• All over the world, music is an important
part of daily life.
• Music from other countries can be very
different from ours.
• Music from different people of the world
expresses the values, beliefs, and the
ways of life found in their homeland.
• Throughout the world, music is closely
linked with religion, dance, and drama.
• Music can be entertainment, but can
also be an important part of daily life.
• Music can communicate messages and
relate the traditions of a people.
CHARACTERISTICS
• ORAL TRADITION
– Music of the world is often handed down
orally from parent to child or from teacher
to student.
– Compositions and performance techniques
are learned by rote and imitation.
IMPROVISATION
• Improvisation is important in world
cultures.
• In some cultures, there are traditional
songs, in other cultures, the pieces are
flexible.
VOICES
• Singing is the most important way of making
music in most cultures. Voices sound
different in different cultures.
– In North Africa, singers cultivate a nasal, strained
sound.
– Voices use different techniques; shouting, crying,
whispering, sighing, humming, yodeling, and
singing through the teeth.
– The most amazing technique is used among
Tuvans in Siberia. They sing two sounds at the
same time; a low, sustained tone together with a
high, eerie melody.
TUVAN SINGERS
• http://khoomei.com/videos/LyoshaSygyt
.mov
INSTRUMENTS
• Instruments from around the world are
influenced by the country’s geography
and raw materials.
• Also, religious beliefs may influence the
choice of materials for instruments.
• In Tibet, for example, trumpets and
drums are made from the bones and
skulls of criminals to appease demons!
WORLD INSTRUMENTS
Koto - JAPAN
Slit Drum AFRICA
Drum - TIBET
Cellinet - AMERICA
Let’s take a musical journey
MONGOLIA
VIETNAM
ECUADOR
INDIA
AFRICA
MYANMAR
MEXICO
PERU
CANARY ISLANDS
• Music of the world offers us a wider range of
fresh listening experiences and perceptions.
The enormous musical resources of world
traditions have been an important source of
inspiration for western music. The influence
of Asian and African music has been felt by
musicians as diverse as the French
composer Claude Debussy, the British rock
star George Harrison, and the African
American jazz artist John Coltrane.