Word | Definition |
kamancheh | spiked fiddle, with 3 or 4 strings, bowed with horsehair bow, used throughout middle east |
sehtar | small, long-necked, fretted lute with 4 strings, plucked with the nail of the right index finger, used in Persian classical music |
tar | Lute with long neck, frets, six strings, and heavy, waisted body, plucked a pick, used in various parts of the Middle East but principally in Iran, in classical but also in popular and folk music |
santour | trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer, played with two balsa wood mallets, used throughout the middle east but particularly in iran and turkey |
dombak (zarb) | term used for various single-skin drums in the middle east, but principally for the goblet-shaped drum used in Persian classical music |
ney (nai) | end-blown flute (5 finger holes) used through the middle east |
zorna | double-reed instrument, trumpet shaped |
khandan | religous music such as the chanting of the Koran with no rhythm, only vocal |
musiqui | opposite fo khandan, has instruments, rhythm, meter and can be soemthing that can be danced to |
radif | in persian classical music, the body of the music, consisting of 250-300 short pieces, memorized by students and then used as the basis or point of departure for improvised performance. contains 12 different dastgahs |
dastgah | (mid east) generic name of the 12 modes of persian classical music |
daramad | the first scale in each dastgah which is a melody fo a radiff |
gusheh | subdivision of a dastgah, and smallest constituent part of the radif, in persian classical music |
maqam | generic term for mode, or system of composing melody, in arabic classical music. the term is used throughout the middle east and the concept appears with different names such as dastgah and gusheh in persian or mugam in azerbijan |
umm kulthum | a young egyptian singer who sang egyptian pop music, and was a part of the revolution of egypt from england |
pishdaramad | literally "beofre the introduction." Introductory piece, composed, metric, and usually played by an ensemble, in performace of persian classical music |
chahar mezrab | virtuosic composed metric solo piece in persian classical music |
avaz | in persian classical music, the improvised, nonmetric section, rendered vocally or instrumentally, that is central in the performance |
tasnif | type of composed, metric song in persian music, with words (though sometimes performed instrumentally) and a part of a full classical performance though also found in popular music |
reng | in persian classical music, the final piece of a performance, based on the musical traditions of folk dance |
sitar | primary plucked string instrument of hindustani music |
tabla | a pair of drums used in hindustani music |
tambura | a stringed drone instrument |
vina | primary plucked instrument fo karnatak music |
sarod | a fretless, plucked string instrument of hindustani music originally coming from afghanistan |
mridangam | double-headed, barrel-shaped drum of karnatak music |
tala | meter (india) |
raga | a scale and its associated musical characteristics such as the number of pitches it contains, its manner of ascending and descending, its predominant pitch, and so forth |
hindustani tradition | in music, referring to north indian musical style |
karnatak tradition | in music, referring to south indian musical style |
vedic chants | intoned verses for ancient religious ceremonies performed by brahman priests |
drone | a note in the background this is continuous throughout the whole song |
alap | raga improvisation in free rhythm |
jor | the section of hindustani instrumental performance which follows alap and introduces a pulse |
jhala | the concluding section of instrumental improvisation following jor in hindustani music during which the performer makes lively and fast rhythmic patterns on the dron strings of an instrument |
gat | the section of hindustani instrumental performance accompanied by tabla, in which a tune, the gat, is alternated with improvisational passages, tora |
kriti | the major song type of karnatak music |
ravi shankar | world's most famous sitar player |
ali akbar khan | world famous sarod player |
gamelan | generic name for indonesian orchestras; percussions, little bronze bowls, xylophones, flute, stringed instruments, mostely metallic percussion music |
gender | an instrument having thin bronze slab keys individually suspended over tube resonators |
bonang | multioctave bronze instrument responsible for elaborations in javanese gamelan |
suling | indonesian vertical flute |
rebab | a type of javanese bowed flute |
gong ageng | the main gong of the gamelan |
pelog | the heptatonic tuning system of javanese music |
slendro | the pentatonic tuning system of javanese music |
kecak | a type of dance drama acompanied by a large male chorus that chants rhythmically |
colotomic structure | where instruments will play on a certain number of beats and there are a certain number of beats in a song or phrase |
gamelan gong kebyar | fast style of playing with many changes |
wayang kulit | indonesian shadow play accompanied with gamelan music |
chieftains | group from england that does traditional celtic music and records with popular artists |
bela bartok | famous composer who was one of the first ethnomusicologist, and wrote alot of classical music with hungarian influence |
klezmer | jewish instrumental ensembles that performed, often professionally, for both jewish and non-jewish social functions |
flamenco | a spanish dance, with guitars and violin and there is alot of stomping and muslim influence |
fado | blues songs, come from portugal |
toru takemitsu | japanese composer, incorporated japanese instruments into classical music, "november steps" his big piece featuring biwa and sakahachi |
lou harrison | composer who is very interested in gamelans, wrote regular with western instruments and gamelans |
steve reich | composer who writes alot of music and uses minimalism also influenced by african drumming |
minimalism | type of music where some sort of pattern is repeated over and over |
muddy waters | blues musician that was famous around the 40s and 50s and had a major influence on rock and roll |
robert johnson | blues musician from the 30s tht lived the "blues life"-drinking, womanizing, traveling, and dying young |
leadbelly (hubert ledbeller) | combined blues music and folk music, and did some jail time for murder at a young age |
bluegrass | music that will become country music |
bill monroe | the "father of bluegrass" |
carter family | a family group a husband, wife and her cousin who sang a wide variety of folk music, first to be recorded and sold in the 30s and 40s. |
les paul | invented the electric guitar and performed with his wife mary ford |
woody guthrie | the voice of protest back in the 30s and 40s and is associated with labor unions. sang "this land is your land" |
Bollywood | Indian Hollywood |
John Cage | 1930-1940s interested in Eastern Philiosophy, Zen Buddhism part of music, developed prepared piano |
Prepared Piano | adjust strings by putting wooden blocks, paperclips etc to make different sounds, sounds like gamelan |
John McLaughlin | guitarist, played with Indian musicians, formed groups combining Indian and Western Music |
Shakti | Formed in 1975, pioneered a groundbreaking and highly influential east-meets-west collaborative approach. The group, whose name means creative intelligence, beauty and power, consisted of legendary British jazz guitarist John McLaughlin etc... |
12 bar blues | pattern of 12 bar progression in standatd blues. gained popularity on black stations in the 30-40s |
blues | a vocal and instrumental musical form which evolved from African American spirituals, shouts, work songs and chants and has its earliest stylistic roots in West Africa. |