I just stumbled across an incredible video of Tibetan singing. Does anyone know another name for the vocal technique used besides throat singing? I'm trying to find more videos like this but I'm not having much luck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGwpsdD82u8

Hello. Inspired by a recent rerun on Austin City Limits television show, I would like to learn more about boleros. I know the song style originated in Cuba in the late 19th century and then spread throughout Latin America, eventually making its way overseas. I found an old archived post in r/musictheory, link: https://www.reddit.com/r/musictheory/comments/dn7sac/the_art_of_the_bolero/

The post contains some chord structures and part of the theory aspect of Mexican boleros and maybe boleros in general. Anyway, in the present post I am seeking info on the lyrical aspects of the Cuban or Mexican bolero. Does anyone know how the rhyme schemes are constructed? I've heard one that may be ABAB. Another challenge is that Spanish is my second language so I am only able to catch a little more than half of what they are singing. I think some American ballads are AABA but I'm not sure about boleros. Also, would y'all know if there are any syllabic patterns, like meter? I know that boleros all share love as a theme. I've written a lot of songs but am looking to challenge myself by writing an original bolero. Thanks everyone

Hello, I am very new to making music, I've never made my own song before but I know a bit about western music theory. Google isn't being very helpful here for some reason, and there aren't any tutorials I could find on YouTube for making classical Chinese music. There is a difference between slapping on Chinese instruments and then playing it using western music theory, vs playing Chinese instruments the traditional way.

I would like to know more about how Chinese music theory works, how their songs are structured and composed, but I can't seem to find any video tutorials on it. All I know is that the traditional or classical Chinese music is very different vaguely from the western music theory. If possible I would like tutorials for composing traditional/classical music in a DAW.

I learn most stuffs through video tutorial. If I try reading the theory then it makes absolutely no sense to my smooth brain at all.

I don't know how to describe this, it's just very "different" from the western music theory, I'm not talking about scales here, everything else is just so different. Examples here: https://youtu.be/HD5YaDOctx4

I can understand some limited Chinese, so Chinese resources work too.

"Combining the approaches of ethnomusicology and music theory, Analytical Studies in World Music offers fresh perspectives for thinking about how musical sounds are shaped, arranged, and composed by their diverse makers worldwide. Eleven inspired, insightful, and in-depth explanations of Iranian sung poetry, Javanese and Balinese gamelan music, Afro-Cuban drumming, flamenco, modern American chamber music, and a wealth of other genres create a border-erasing compendium of ingenious music analyses.

"Selections on the companion website are carefully matched with extensive transcriptions and illuminating diagrams in every chapter. Opening rich cross-cultural perspectives on music, this volume addresses the practical needs of students and scholars in the contemporary world of fusions, contact, borrowing, and curiosity about music everywhere."

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/analytical-studies-in-world-music-9780195177893

I'm curious about what people think of this YouTube channel: https://m.youtube.com/@ethnomusicexplained

https://layer0.enterprises

Hello all, I have this song with a flute-like instrument and some drumming that comes from a loop of other Asian music. I have been looking through the other songs in the loop, but there aren't any others that sound this traditional that I could use as a starting point to identify what this one is. Based on the quality of this recording, I'm guessing that this is a field recording of some sort of traditional performance. If anyone is able to identify what tradition or country this song is from, that would greatly help me narrow down the search to find the original CD.

Song link: https://vocaroo.com/1iGL46vW5m2V

Thanks in advance for any info!

I'm doing research for my thesis on musical practices among okinawan descendants in South America. I recently changed my approach and started focusing on an ethnomusicology perspective. Got a grasp of some "general" theoretical texts but I am now looking for specific works on okinawan music or dance. Any idea where I could start looking? I'm specifically working with min'yo sanshin players and miyagi ryu style odori

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780429467752/howard-becker-jean-peneff-robert-dingwall-howard-becker

My second attempt at a video essay on this topic. I think this one is an improvement.

https://youtu.be/V-wQjtvsavk

Hi! I’m adjacent to a number of ethnos through work and friendship, and while I have an interest in the field, more school is not in the cards for me (38m). In lieu of formal classroom learning, what are some basic texts that are worth diving into to get more perspective on the ins-and-outs of the field? I realize nothing can replace fieldwork — this is less about training and more about exploring the field from a casual/amateur perspective.

Also, did anyone go to ICTM last week? It was my first conference!

So the Jew's harp is used in (East) Slavic rural music. Was it brought to the Slavs by Uralic speakers (although I'm not aware Balts used them as well), was it used by EHG peoples (and by extension ANE-influenced populations), or by IE speakers who migrated east and brought eastern cultural traits with them back west (and who? The Proto-Aryans of the Bronze Age or later Iron Age peoples such as the Scythians?) Or was it brought to them by the Huns or later Oghuric speakers like the Khazars or even later by the Pechenegs/Kipchaks, or even later by the Mongols? Or was it a completely contemporary adoption and the Jew's harp is not a native Slavic instrument after all?

Hi, so I would like to find out about the origin of the usage of the pentatonic scale in East Africa, North Africa, and West Africa. What ancient culture pioneered the usage of the pentatonic scale, did it develop endemically or come from Eurasia? The Egyptians, Nubians, or Aksumites? What is the timeframe of the spreading to peoples further west like the Toubou or Hausa, or did they develop independently the usage of the pentatonic scale as well, and what is the timeframe of that? Can anyone tell me the rate of the usage of the pentatonic scale across different African cultures, for example the Ethiopians have it at an almost 99% rate while Hausa folk have it at a 40% rate?

Also, I would like to find out about the origin of the usage of the pentatonic scale in the Middle Volga region, the timeframe of development, the factuality of spread from another place or endemic development, such as if the Volga Finns (eg. Mari, Udmurts, Komi) developed it independently IN that region, or brought from their origin as Proto-Uralians from the east, and also did the Mordvins use the pentatonic scale before adopting the heptatonic minor scale from the Russians as their main scale of folk music, if true at all. Or did the Volga Finns adopt the pentatonic scale from the external cultures, such as the Huns, Khazars, Bulgars, Pechenegs, Kipchaks, Mongols, etc.? And which one of these Altaic cultures did they adopt it from, and the timeframe? And did they have any primary scale before that? And as a bonus, does anyone know what music scale the Scythians used? (I know the answer is probably impossible to find out for that)

Greetings all. In light of recent changes to Reddit's API policy and the subsequent jump in traffic to Reddit alternatives, I thought it would be prudent to make a Lemmy page for Ethnomusicology. Feel free to join.

So for example D-E-G-A-C-D

I've noticed that this is used in a lot of of old Appalachian music as well as some music from Mali etc. Curious if it has a name.

English version Ethnomusicology channel intro: Who I am and what this channel will be (English version) - YouTube

versión en español Introducción a Etnomusicología: Quién soy y qué será este canal (versión en español) - YouTube

Hello everyone! I recently spotted two separate cases of throat-singing being used on Mesoamerican-coded scoring, one for the scoring on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, associated with Namor, which was retrofitted to be a Mayan character https://youtu.be/DRzBkdJhxRs, and another on the soundtrack of Talocan, an amusement ride at the German theme park Phantasialand https://youtu.be/kDZ8ycKpYto.

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So thus I got very curious and decided to do some research, I couldn't find anything citing throat-singing as a feature of Mesoamerican music, although I did also find this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzkcVWLwfbw which apparently is a piece from the 80s made by an ethnomusicologist and an Aztec tradition-keeper (source: https://panm360.com/en/records/xochimoki-temple-of-the-new-sun/ ), although I'm not sure it was just an assorted stylistic choice, or if there is really some connection between throat-singing and Mesoamerican music that I couldn't find information about in the internet (although I didn't look too deep, and maybe I didn't know where to look).

​

If anyone here happens to have any idea on this, if it's really a thing, or just a complete coincidence I stumbled upon, I'd really appreciate some answers! Thank you very much

How would you categorize ethnic music from Montenegro (a small tribal country in the western balkans). Montenegro is unique in the Balkans since it was the only balkan country to be independent in the past 600 years, and thus has a musical style that is quite unique for the Balkans.

How would you categorize its music? Western european, mediterranean, eastern, phyrgian?

Examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5GWSNj8TS4&ab_channel=%D0%A7%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%9B%D0%A2%D0%92

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuS7QPf6ZfU&ab_channel=%D0%A7%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%9B%D0%A2%D0%92

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jReYT8zdRA4&ab_channel=%D0%94%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0%D0%A6%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%9B

My dad and I are planning a trip to the Mississippi Delta to sleuth around all the fabled blues cities. Does anyone have some recommendations for places to visit? So far, we're going to swing through Tunica, Bentovia, Clarksdale, Yazoo City, Tupelo, Indianola, and Holly Springs. Hope this is on-topic enough. Apologies if not.

Want to participate in science? At the UNLV Music Lab (Principal Investigator: Erin Hannon) we study how different people respond to music, language, and the many sounds in the world. We are currently recruiting for a research study in which we will ask you questions about which sounds you like and dislike, your musical experiences and habits, and your general auditory experiences, and you will do some short listening tests. The study should take 60 minutes. If you would like to take the survey click HERE. For more information about the study email questions to UNLVmusiclab@gmail.com or call us 702-895-2995.

I’m curious if anyone knows anything about the musical history of the Chesapeake Bay, specifically the Delmarva peninsula/Eastern Shore.

Given that this regional is historically rural and very isolated, with unique language features (the strong tidewater brogues) and ways of life (crabbing, oystering, etc.), AND is historically significant as one of the historic Black cultural regions of the US (at the intersection between free and slave states, home to many of the nation’s oldest Free Towns, birthplace of Douglass and Tubman, and MD counties still with some of the highest % Black populations outside of the Deep South, etc.), it’s surprising to me that I can’t find/don’t already know about the folk music of this region, in comparison to the Mississippi Delta or Appalachia, for example… Is there some historic reason for this? Did the arrival of Methodism limit secular music? Did would-be field recorders never make it out here before musical traditions were lost? Or is there a well-known body of Delmarva music that I, as a Virginian, should be more aware of? Thanks for any thoughts/leads!

I'm not an oud player or intending to learn, but I play other instruments and I'm simply curious about oud fingerings and choice of where to locate the tonic, how much open strings are used, and what the usual range played in is compared to other instruments.

For example on the Afghan rubab the tonic or root is usually a fretted note on the lowest sounding course, meaning there is usually only a single lower neighbour and the bulk of the music is played above the tonic. Compare this to something like the kemence where the tonic is usually the open middle course and the melody is played above and below that root note. Or again the Persian setar where the tonic is usually the open highest pitched course and the lowest course is usually used mostly just as a drone.

I find the way the physical design of the instruments and choice of starting point and range, different tonal quality of open vs stopped strings, etc. influence the music interesting. From watching some performances on YouTube I feel like most maqamat on oud begin on a fretted note on a middle course and range above and below, is that correct?

I'm currently an undergraduate student majoring in ethnomusicology, and I have my sights set on pursuing a PhD in ethnomusicology at an Ivy League institution. I'm aware that it's a highly competitive field, and I was wondering if any of you have any advice or suggestions for someone in my position. Specifically, I'd like to hear from individuals who have pursued a similar path or have knowledge about the application process. What are the key factors that admissions committees look for in applicants for an ethnomusicology PhD program? Are there any specific research experiences, internships, or extracurricular activities that would enhance my chances of being accepted?

Can someone please help me find the piano scores/sheet music for the beautiful music of these composers??

Komitas, Babajanian, Abramian, Spendiarian, Tigranian (and more).