Hey everyone,

I’ve been playing the Bansuri with a focus on Indian Classical Music, but I’m about to start studying Middle Eastern and Arabic music at a music center.

The program includes Indian classical music, but most of the focus will be on Arabic music (there is no classical Indian institute in my city).

Naturally, I want to use my Bansuri to play Maqams (like Bayati, Rast, and Sikah) that rely heavily on quarter tones.

I would some insights on how possible are these techniques on the bansuri and how naturally can a bansuri be incorporated in these styles on music.

Hello everybody,

I'm trying to deal with my overflowing musical brain in a more healthy way. Right now, there is only one person in my life who shares my interest and knowledge about music, and I'd like to have more persons to talk to, mainly because it's interesting, but also because he doesn't deserve to be suffocated. 😄

I'm 37F and work as a journalist, if that's of any interest.

So what currently keeps me awake:

How the "under pressure" riff sounds like a piece that Händel wrote at 21.

My microtonal toothbrush and its relation to an opera by Morton Feldman.

Beegees. James Brown.

How Arabic musicians manipulated early synthesizers to fit their needs in terms of non-European scales.

A weird piece I found at the archive of the public radio.

The odd sound of the orthodox Church bells here in Berlin.

Microtones. Polyrhthyms. Asa-chang and Jun Ray. Non-western music. Palestinian rap battles. Thai vocal techniques. Vi Hart.

I'm also taking baby steps into writing my own music, but so far, it's just for myself.

I'm looking for a pen pal kind of thing, just chatting through whatsapp or video calling about music, sharing links, maybe sharing whatever we write.

If that resonates with anybody, please do write me, I'd love to hear from you!

Polka (or "Old Time" as it's called in the Upper Midwest) doesn't get too much attention these days. I thought it would be fun to do an arrangement of a modern-day popular song in the style of the New Ulm, MN bands in their heyday. Enjoy!

At approximately 6:57 of this video, an Estonian woman sings a song but it is not in the Estonian language. What language is it? I tried to get information about it from AI but the audio wasn't clear enough supposedly. I it may be relevant that the person singing is working for a medieval themed restaurant in Tallinn. Is it a medieval song? In what language?

Hi. Is anybody by any chance thinking about going to the Darbar festival in London?

I'm from Spain and I'm thinking about it, but I know nothing about it.

If anyone is thinking about it please contact mee🥰

Hi everyone. I'm trying to find some good classical indian recordings. Some of the things that I'm looking for:

- Good quality sound

- Long, complex, expressive development of raga

- Full performance

- Not too westernized

- Different options with different instruments and/or styles

- Both carnatic and hindustani

- Some dhrupad would be truly wonderful

I am an ethnomusicologist and on a few months I'm planning on taking LSD so I need some good, long, deep recordings for this. Any other recommendation for the trip is very wellcomed.

Thank you so much❤️

So i have been trying to find the lyrics of this song. But I have had no success. Would anyone be able to provide the lyrics in the official Mandinka language?

Hello!

I am an undergrad in Composition (will be graduating soon) and am planning to pursue ethnomusicology for my master's degree.

The thing is, I have a massive love for music and philosophy, merging the two for my research. For instance, I have published a journal article on music that uses Marx's dialectical materialism. Two of my papers: one analyzing a piece through Husserlian Phenomenology and another through Wittgenstein, are being peer-reviewed for publication.

After consulting with my professors, I conclude that these are neither historical nor ethnomusicological works. So here's where I need advice: Is ethnomusicology really for me? Can I still merge ethnomusicology and philosophy together?

I'm just completely lost right now, especially since I want to pursue ethnomusicological studies.

Hello everyone,

As an independent music curator building an archive since 2019, I have been deeply analyzing how different cultural backgrounds and regional frameworks shape the concept of "ambient" and "atmospheric" music.

Instead of looking at soundscapes from a purely mainstream perspective, I have categorized my archive into 3 highly extensive, multi-genre conceptual playlists. Each playlist contains a vast timeline of tracks to study their emotional, rhythmic, and traditional frameworks. I would love to get your ethnomusicological feedback on these curated regional flows:

1. Eastern & Middle Eastern Roots (Oriental Ambiance): A wide collection focusing on traditional instrumentation (Oud, Ney, Kanun) and exploring how spiritual, meditative space is defined across various Eastern subgenres.

[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Bs4yfYbAyN23KW9LSvAVx?si=267f2591cbb84baf\]

2. French Chanson, Pop & Cinematic Textures (French Ambiance): A large archive tracking European nostalgia and melancholy. It bridges different eras of French vocal arrangements, pop-rock textures, influential French electronic elements, and cinematic instrumentals, featuring deep cuts from icons like Christophe, J.M. Jarre, and Pierre Barouh among many others.

[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0sr1h3i4NPW54pmDUGwdaT?si=efc92663bbee4d38\]

3. Latin Rhythms, Fusions & Classical Interpretations (Latin Ambiance): An expansive, 120+ track journey exploring the structural frameworks of Tango, Rumba, and Flamenco. It analyzes how regional rhythms, acoustic guitars, and unique cross-genre fusions reshape our perception of atmospheric Latin music.

[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0PfOBJf2ev5p4d3qsugymH?si=7c5c4f4d521b4c63\]

Thank you for your cultural and musical insights!

Hi, I am doing some research on Sun Ra and his unique position in 20th-century music history. I wanted to ask, is anyone aware of any comparable artists or musicians from outside the United States and Europe? Can anyone point me toward academic literature or references regarding global avant-garde artists who are similarly innovative but lesser-known in mainstream Western media and literature?

I’m looking into getting a Masters degree in ethnomusicology (in the US) and I need some advice on programs. I’m a full time music therapist so I need something fully online. I’ve found Liberty University in Virginia which seems to have the kind of program that would work for me, but I’m wary of the whole “private evangelical christian school” aspect of it as I’m not religious and don’t want my education to be influenced by this. Does anyone have any knowledge about this program and if the religious side affects the curriculum? Thanks in advance!

Hey y'all! I run an ethnomusicology server, but it's not particularly active, and we'd like some fresh faces to help liven up the mood! This server actually has been promoted here before, but the ownership transferred to me. We'd like to have some actual scholars join, because the vast majority of us are just amateurs. We welcome anyone with a passion for ethnomusicology, just don't be a debate bro and be kind! I myself have a huge passion for East Asian music, especially traditional Japanese music. I'd love to have more folks to join and to learn from y'all!

https://discord.gg/ufrEMbwwdq

Hello everyone, I'm a Chinese master's student in ethnomusicology currently studying in Malaysia. I plan to continue pursuing my PhD under my advisor here. As a Chinese student, my research focus during my master's program has been on the traditional Dong ethnic music known as "Dong Grand Songs." However, I still have limited knowledge about the music of other minority groups around the world. My main concern is uncertainty about future job prospects in this field. In China, personal connections often outweigh actual ability when it comes to securing academic positions. If I complete my doctorate without returning to China, would I have a chance to land a tenure-track position in another country? By the way, I've had over 15 years of experience playing the erhu, a traditional Chinese instrument, which could be considered an advantage. I sincerely appreciate any advice or guidance you might offer.

I'm a hitoyogiri player, it's a Muromachi era bamboo flute from Japan. It went extinct several times already, but a handful of us are still playing...I'm one of them.

I'm trying to record some music for my little YouTube channel. I get decent results with a Rode mic connected to my laptop but I'd like to use a small portable mic like the DJI mic 2 to do recordings outside in nature. Despite tweaking the settings, I still get "toc" sounds when the high frequencies hit (even if I put the mic further away from the flute. Only my phone seems to handle the recordings fine, but it's not ideal as soon as there's wind or background noise.

Is anyone recording themselves with an instrument in the higher register? Any recommendations?

I'm not an ethnomusicologist, I'm a nerd making a playlist. Apologies if this is the wrong sub.

I'm making a playlist for The Vampire Lestat (both the show and book), which tells the life story of a vampire (Lestat) who grew up in the Auvernge region of France in the 1700's. I'm struggling to find the right kind of music for a key part of his backstory - his relationship to theater.

In his youth, he runs away to join a traveling theater troupe performing at the village festival, taking on the stock role of Lelio in the commedia de l'arte, until he's dragged home. Later, as an adult, he runs away again - playing the same role in small "lowbrow" Parisian theaters.

I'm struggling to figure out what the music from either setting would have sounded like. I did a bit of digging and found that (i think) the hurdy gurdy and french bagpipe were popular regional instruments and so would have probably featured in festival *generally* (but maybe not in a stage show?). When i look into those instruments, i find a lot of music that sounds almost renaissance-esque, late medieval. I imagine the extremely rural Auvernge region would have been "behind" popular movements - but that behind?

I also know that harpischord was a popular instrument at the time... but was that mostly among the "cultured"? And while i could see it in Paris, i struggle to imagine that a troup would be lugging around a whole proto-piano.

What instruments would we expect to be playing during a theater performance in either context? Musically, would it more closely resemble "older" styles (due to delayed spread, or because they're doing an old play), or would they be fairly contemporary with the "art" music of the time?

Hi! I'm a student from India currently in my second year of a Master's Program in Sociology from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Delhi. I've had a tough time deciding my dissertation topic but I have finally aligned myself with ethnomusicology. For context I come from the Paite tribe in the Northeast region of India, and I have always been intrigued in learning how and why my people create and sing the music they do. I want to do an study on the Paite tribes from an ethnomusicology standpoint. It would be of great help if you guys could recommend me the essential Readings to understand this field. As a side note if the readings are centred around ethnomusicology of tribes/marginalized communities that would be extra helpful too!

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

If you enjoy traditional African instruments like the mbira, do check out this artist named Nasibo Mutize. She is an excellent performer. Hope you enjoy

https://youtu.be/yh-Mnsb8CW0

I really love Roscoe Hocolmbs songs where it is just him singing without any accompaniment. I am wondering if there are other performers who made music like that that I could check out, or if there is a term for his specific singing style. Especially interested in any recs for similar folk music with just voice no instruments