The oud, often called the “sultan of instruments” or “king of instruments”, is a fretless Middle Eastern lute with ancient roots going back over 5,000 years to Mesopotamia.
Loved by musicians across the Arab world, Turkey, Iran, and beyond, the oud is the soulful heart of Middle Eastern music, based on modal systems called makam (or maqam). Its influence can be heard in the evolution of the European lute and even the modern guitar.
But the oud is more than a traditional instrument — it’s a cultural bridge and a timeless voice in both classical and modern music.
From Naples to the East
As an Italian, the oud wasn’t part of my heritage. We have mandolins, lutes… sure.
But growing up in Naples, a city steeped in Mediterranean culture, I now see the connections more clearly.
Our folk melodies, melismatic singing, and fiery emotional spirit echo influences from Greek, Turkish, and Arab traditions. It’s passionate, chaotic (very chaotic…), deeply human — just like Naples itself.
The oud is, for me, the hidden voice of Naples and the south of Italy — a sound deeply embedded in its history, yet never fully acknowledged by its own culture.
The Moment That Changed Everything
Back then, I was a gigging bass player, studying jazz and classical music at the conservatory in Parma, when I first heard the sound of the oud.
It was a Turkish album of oud taksims (instrumental improvisations) that instantly mesmerized me.
It wasn’t academic.
The sound hit something deeper.
It spoke directly to my heart.
That’s the power of music — it bypasses logic and goes straight to the soul.
A Decade in Turkey
That moment set me on a different path.
I began exploring instruments like the oud, ney, and kanun, diving into new musical languages. Eventually, I felt compelled to move to Turkey to live the music truly.
That chapter lasted ten years.
A New Chapter
The image above is AI-generated. I’m aware of its limits, and I don’t confuse it with lived experience. Still, I found it interesting how it visually echoed something close to my path: a meeting between cultures, histories, and musical languages — a Roman and an Ottoman figure, somewhere in a northern landscape far from both.
I am based in Edinburgh, in a phase of synthesis shaped by displacement.
After years immersed in music, I bring together the first Neapolitan song I heard from my mother, my Italian roots, my background in jazz, rock and classical music, and the deep musical knowledge I absorbed in Türkiye into a single, evolving voice.
This work moves between cultures, not to merge them, but to hold them in tension — a space where memory, place, and musical language can coexist without resolution.
For me, music has always been a form of inquiry — almost a spiritual practice.
Discovering the oud didn’t just add an instrument to my life; it changed my way of listening, thinking, and composing. And it continues to shape everything I do.
Let's Connect
This is my first blog post, and I wanted to share a glimpse of my story.
I’ll be posting more about the oud, the music, and this ongoing creative journey.
📝 Leave a comment below, send your thoughts, or just say hi via the contact page.
I’d love to hear from you!