Dear friends, colleagues and ud lovers,

Hereby I want to answer to some frequently asked questions.

* I have a new model 13 string ud, made by Ramazan Calay, it has two extra bass strings, I tune it all in 4th intervals. So the tuning is -low to high- D#,G#,C#,F#,B,E,A,D

* I read Western contemporary notes and chord symbols fluently.

* I was playing Turkish folk instrument 'baglama' before ud playing for a long time, that helped me to start ud with folk music approach. Same time I was very much into Flamenco, Arabic Music, Persian, Indian, Jazz and modern & classic western music and of course I was listening many intercultural music groups.

* I started ud with traditional Turkish music as many of my colleagues. But I switched to Sharif Muhyiddin Targan's method. After finishing his method and playing his compositions, I searched for for years for an advance technique that I can play anything with. I found & developed my left hand -finger streching and positioning- technique in 5 years, I am still working on it.

* I've never played guitar, -cannot play a fretted instrument- but I love the influence of Flamenco & Jazz guitar to my ud souncd.

* I play a Turkish ud made by Ramazan Calay from Istanbul, recommended!