Describe a musical instrument you would like to play

The instrument I would like to play is the oud. It's a traditional Arabic instrument, a bit like a guitar but the body is round like half a pear, and the neck is short and bend backwards at the top. It has eleven strings and no frets, so you have to find the notes by ear.

I'm interested in it mainly because of my grandfather. He didn't play himself, but he had a big collection of old records, and every Friday after lunch he use to put on one and close his eyes. I was sitting with him, and slowly I fell in love to the sound. It's very deep and a little bit sad.

If I learned it, I think I would go to a teacher, because I think it is too difficult to learn alone with no frets. There is a cultural centre in Jabal Amman where they give lessons on the weekend, and it is not so expensive. Also I would watch videos in YouTube to practise at home.

If I can play it, I would feel very proud, honestly. I'd like to play at my cousin's wedding or just for my family in the evening. And I think it would make me more relax, because music is a good way to forget about stress of the work.

The instrument I'd really like to learn is the oud. For anyone who hasn't seen one, it's a bit like a lute: it's got a big rounded body shaped like half a pear, a short neck that bends sharply back at the top, and eleven strings. The tricky thing is that it has no frets, so you have to rely entirely on your ear to play in tune.

What got me interested was my grandfather. He wasn't a musician, but he had a huge collection of old records of the great Egyptian and Iraqi players, and every Friday after the family lunch he'd put one on and drift off in his armchair. I used to sit at his feet pretending to read, but really I was listening, and that warm, slightly melancholy sound has stayed with me ever since.

If I ever got round to learning it, I'd definitely want a proper teacher, at least at first, because without frets it's very easy to pick up bad habits. There's a cultural centre in Jabal Amman that runs evening classes, so I'd probably sign up there and then fill the gaps with the online tutorials.

As for how I'd feel, I think it would be incredibly satisfying. My dream would be to play something at a family gathering, maybe one of the songs my grandfather loved, and see the older relatives recognise it. I also suspect it would be good for me in a quieter way, because practising something that demands that much concentration leaves no room to worry about anything else.

The one I'd love to play is the oud, the short-necked lute you hear all over the Arab world. It has a deep, rounded belly made of strips of wood, a pegbox that's bent back almost at a right angle, and eleven strings, but no frets at all, which means every note depends on where your finger lands, to the millimetre.

My fascination with it goes back to my grandfather. He couldn't play a note, but he had shelves full of scratchy recordings of the old masters, and Friday afternoons in his flat were essentially listening sessions. He'd sit with his eyes closed, humming along slightly out of tune, and I'd lie on the rug picking out the oud from the strings around it. Even as a child I could tell it was the instrument doing the talking.

If I were to take it up, I'd want to do it properly. There's a teacher at a cultural centre in Jabal Amman who's known for being strict about technique, and I'd rather put up with that at the start than spend years unlearning mistakes. Realistically, I'd aim for two lessons a week, with half an hour of scales every morning before work.

How would I feel? Honestly, I think it would be a way of keeping him around. If I could sit at a family wedding and play one of the pieces he used to hum, I'd feel I'd given something back to him. And beyond that, I imagine there's a particular kind of calm that comes from making that sound yourself rather than just listening to it.