Thumri is a type of Indian music that uses the voice to express emotions. The word comes from the Bhojpuri language, where “thumak” means a dance-like movement that causes ankle bells to ring. This style of music is linked to dance, expressive body movements, gentle expressions of love, and poetry about love and devotion, especially from the region of Uttar Pradesh.
Hindustani classical music, also called North Indian classical music or Shastriya Sangeet, is the traditional music of northern India. It is played on instruments such as the veena, sitar, and sarod. This music became different from Carnatic music, the classical tradition of southern India, in the 12th century.
Indian classical music is the traditional music of the Indian subcontinent. It is often called Shastriya Sangeet or Marg Sangeet. There are two main traditions: North Indian classical music, known as Hindustani, and South Indian classical music, known as Carnatic.
A tala (IAST tāla) means a “clap, tapping one’s hand on one’s arm, or a musical beat.” It is a term used in Indian classical music to describe a rhythmic pattern that helps measure musical time. This rhythm is often created by hand clapping, tapping fingers on the thigh, using small cymbals, or playing percussion instruments. Along with raga, which provides the melody, tala gives structure to music and is one of the two main parts of Indian music.
A raga is a system used in Indian classical music to guide the creation of melodies. It is similar to a musical scale and plays a central role in this type of music. Each raga includes a set of musical patterns and rules.
In traditional Arabic music, maqam (Arabic: مقام, romanized: maqām, meaning “ascent”) is a system of melodic modes that focuses on melody. The word “maqam” in Arabic means place, location, or position. A maqam is a type of melody used in Arabic music.
Ottoman music, also called Turkish classical music or Turkish art music, is a type of classical music that began in the Ottoman Empire. It developed in the palace, major cities, and Sufi communities. Traditionally, it includes a solo singer and a small or medium-sized group of musicians playing instruments.
The Kemenche, also called kemençe in Turkish, κεμεντζές in Greek, kamancha in Persian, and Քամանչա in Armenian, is a name for several types of stringed bowed musical instruments. These instruments come from the Eastern Mediterranean region, including Greece, Armenia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and nearby areas around the Black Sea. They are traditional folk instruments, usually with three strings.
The balaban, also called balaman (Azerbaijani: Balaban), is a musical instrument with two reeds and a round shape. It is about 35 centimeters (14 inches) long and has eight finger holes and one thumb hole. It is played in the eastern part of Iran’s historic Azerbaijan region and in the Republic of Azerbaijan, where it is also called düdük, according to the Encyclopædia Iranica.
The Caucasian dhol is a cylindrical drum used in the Caucasus region. It is also called դհոլ in Armenian, nağara in Azerbaijani, vota pondar (romanized: vota pondar) in Chechen, doli (romanized: doli) in Georgian, and douli (romanized: douli) in Russian. This drum was traditionally used by warriors in battles.