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Gnawa music has become familiar to many Westerners; less familiar is Gnawa culture, religion, musical theory, musical instruments, and performing context of the Gnawa musicians. This online thesis (free, no download required) offers a good overview.

Gnawa music has become familiar to many Westerners; less familiar is Gnawa culture, religion, musical theory, musical instruments, and performing context of the Gnawa musicians. This online thesis (free, no download required) offers a good overview.

A thesis on the Moroccan Gnawa musician/healers; their performance context, metaphors of spiritual possession, their culture, a discography, and more.

Prof. Eric Charry's seminal ethnomusicology essay on the West African drum called "djembe" or "jenbe, jembe."

The timbral aspects of guqin technique are unparalleled in stringed instruments of the world. With over 20 different types of right hand plucking techniques and almost as many left hand fingering techniques, the potential for timbral contrasts between notes is immense. When listening to guqin music, the appreciation of timbral contrast is traditionally one of the most important aspects of the music. Such appreciation of contrast can happen locally from one note to the next or structurally - appreciating different sections of the music set in different timbral styles. Such appreciation for timbre on this level in Western music has only been present since the beginning of the 20th century in classical music.