Its tonal system divides an octave into 24 non-equal) intervals. Each tone has its own name (not repeated in the next octave) and is defined by its position relative to other tones - rather than absolute pitch. Pitch can deviate by as much as 1/4 from named pitch. Independence in pitch is possible because Arabic music does not use harmony - no chords to sound "sour" or "off."
Swara, the Sanskrit word for tonal center, forms the fundamental basis for the Indian path of music. Although it is difficult to be precise about the etymological meaning, there are references elucidating 'swara' as a tone which can shine or resonate by itself.
Though he was born in the string quarry of Russia and refined in the purifying precincts of Juilliard, Zhurbin turned out to be a lover of gritty hybrids. The music he writes and plays is full of Brahmsian tone, Bartok lines, hiccupping Hungarian rhythms, Klezmer soul and the sexy plaintiveness of tango and the blues.
---Justin Davidson, Newsday. //
Rustic dances and evocative soundscapes, all crafted from ... the gorgeously grainy purr of his fiddle.
---Steve Smith, Time Out New York. //
Eclectic with an ear for texture...Throaty melodies supported by pizzicato rhythms, lush chordal figures and counterpoint.
---Allan Kozinn, New York Times.
Eclectic with an ear for texture...Throaty melodies supported by pizzicato rhythms, lush chordal figures and counterpoint.
---Allan Kozinn, New York Times
Something like hearing the rural roots of Roland Kirk. Voice & flute vocalize together. Luminous, haunting, joyous, grief-stricken, a cry, a laugh, a call, a weeping...Peul (Fulani) flute (tambin) music is masterful in Sylvain Leroux's charge...Echos of Baaba Maal's musical scales, tone, and tenor.
Professional tanpura and shruti, high quality sound, five-band equalizer, advanced metronome, pitch/speed change, high-precision tuning, tone generator, audio-file player, and much more...
Something like hearing the rural roots of Roland Kirk. Voice & flute vocalize together. Luminous, haunting, joyous, grief-stricken, a cry, a laugh, a call, a weeping...Peul (Fulani) flute (tambin) music is masterful in Sylvain Leroux's charge...Echos of Baaba Maal's musical scales, tone, and tenor.
CELTIC-BREIZH for CITTERN or BOUZOUKI. (BREST is a port in BRITTANY). The tuning is as follows: DGCF. But it is simply a tone below the EADG typically used. The reason for this tuning is to gain a tonality approaching the MANDOCELLO.
Characteristics
The following characteristics are shared between Iranian and other Central Asian music:
* The music is mainly monophonic, with each instrument in an ensemble following one melodic scheme.
* The music is based upon a modal system; with each mode engendering different melodic types, called gushehs in Farsi. The execution of the melodic types are left up to the musician.
* The use of microtones divides the scales into more than twelve semi-tones.
* A priority is given to ornamentation.
* There are a number of substantial pauses in each piece.
The following are characteristics which distinguish Persian music from other Central Asian music:
* Melodies are concentrated on a relatively narrow register.
* Melodic movement occurs by conjunct steps.
* Emphasis is on cadence, symmetry, and motivic repetition at different pitches.
* Rhythmic patterns are kept simple.
* The tempo is often rapid, and the ornamentation is dense.
* Vocal parts are often decorated with Tahrir, a vocal ornamentation similar to yodeling.
* Also, Iranian music is unique in the Middle Eastern tradition in that the different melodic phrases, or gushes are supposed to model the rhythmic stamp and melodic pattern of poetry.