🌍 World Music — Oriental

Oriental music is a very general term, often used to group together the music of the Middle East and sometimes North Africa, though it covers distinct traditions. Arab music notably uses the maqâmât, Ottoman and Turkish music the makamlar, and Persian art music the dastgâh and radif systems: these systems bear certain similarities but are not interchangeable. Rhythmic cycles, such as the Arab iqa'ât or the Ottoman usul, are likewise fundamental. The oud, qanun, nay and darbouka mainly characterise Arab and Ottoman traditions, while the tar, setar, santur, kamancheh and tombak are important in Iran. These musical languages continue to feed classical music, song, cinema, pop and electronic creations.