Cool Stuff! no. 3 (Arabic and Indian Cultures)
This section was probably the first I had heard Arabic music or listened to Indian music beyond the background track of a documentary.
One instrument in particular that interested me was the Mijwiz. I thought it was strange how it was like playing two flutes side by side. It is still somewhat bizarre to me that they are held together by a string rather than just being made together. Maybe it would effect the sound that way. Or maybe it's just easier to make separate. Apparently it plays over an octave. When played, the two melodies are played in unison.
Another instrument that I found interesting was the Qanun. When we watched the video of that one guy playing it, it surprised me how complicated the instrument looks. All of the strings and the levers and the metal picks that are worn on the player's fingers.
One of the Indian instruments I found interesting is the Sarod. It doesn't have any frets. The metal on it makes it resonate.
I also found it interesting how the very same flute used in almost all of the operatic music I've listened to can sound so different.
This is all interesting, Sarah. I'm especially glad to see the video of the sarod--I've known about it, but I haven't really followed up on it the same way I have the sitar and the veena.
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