Oud in this case is not referring to incense but rather the musical instrument. It’s name, oud, is derived from the Arabic meaning a thin piece of wood. In the Arab world, the oud is considered to be one of the oldest musical instruments. In fact, it is the most central instrument in the Middle Eastern music tradition. Some others believe that it is the ancestor of the Pharaonic Egyptian Nefer, whereas, some others say that this instrument is the forebearer of the ancient Persian barbat. Beside this, oud is also known as the ancestor of the European lute.
Some of the defining features of this instrument are as follows:
- Strings- this instrument consists of 11 strings. Among them, 10 strings are paired together, whereas, the lowest string remains single.
- Peg box- from the neck of the oud, the peg box is bent back at a 45-90° angle.
- Sound Holes- this instrument usually has 1-3 oval or circular shaped sound holes.
- Body- the body of the oud has a staved and bowl-like back.
The oud makes a unique sound due to its short neck which has no frets.
The most common string combination is five pairs of strings tuned in unison and a single bass string, although up to thirteen strings may be found. Strings are generally made of nylon or gut, and are plucked with a plectrum known as a risha (Arabic for feather). Modern strings are made of steel wound over nylon. The instrument has a warm timbre, low tessatura, and is often intricately decorated.
Here is a short clip of Abadi Al-Johar playing the oud at a concert in Dubai:
Source:
http://www.erratum.org/datas/MUSICOLOGY/The%20Oud%20-%20The%20King%20of%20Arabic%20Instruments.pdf
http://www.arabinstruments.com/112730/The-Oud-instrument
