating the ribs from one another require a high level of craftsmanship and it is very important for me to uphold my father’s reputation. This is why I aim to strike a balance between precision and time”.

After two years of learning, Hussein Layth has become skilled in making the vocal box known as the hollow body or the belly of the oud, which is made up of 18 ribs. During his apprenticeship, he has crafted 60 vocal boxes. The oud strings are usually imported and are added to the handmade instrument. Even the case of the oud is handmade and the bridge or the umbrella which accentuates the sound is also sculpted by hand.

The Golden Era of the Oud

The Arabic Oud House, a music school dedicated to teaching the oud, opened its doors in Baghdad in 2018. It is one of many such schools founded by the Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma. The first school was established in Cairo in 1998 and the institution has since been established in several other Arab cities including Alexandria and Khartoum in addition to Baghdad. It is expected to open a branch in Riyadh soon. Mohamad Al Attar, artistic director of the Arabic Oud House in Baghdad explains that, “our purpose in teaching the oud is to preserve the tradition of Iraqi oud schools which started with Al-Sharif Mohieddin Haidar, Jamil Bashir, Munir Bashir and Naseer Shamma”. He went on to add that the “Arabic Oud House uses a curriculum inspired by Iraqi, Turkish and Egyptian schools”, as well as the playing methods adopted by Jamil Bashir, Salem Abdul Karim and Naseer Shamma. These methods differ in terms of employing the fingers and the plectrum and the student learns the school curricula and special methods for playing the musical notes or tunes (maqamat).

A lot of hard work

Learning to play the oud is no easy feat and requires a lot of effort, study and training. Speaking to Independent Arabia, Naseer Shamma discusses his experience in establishing the Arabic Oud House in Cairo and other Arab cities. “The course of study at Arabic Oud House lasts two years with 12 lessons per month,” he explains, “after the student completes the period of study, he presents eight of his works before a committee of four people. The committee then meets to decide the degree and grades to award the student. The school is entitled to qualify the student to be a solo player”.

Passion for playing the oud

“I feel in harmony while striking the strings of the oud”, says Hoda Al Maamoun, a veterinary student whose passion for the oud led her to enrol in the Mustafa Zayer Centre for Music. Al Maamoun, who loves oriental melodies, sees the oud as an escape from life and the pressures of her studies. “I practise every single day”, she adds, “I practise four hours a day during the holidays and two hours during term time”. Al Maamoun dreams of mastering the instrument so that she is able to compose her own melodies.

A culture of learning the oud

The Mustafa Zayer Centre for Music located in the Adhamiyah district of Baghdad is made up of a group of amateur musicians coming from various backgrounds and united by their love of playing the oud. The centre was founded in 2016 by Mustafa Zayer, instructor of oud at the Institute of Music Studies in Baghdad. “This is a private centre funded by the fees students pay to enrol in the music learning courses”, he explains. Zayer does not consider the oud an instrument confined to the classroom, rather it has a large audience and performances of the oud resonate with people. Zayer wishes to use his experience to expand his reach into other areas of Baghdad and the provinces.

The contemporary oud

“The crisis in Iraq has left an imprint on my music and distinguishes my work. When I play, I carry the pains of Iraq as well as the hopes and dreams of its youth”, says Zayer. In terms of his musical style, Zayer belongs to the contemporary school of oud, which is a departure from classical music. “For the oud to reach the public, it has to speak to them and to blend tradition and modernity together”, he says.

Fighting extremism

The oud player and instructor Salman Shukr once described the oud as “a polite instrument” and added that when a player masters it, it produces the most refined sounds. Shukr explained, “When musical instruments are in the hands of talented musicians, everything that comes out of them is refined”. Shamma, who believes that music plays an important role in ridding society of extremism, considers that “if we have a musician in every home, we play a role in eliminating extremism, fanaticism and all forms of racism and terrorism”.

Mohamad Fares, one of the students enrolled in the centre, says that “music impacts society and brings inner peace”.

A difficult path

Naseem Sami, founder of the Baghdad Oud Band and instructor of oud at the Institute of Music Studies points to the fact that although there is a growing demand among young people to learn how to play the oud, the field is facing two main challenges. The first is the quality of instruments as well as the absence of fixed technical curricula to replace the subjective judgement and instructions of the professors. The second challenge is that not enough music is being produced. There is a lot of attention on producing songs, and not enough on producing music involving instruments such as the oud. All of these factors are obstacles to teaching the oud or any other musical instrument.

Mustafa Zayer believes that government reluctance in supporting the arts affects the whole cultural scene. “Our government is not interested in culture because it does not produce a financial return,” he opines, “on the contrary, the state considers culture a drain on resources”. Zayer highlights that what Iraq needs is a successful model for publicising culture (through theatre or musical shows) as this would support culture in general and music in particular.

The pulling oud

The pulling oud is a type of oud created by the famous oud manufacturer Mohamad Fadl Al Jawhari, in collaboration with the Iraqi artist Munir Bashir who asked Al Jawhari to make a weather-resistant oud. In this version, the “bridge” that links the pulling oud strings was moved to the back of the oud so that the player would be able to pull the strings upwards without the need to press on the oud surface.

Reviewed and proofread by Tooba Ali and Celine Assaf