Instruments of Arabic Music - Belly Dance
- 11 nov 2020
- 2 Min. de lectura
In this article we are going to go over the main instruments which are commonly used in belly dance music.
In general, musical instruments can be divided into categories based on how they produce sound: percussion (striking by a hand or beater), winds (blowing air), and strings (bowing or plucking a string). Instruments belonging to each of these three types are found in Middle Eastern belly dance music. Most are instruments native to the Middle East, and some are Western instruments that have been adopted.
So, let's see how they sound!
Percussion Instruments
Tabla
It is native to and all over the Middle East and is the most common percussion instrument in Middle Eastern popular music.
Riq
It is another instrument originating in the Middle East, and it was the most popular classical percussion instrument.
Duff
It is an instrument originating in and commonly found all over the Middle East across many styles of popular and folkloric music.
Wind Instruments
Nay
The nay is a simple blown flute has been played in the Middle East for thousands of years. It is typically found in folkloric, classical, religious, and to a lesser extent popular musical styles.
Saxophone
The saxophone is the first of our ‘adopted’ Western instruments which can play Arabic maqamat (melodic modes). It was first popularised in the orchestra of Umm Kulthum, and from there, is now associated mainly with the baladi musical style. You may occasionally hear a saxophone baladi taxim, though it is not as common as other baladi instruments.
Trumpet
Our next adopted Western instrument is the trumpet. The trumpet is relatively infrequently found in Arabic music, and nowadays is associated with the baladi and shaabi styles.
Accordion
The accordion is another adopted Western instrument. hese days, it’s most commonly associated with baladi music, but is also found within the Arabic orchestra for classical music.
String Instruments
Violin
It is found in many Middle Eastern musical styles, especially classical and popular music.
Kanoun
The kanoun is an Arabic instrument found in the Middle East as far back as Mespotanian times.t’s most often found in classical Arabic music, either as a featured solo instrument or in an orchestra.
Oud
The oud is indigenous to the Middle East for thousands of years. Like the kanoun, it’s most often associated with classical Arabic music.
Electronic Instruments
Keyboard
The Arabic keyboard is a fully electronic instrument – sound is produced not through acoustic means but instead is computer-generated when the musician presses the keys.It’s associated today with all types of popular and folk music – either as a synthesiser sound in its own right, or as an emulation of another instrument.
Ensembles
For ensembles providing live music for dancers in the Middle East, they can range in sophistication anywhere from a minimum of keyboard (emulating many instruments), tabla, and singer, to a maximum of full orchestra and singer with all types of instruments. Usually they fall somewhere in between – with a more prestigious dancer having a larger band with a greater variety of instruments.
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