Group items tagged

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.

The term kemenche (Turkish: kemençe, Laz: Ç'ilili - ჭილილი, Persian: کمانچه, Greek: κεμεντζές) is used to describe two types of three-stringed bowed musical instruments: 1. a bottle-shaped lute closely related to the Persian Kamanche, found in the Black Sea region of Asia Minor, it is also known as the "kementche of Laz" or Pontic kemenche and 2. a pear-shaped lute closely related to the Byzantine lyra, found mainly in Instabul and the Eastern regions of Turkey, known as Classical kemenche.

The rebab (Arabic الرباب or رباب - "a bowed (instrument)") [1], also rebap, rabab, rebeb, rababah, or al-rababa) is a type of string instrument so named no later than the 8th century and spread via Islamic trading routes over much of North Africa, the Middle East, parts of Europe, and the Far East. The bowed variety often has a spike at the bottom to rest on the ground, and is thus called a spike fiddle in certain areas...

The quijada (jawbone of a donkey or burro) is a great "guiro-type" percussion instrument. It's a rather large jawbone, fully-toothed. The variety of sounds a Quijada player can get is pretty thrilling (to me, anyway).

History, Instruments, Composers, Performers, Listen, Types, Associations

Ibrahima Camara and Safal performing Dunyubayante. Ibrahima Camara and Safal fuse many types of music including mbalax, Afropop highlife, soukous, funk...

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.