Short-necked Arabic lute, the direct ancestor of the European
lute, whose name derives from
al 'ud (the lute). Some instruments have frets and some are fretless. The strings are arranged in double courses (in pairs, with each pair tuned in unison). The five course ud is the most common and popular form among performers, and the instrument is used in a great variety of art, folk, and popular music.
© RM 2009. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.