What kind of music do Bedouins play?

May 7, 2004 10:26 AM

I once spent an evening in Wadi Rhum listening to (and eventually jamming with) a bunch of Bedouin camel-jockeys / tour-guides. They played different sized sitars and what seemed to be a relative of the violin. The music used similar keys and rhythms to Flamenco, but faster, with 1/4 tone intervals and single-note lines (i.e.: no chords). The sitar players used a long plectrum, held like a pen.
What might be the name of this style of music, and what artists/recordings should I search for?

After looking at this, I might have been too loose with the term "sitar". They were fretless, gourd shaped guitarlike instruments, without the apparent complexities of the Indian sitar.

posted by signal to media & arts (5 comments total)

Like this: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gregors/ud/ ? There should be plenty there to get you started.
posted by RustyBrooks at 10:38 AM on May 7, 2004

Here's a brief page on traditional yemani music (which I think might be close to your description).
And a long list of notable ud players.
posted by milovoo at 11:31 AM on May 7, 2004

(also, oud is an alternate spelling)

these may be extraneous and too oblique to the question, but I thought they were interesting...

Guides to the Ethnomusicology (middle-east specifically):

middle east, southeast asia, indonesia - Oberlin College

world music discography series - University of Oregon

middle east ethnomusicology - University of Washington.

ethnomusicology resources on the web - Wesleyan University.
posted by milovoo at 1:13 PM on May 7, 2004

I love watching and listening to my friend, he's Persian, play his tar.
posted by Witty at 7:00 PM on May 7, 2004

i have "astrakan cafe" by the "anouar brahem trio" that has anouar brahem playing oud, barbaros erkose on clarinet and lassad hosni on bendir and darbouka (it says in the notes). it's publiched by ecm (ECM 1718) and is very good. however, i would guess it's got more western influences (ecm is a jazz label, i think) than whatever you were listening to. if you want to give it a listen drop me an email and i'll bring it back to santiago at the end of this shift.
posted by andrew cooke at 9:59 AM on May 8, 2004