This is my page for my geography project, where I will be posting about different types of tradtional music in difference places around the world!
Place one: Ireland.
Well I chose Ireland firstly, because it is my country and it also has a great traditional music which is famous all around the world! Many instruments are used in Irish traditional music, most commonly being the fiddle, the accordion, the harp, the tin whistle, uilleann pipes, the flute and more!
The most common types of Irish music would be ballads which are songs that tell a story, usually a story about hardships or happy events. There are also drinking songs, which are happy and upbeat to get people in a good mood! And another type that were popular and go decades back are rebel songs. They were songs that told of the civil wars and oppresion and life during such situations, but also stress loyality, determination and praise. A band known for its traditional take on Irish music would be the Dubliners.
Traditional Irish music is used for Irish dancing, and there are many different types depending on the tempo. There are jigs, hornpipes, reels and polkas. Many artists take irish music as inspiration, as well as irish artists themselves, Enya is a known example, who infused her modern music with an Irish twist.
Place Two: China
The second place I chose was China, because they have such a unique type of traditional music. Some of the instruments played in Chinese traditional music, to name a few, are:
Suona- A high-pitched reed instrument
Pipa- A four-stringed instrument, or lute
Erhu- A two-stringed fiddle
Banhu- a bowed two string instrument
Guzheng- A zither with movable bridges and 16 - 25 strings
As there is not a huge diversity in different types of Chinese music, I decided to also look up the history of Chinese traditional music.
Traditional Chinese music can be traced back over 7000 years. Originally, only royal families and dignitary officials were allowed to listen and enjoy music, which was at that point made using bells and chimes. Later on, music became more mainstream and spread to common everyday people, mostly due to the introduction of foreign religions, for example, Buddhism or Islam, where people listened to religious melodies at fairs and at religious temples which greatly influenced their music.
The Chinese music, has a tranquil sound to it, also you can hear the plucked sound of the instruments. It is a very familiar type of music, which you have probably heard already but didn't know!
here is a Chinese folk song, called "The Little Boat".
Place Three: India
There are many different types of traditional Indian music, with each type having a different meaning, but most songs are songs of worship or patriotic songs.
Here is a man singing a Qawwali, which goes on for ten minutes.
The Chinese music, has a tranquil sound to it, also you can hear the plucked sound of the instruments. It is a very familiar type of music, which you have probably heard already but didn't know!
Place Three: India
There are many different types of traditional Indian music, with each type having a different meaning, but most songs are songs of worship or patriotic songs.
The main types are:
Qawwali- a vibrant music, going back over 700 years. Can be sung
in many different languages, and the normal themes and love, devotion, and
longing. Qawwali songs are normally sung by one or two lead singers and can go on
for fifteen to thirty minutes!
Ghazel- a poetic song, strictly speaking they were
originally considered a poetic recition rather than actually music, but they
are now considered songs, with rhymes and refrains, with special importance
stressed on the lyrics
Bhajan – Hindu devotional songs, usually ancient. The
singing of these songs is very important as they need to be sang with loving
devotion. Often simple songs in lyrical language, expressing the love the
Divine ( a God/Gods)
Common instruments used are the sitar, the sarod and the sarangi.
Place Four: Australia (Aboriginal)
for my fourth place, Australia, I decided to focus in on aboriginal music. There are different types of aboriginal songs, here is the names of two types:
Bunggul- a type of music, that comes from the Mann River (
northern territory) and has very intense lyrics, telling storied of epic
journeys and the lyrics continue even after the music has stopped.
Clan songs – certain clans in Aboriginal cultures may share
clans songs, known as emeba, fjatpangarri and manikay, or other native terms.
Clan songs are all about the family history, and can often be updated to take
into account new events such as conflicts or relationships etc.
Also, Aboriginal instruments mainly include the Didgeridoo and clapsticks
Below is an example of a typical aboriginal song, with the didgeridoo being played, as you can hear from the droning noise in the background!
Place Five: Spain
a reason I decided to do Spain as one of my countries is because I study Spanish in school and I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the different types of music there:
Flamenco- a guitar based type of music, from the Andalusian region of Spain.
The guitar can be played by plucking individual strings, or strong rhythmic strumming,
or both in the same song. During the strumming however, people normally clap
their hands or stomp their feet.
Jota- a lively upbeat type of music, from north-east spain. It involves
percussion instruments, for example the drums, tambourines and the castanets,
as well as guitars. The main purpose of this music is for a specific jota
dance, and people wear customs while dancing to encourage national pride.
Cante Jondo- meaning “deep singing”, and it is like a more intense or
dramatic version of a flamenco. The lyrics often have a spiritual nature, probably
origination from religious worship. Unlike The Flamenco or jota, the emphasis
in this type of music is more on the singing than the instruments.
The instrument shown are the castanets.
Here is a flamenco piece.
