oud

Fretless Middle Eastern instrument

Oud is a stringed instrument central to Arabic music, with a short neck, pear-shaped body, and no frets.

It's the ancestor of the European lute.

Separately, oud (also agarwood) is a dark, fragrant resin from infected tropical trees, prized in perfumery and incense: The perfume has base notes of oud and sandalwood.

instrument

lute

Pear-bodied fretted strings

stringsThin flexible lines
fretlessHaving no fingerboard dividers
pear-shapedBulging below, narrow above

plucked · soundhole · pegbox · neck · bridge · rosette · bowl · soundboard · courses · tuning

perfume

aloeswood

Resin-laden aromatic timber

fragrancePleasing olfactory quality
resinViscous plant secretion
incenseAnger greatly, or aromatic resin

attar · essential · aromatic · scent · woody · smoky · earthy · luxurious · distillation · oil

sound

resonant

Deeply vibrating with sound

sonorousDeep and full-toned
warmModerately heated, or friendly
richHaving much of something

deep · mellow · plaintive · haunting · lyrical · expressive · meditative · soulful · melancholic · evocative

playing

plucking

Removing by tugging

strummingSweeping across guitar strings
fingeringNote-playing hand technique
techniqueSkilled way of performing

virtuoso · maestro · musician · performer · soloist · accompaniment · melody · harmony · composition · improvisation

arabic

ornamentation

Decorative additions to something

melismaMulti-note syllable singing
improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
modalPertaining to form

monophonic · Farid · ensemble · Cairo · Baghdad · Damascus

regional

biwa

Japanese plucked string instrument

bouzoukiGreek long-necked lute
mandolinPlucked eight-string lute descendant
lutePear-bodied fretted strings

tar · Persia · Turkey · Greece · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Levant · Maghreb

oud