Music has been an important part of Middle Eastern culture since it began; specifically, in Egypt. Tomb temple paintings depict a wide variety of musical instruments, and many of the dead were buried with instruments.

Music in the Middle East is based on a specialized form of scale called “modes”. It includes various patterns of stressed and unstressed beats that are incredibly complex. Unlike much western music, Middle Eastern music includes quarter tones halfway between notes, often through the use of stringed instruments or the human voice. The music also includes very complex rhythmic structures, generally tense vocal tone, and a homophonic texture.

Middle Eastern music is played on a unique and distinctive set of instruments that are used in the Arab classical orchestra or by Sufi musicians. Most of these instruments are quite ancient. Some can be traced to ancient Egypt and to Ur, and they are also the forerunners of modern European instruments. Instruments known to have existed in ancient Egypt are roughly the same ones that have been created by nearly all civilizations.

Middle Eastern Instruments - Categories