Glossary

Originated in Nigeria, it is a style of music that combines elements of hip-hop, R&B, and traditional African rhythms.

Originated in South Africa, it is a style of music that combines elements of house music and traditional African rhythms.

This genre is influenced by the music of the Moors in Al-Andalus (Medieval Iberian Peninsula) and has a strong emphasis on the use of melody and rhythm.

A wooden xylophone.

A unit of time, the underlying pulse.

This genre is mostly from the bedouin culture and characterized by its use of the oud, Tabl and the use of poetry that reflects the Bedouin's way of life and culture.

A wooden-framed drum of North Africa.

Also known filmi and Hindi film music, is the music composed for the Indian film industry, known as Bollywood.

A long-necked lute with a pear-shaped body, mostly used in the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt.

Contemporary Chinese popular music.

Also known as the adhan, is the Islamic call to worship that is recited by the muezzin, the person appointed to lead the call to prayer.

A common element in African music, where a leader sings or plays a phrase and the rest of the group responds with a similar phrase.

Contemporary Cantonese popular music.

Classical music commonly associated with South India.

A genre mostly from the Maghreb region (Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco) and characterized by its use of the guembri (a type of lute) and the use of poetry that reflects the social issues and people's daily life.

Also known as Chinese theatre, is a traditional form of Chinese performing arts that combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics.

Pitches sounding simultaneously.

Popular music during the Tang Dynasty.

Also known as “Arabic art music,” this genre is characterized by its complex rhythms and melodies, as well as its use of traditional instruments such as the oud, qanun, and nay. It is the foundation of all Arabic music and has a long history dating back to the medieval period.

A policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas.

The milieu in which the music develops.

A frame drum used by the Uyghurs.

A hand-held drum played with the fingers; goblet drum with a distinct sharp sound.

A flute.

A djembe or jembe is a rope-tuned, skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa.

A constant and unchanging sound that provides a foundation for the melody to be played or sung.

A traditional long-necked two-stringed lute used by the Uyghurs.

How loud or soft a piece of music is.

Genre characterized by its use of the oud, the qanun, and the tabla (drum).

A two-stringed fiddle.

Music used in Indian films blending classical, folk, and popular music; also known as Bollywood.

A wind instrument played by blowing into a hole and commonly used in both Hindustani and Carnatic music.

Also known as traditional Arabic music, is a genre of Arabic music that has its roots in the traditional culture and customs of the Arab people.

The traditional music of the country's ethnic minorities and Han Chinese people.

The structure of a musical composition.

Originated in the Sudan, it is a style of music that combines elements of traditional Sudanese music with Western influences.

A general category that refers to the purpose of music, the kind and number of instruments and voices participating in the performance, or its form and style.

A drum made of an earthen pot.

A West African musician, storyteller, and oral historian.

A genre characterized by its use of the oudand the traditional percussion instrument “Tabl” and has a strong influence from the Bedouin culture.

A seven-stringed zither.

A plucked zither with up to 21 strings.

A small reed organ played with the fingers and used to provide accompaniment in Indian classical music.

The combination of different pitches played or sung at the same time to create a chord.

A type of texture or musical technique where multiple musicians or singers perform the same melody simultaneously, but with slight variations in rhythm, melody or ornamentation.

Originated in Ghana and Nigeria in the early 20th century; it is a fusion of African rhythms and Western brass band music.

Classical music from the northern regions of India characterized by its use of improvisation and the influence of devotional and Sufi music.

Music known also as India pop.
It combines Indian classical and folk music with Western pop music.

The distance between two or more sounds.

A system of musical notation.

Originated in Nigeria, it is a style of music that combines elements of traditional Nigerian rhythms with Western influences.

A tambourine-like instrument.

A plucked string instrument similar to the qanunbut it is mostly used in Turkey, Greece, and the Middle East.

A 21-stringed harp-lute.

A mouth organ with multiple bamboo pipes used by the Miao and Dong ethnic minorities.

Mandarin popular music.

A system of modes in Arab music; Maqam system.

A musical instrument made of wooden bars that are struck by mallets.

Originated in Senegal, it is a style of music that combines African rhythms with elements of jazz and funk.

A family of instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe, consisting of a wooden board with attached staggered metal tines.

The sequence of pitches that make up a musical line.

The way in which beats are organized and grouped in a measure.

The pitches that fall between the standard Western twelve-note chromatic scale.

A double-headed drum.

An expressive language or art form, if you will, that uses pitch and beat to create an aesthetic experience.

A double-reed wind instrument from South India.

A cylindrical flute made from reed or bamboo.

A string instrument and a traditional West African guitar.

A system of symbols used to represent musical sounds, techniques, and expressions.

A repeating musical phrase or pattern.

A pear-shaped stringed instrument that is the national instrument of several Arab countries.

A five-note scale.

A four-stringed lute.

The highness or lowness of a sound.

Multiple melodies played at the same time.

A defining characteristic of African music, and refer to the use of multiple, interlocking rhythms in a single musical performance.

A genre is popular across the Arab world and is characterized by its incorporation of Western elements such as electric guitars and drums.

A plucked string instrument that is like a zither or dulcimer. It has many strings stretched over a trapezoidal soundboard and is played with small plectrums attached to the fingers.

The act of reciting or reading the Quran, the central religious text of Islam.

A melodic mode or framework that serves as the foundation for a composition or improvisation. It is characterized by a specific set of melodic rules and guidelines, including the use of certain notes, the order of the notes, and the way they are ornamented.

Rai s a type of Algerian popular music that arose in the 1920s and that stood against the usual artistic and social mores.

Also known as “belly dance music,” this genre originated in Egypt and is characterized by its use of a steady drumbeat and its emphasis on the rhythm of the dance.

The combination of long and short beats.

A small tambourine with jingles.

A plucked lute.

A bowed string instrument played with a bow and commonly used in Hindustani music.

A string instrument with a deep, mellow tone that is played with a plectrum (jawari) and is commonly used in Hindustani music.

A traditional Uyghur long-necked bowed lute.

Set of musical pitches.

A genre of Egyptian popular music that traces its roots to the working-class urban areas of Cairo and has a strong influence from the local culture and dialect.

Musical instrument made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end.

A mouth organ.

A long-necked string instrument with a large number of strings that is played with a plectrum (mizrab) and is commonly used in Hindustani music.

Originated in the Congo, it is a style of dance music that features a strong bassline and a mix of African and Western influences.

Popular in Sudan, it is characterized by its use of the tambour (drum) and the ardin (harp).

A genre has its roots in the spiritual and mystical practices of Islam and is characterized by its use of devotional poetry and its emphasis on the emotional and spiritual aspects of music.

A double-reed instrument (oboe).

The displacement of the strong beats or downbeats.

Originated in East Africa, it is a style of music that combines elements of Arabic and Indian music with African rhythms.

A pair of small hand drums, played with the fingers and palms and are used to provide the rhythm in Indian classical music.

Rhythmic cycles used in Indian classical music.

A long-necked plucked string instrument playing a drone.

A form of improvisation in traditional Arabic music that is based on the maqam system.

The speed of a piece of music.

The overall density and complexity of the music, whether it is thick or thin.

Also known as tone color or tone quality, refers to the unique quality or sound of a musical instrument or voice.

A system of musical organization and composition that uses a specific key as its central element.

In Arabic music it is considered as a modern instrument, but it's widely used mainly in the classical genre.

A bowed string instrument played with a bow and commonly used in both Hindustani and Carnatic music.

Non-lexical syllables or sounds that are used to provide a rhythmic or melodic foundation for a song or performance.

A three-stringed traditional lute used by the Miao and Dong ethnic minorities.

An end-blown bamboo flute.

An instrument that consists of a series of wooden bars that are struck with mallets to produce sound.

A hammered dulcimer.

Court music during the Tang Dynasty.