ma
essential element of traditional Japanese music, representing the importance of space and lack of clutter; the space between sounds, reserved for contemplation and anticipation; "silence
koto
a type of Japanese zither using pentatonic tuning (a five-note scale)
shakuhachi
vertically held Japanese bamboo flute with four holes in the front and a thumb hole in the back
erhu
an ancient two-string Chinese fiddle
Hindustani-style music
the traditional, or classical, music of northern India
Karnatak-style music
the traditional, or classical, music of southern India
raga
an Indian scale and melodic pattern with a distinctive expressive mood
tala
Indian musical measurement, similar to Western meter, which indicates not only how many pulses are grouped together but also how they are grouped together in long cycles
sitar
a large, lute-like instrument with as many as twenty strings, prominently used in the traditional music of northern India
tabla
a double drum used in the traditional music of northern India
sam
first pulse of an Indian tala
gamelan
the traditional orchestra of Indonesia consisting of as many as twenty-five instruments, mostly percussion instruments: gongs, chimes, drums, cymbals, and metallophones
metallophones
a general term for a percussion instrument, similar to a xylophone, comprising a succession of metal bars that are struck by two hammers; an instrument important in the Balinese gamelan
interlocking style
a common style of Balinese gamelan music, in which players of different instruments contribute snippets of music that, when taken together with the fragments played by other instruments, form composite musical lines
kebyar
a dramatic, virtuosic Balinese gamelan style