5/29/22, 11:08 PM Music of West Asia: Tones, Drones, Instruments & Characteristics - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.

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Music of West Asia: Tones, Drones, Instruments & Characteristics

The music of West Asia is characterized by the use of quarter notes and drone to produce melodic music that
is performed on strings, woodwinds, and percussion instruments. Learn about tones, drones, and the
instruments and characteristics of West Asian music.

Music of West Asia

There are a few major areas that have contributed so much to humanity that they are
considered to be cradles of civilization. One of these is the original cradle, the region where the
first major settled societies appeared. This region is West Asia. You know, 'West Asia' - legends
of flying carpets and genies in bottles, and some of the oldest systems of math, philosophy, and
astronomy in the world.

Today, many people refer to this region as the Middle East, the mostly Arabic-speaking nations
in between Africa, Asia, and Europe. The term 'Middle East' is problematic, though, because it
sort of implies that Europe is the center of the world. So, we prefer to just refer to its actual
geographic position on the continent to which it belongs, which is in Western Asia. With
traditions that are millennia old, it's really no surprise that this area has a rich musical heritage.
Want to see? Well, grab a magic carpet and let's check it out.

Quarter Tones
Okay, here we are in West Asia.

Cool! This is a wide and diverse area, but the musical traditions of this region do share some
very important characteristics. One of the most important aspects that gives West Asian music
its distinct sound is the use of quarter tones, small intervals between notes. In traditional
European-based music, we have 12 tones. They sound roughly like this.

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5/29/22, 11:08 PM Music of West Asia: Tones, Drones, Instruments & Characteristics - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

The interval between these is called a semitone.

So, you've got the note C, and the note D, and in between them is C#. Those are increments of
semitones. West Asian music has another level of notes that fit in between semitones. So, in
European music, C# is between C and D, but then in West Asian music, there is a quarter tone
between C and C#. That means that while European music has 12 different tones, West Asian
music has 24, sounding like this.

That's why this music sounds so different to people from outside of West Asia; it's actually using
notes that the rest of us don't have.

Drones
Another distinguishing characteristic of West Asian music is something called the drone, a
continual note or chord that underlies the entire piece. Take a listen to this piece. If you pay
close enough attention, you can hear a single, continual note underneath the rhythm: a long,
low, drawn out drone. Hear that? The use of the drone is common is some parts of Southern
Asia, but West Asia is where is really became a defining part of music. The drone sets a constant
feeling for the piece that provides structure and balance, but also helps to push the melody
forward and maintains a sense of dramatic tension.

Other Characteristics
The use of quarter tones and the drone really define West Asian music, but those traits aren't
alone. Since this music uses a single consistent note or chord for the drone, harmonies are not a
major focus of West Asian music. That's different from what we're used to in Europe and the
United States.

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5/29/22, 11:08 PM Music of West Asia: Tones, Drones, Instruments & Characteristics - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

Think of something like one of Beethoven's symphonies. The harmonies, notes, and rhythms
that support the main melody, are really important, and in fact, most of the orchestra plays
harmonies, with only a few sections playing the melody. Not the case in West Asian music. The
only real harmony is the drone, so the emphasis in almost completely on the melody, which is
complex, intricate, and ornate.

When we say that a melody has lots of ornamentation, we mean that it is composed with lots of
ups and downs and fancy little trills and all sorts of things that aren't really necessary, they're
just there for decoration. West Asian music, with its heavy focus on the melody, takes
ornamentation like this pretty seriously. Again, this helps build up dramatic tensions and sets up
musical climaxes, a form that is another common characteristic of West Asian music.

Instruments
Well, that leaves us with one last important question: how do we actually play West Asian music?
Again, there are a wide and diverse range of instruments used in this region, but generally they
fall into one of four categories. String instruments are probably the most common, from lutes
to harps. These instruments are great for West Asian music because the lowest string can be
used to create a constant drone, and the ability to control the pitch makes it easy to create
quarter tones.

So it's not really a surprise that some of the oldest string instruments on the planet are from
this region, dating back to ancient Mesopotamia and the oldest civilizations in the world.
Woodwinds, flutes and reed instruments, are also very popular, as are basic percussion
instruments like finger cymbals and drums. All of these help create complex rhythms that can
lay on top of each other.

The final instrument, very important to West Asian music, is voice. Most West Asian music has a
lyric component, especially in Islamic areas where prayers and meditations are sung. Voices
often carry the main melody, and West Asian music tends to favor vocal pitches that are tight
and throaty, which helps create a dramatic feel that builds up tension and then leads to that
famous musical climax and release. With a rich musical heritage like this, West Asia can claim to
be more than just a cradle of civilization, but a center of civilization to this day.

Lesson Summary
West Asia, the region in between Africa, Asia, and Europe, sometimes called the Middle East, is
one of the oldest continually inhabited places on Earth. So it's got some great music! One of the
most defining characteristics of West Asian music is the use of quarter tones, small intervals
between notes that are actually half the distance used by traditional European music.

Another important characteristic is the drone, a low, constant note that carries throughout the
piece. The use of a drone means that harmonies are not very important, and lets West Asian
music focus on melodies, which are complex, intricate, and ornate.

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5/29/22, 11:08 PM Music of West Asia: Tones, Drones, Instruments & Characteristics - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

West Asian music is usually performed with a mixture of strings, woodwinds, percussion
instruments, and voices. Together, these traits all combine to create a musical style that is
ornate and dramatic, building up tension and leading to major musical climaxes. These are
some of the most definitive characteristics of West Asian music. Flying carpets are optional.

Lesson at a Glance
The music of West Asia is as unique and melodic as the people who create it. They primarily use
quarter tones and the drone, rendering harmonies not very important and ensuring focus on
the melodies. West Asian music is usually performed with a mixture of strings, woodwinds,
percussion instruments, and voices.

The voice has a lyric component, especially where prayers and meditations are sung.

Learning Outcomes
You can anticipate achieving the following goals as you study the material above:

Recognize the musical contributions of civilizations in West Asia

Analyze the use of quarter tones and drones in West Asian music

Point out other characteristics that make this music unique

Enumerate the four main categories of instruments used in the music of this region

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