If you are truly a fan of the Oud instrument , and really fascinated by its charm and its great rich history full of wonders , and it happens that you are in the “Kaaba of Oud,” as the makers call it, the city of Istanbul, then you should definitely pass by Mustafa Usta's modest and ancient workshop, and discover another world of creativity and dedication.
we've been there, and here we share with you the experience ♥ .
Mustafa Copçuoğlu :
Mustafa usta is one of the oldest professional oud makers in turkey now, was born in Tokat Turhal Pazar district in 1964. He completed his primary and secondary education in Pazar subdistrict. And there he developed a great interest in music. He graduated from Vocational High School engine department in 1982 and traveled to Istanbul. He took music lessons from Emin Ongan at the Üsküdar Music association and upon the recommendation of his friend named Fikret Işıkçı, he started his high school in Istanbul Technical University Conservatory in Instrument Making Department,. After completing the high school department, he completed his four-year undergraduate education in the same department with the third place and then received a master's degree in "Folk instruments" at the same university. He opened his workshop in 1986, made valuable ouds ever since, and trained a lot of local and foreign luthiers, especially Ramazan Calay and Murat Yerden.
Mustafa Copcuoğlu now shares his workshop with his son Burak Copcuoğlu who studied economics, worked in corporate life for a while, but preferred to choose his father's profession. We visited Mustafa Usta in his workshop, and had together a great conversation about this old loved instrument and the secrets in the making process,
- What types of wood do you use for your ouds? - I love to use mahogany wood. Apart from that, I also use paduk, rosewood, wenge, sycamore and rose trees.
- What should be paid attention to in order for the performer to obtain the tones that he expects from the oud instrument? - In order for the person playing the oud to obtain the desired tone, the first condition is to choose the wood correctly. It is necessary to calculate the vibration characteristics of the wood used in the body and its effect on the tone of the oud. Slice thickness in the back is the second important factor. The back should vibrate with the soundboard. The ancients wanted to feel the vibration from the back of the oud while playing it,
- How do you exchange ideas with the player while making his oud? - They often tell me what kind of sound they want from their instrument and leave the rest to my experience. Some of our curious friends make their own wood selection, but they exchange ideas with me in this process.
- What makes Copcuoğlu ouds different? - Our ouds are very comfortable to play. And when it comes to playing comfort; We count a few basic factors such as the distance between the strings, the softness of the bass, the distance between the fingerboard part and the strings. Measures are very important in oud, it is very difficult to obtain correct sounds with an incorrectly measured oud. You cannot learn to play this instrument with an oud that you cannot hear properly. Beginners need to pay attention to these basic factors in order to make the right choice.
- Does a good oud bring a good performance with it? - The sound you get from the instrument affects your modal creativity. If the oud is good and it gives the best quality of sounds, the musical richness of the player increases, which is reflected in his performance and musicality, especially in taksims. What creates this is the balance in the oud. The first condition of this is that the bridges we put under the soundboard, which we call the balcony system, must be very well adjusted. These bridges laid under the soundboard determine the character of the oud.
- What do professional performers pay attention to when choosing their instruments? - It is very important that the oud does not tire the performer. Usually there is Cacophony in the position of rast, and it makes the player feel afraid to press on it sometimes. This distress occurs in a few more positions in the fingerboard and this is where you know the difference between good and bad makers. A good maker should be able to prevent this from happening to give the maximum of confidence to the player while performing.
- How long do you need to finish an oud? - After deciding what kind of oud you want, we deliver it within an average of one month. After the oud is completed, we play and check it personally for about a week, we evaluate whether the instrument will meet the expectations or not, we see if there is any problem to fix, then we deliver it to the player.
- With the developing technology, machines have been doing everything to the finest detail. How did these developments affect your profession? - Ancient luthists used their hands more, so their craftsmanship was stronger. Since machines are so common nowadays, hand dexterity does not develop as much as before. Technology has advanced a lot, machines do everything but it is not able to give the instrument its needed soul. The maker adds his identity and personality to the oud that he makes with his own hands and care.
- Who is Mustafa Copcuoğlu's master? - Cafer Açın, he is the teacher of all the luthiers in our country. For example All what Ramazan Calay learned from me is based on what our teacher Cafer Açın taught me.
- Do you have any suggestions on the choice of strings in the Oud? - Number nine "Kürschner" strings are good, and if you want a little better you can use German "Pyramid" brand strings.
- How often does the oud need to be brought to the luthier for maintenance? - Regular maintenance, including string replacement, is required within six to eight months. It’s optional , after two to three years some dust starts to appear on the fingerboard, it need to be removed by a specialist,
- How much does a good oud cost? - A good instrument that you can play with pleasure starts at a minimum of $ 1000. This does not mean that it should not be cheap ouds
- Can anyone from anywhere in the world ask you to send an oud to his address by telling you what he wants without coming to Istanbul? - The internet is our window to the world. We send oud all over the world. People tell us what kind of oud they want. We pack it well in about two months and send it to all over the world by cargo. Our ouds are under our guarantee until they reach the customer. I have been sending in this way for twenty-five years, only once the cargo was damaged, they sent it back to us, we replaced it with a new one.
-to be continued - stay tuned,
Aymen Rahmeni
Great job keep going guys 🔥👌❤️