Here is a video about constructing and shaping an Oud Risha / pick / mizrab. We showed three types of Oud mizrab material namely, Talonite, Mizrite, and cable ties.
Things you’ll need:
1 piece coarse sand paper
1 piece fine sand paper
Oud mizrab blanks or heavy duty cable ties from your hardware store.
A few important things to remember:
Use coarse sandpaper to create the main shape and use fine sandpaper to smooth out the edges.
Experiment with different shapes and sizes of mizrab to find what you like or what works best for you.
Sound comparison:
It may not be clear from the video how each mizrab sounds. They may all sound the same to you. You will have to try them out yourself. My own experience with these three types of materials is that Talonite is relatively soft to hold and soft when attacking the strings. Mizrite is a harder material, but the attack is only slightly more than Talonite. The type of cable ties I bought are the heavy duty ones from Home Depot. These seem to be denser than Mizrite and I like the way they play and feel. The only down side to them is that they take a long time to sand.
If you choose to try cable ties you will need to sand down past the grooves or else the grooves will catch the strings when you play and it won’t feel comfortable.
Please feel free to comment on what materials worked the best for you from your own experience.
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Navid…this was interesting. i am always on the search for the “right” piece of material for an Oud pick. I would like to add that on certain cable ties i have hammered the end down and then used various sand paper girts. Also, fine cut files will help shape the tip. I have been enjoying your videos on playing the Oud very much so. Your style of tutorial is easy to work with….hopefully we will be meeting up. A few questions….where are you located(country) I am in the USA. I have a Hadi made in 1974..Turkish style. What type or brand strings would you recommend for replacements? I would like to keep in touch…thank you for sharing all you knowledge..it is of great help to a beginner such as myself…THANK YOU….MIKE.
I’m glad you found it interesting! Yes, I do the same with fine sand paper. Have you heard of cow horn Oud picks? I live in Canada. For strings, I would recommend checking out http://www.oudstrings.com, You will find the best selection of Turkish strings there. http://www.juststrings.com is also good, but not much selection. I do not use Turkish string sets, so I do not know which is the best. If I were you, I would give Aquila, Thomastik-infeld, la bella, or pyramid a try. I have not tried Thomastik-infeld myself though. Please keep in touch. Great to hear from you!
Thank you very much for sharing this Navid. To be honest all your videos are extremely helpful, and I appreciate your effort.
One question about the cable ties, do you recommend any specific brand or size?