In Persian classical music, the body of music, consisting of 250-300 short pieces, memorized by students and then used as the basis or point of departure for improvisation. Ideally learned in three stages: simple, intermediate, complete

An ensemble of musicians, often including violin, santour, ney and two drums, used to accompany singing and dancing in Arabic popular music

A popular music developed in Algeria and Morocco that combines traditional singing styles and Arabic modes with Western style synthesized accompaniment

In Turkish popular music, a traditional Middle Eastern sound symbolizing the Turkish people’s association with Islam and to older cultural traditions

Fast, composed instrumental dance-like piece. Loosely based on the radif

The most common Middle Eastern instrument is the oud, a lute with a large body and a short neck with no frets, plucked with a pick made of a feather quill. It is an ancestor of the European lute of the Renaissance

Lute with a long neck, frets, six strings. plucked with a pick, used in various parts of the Middle East, but principally in Iran, in classical but also folk and popular music

Smaller lute with frets, 3 or 4 strings, plucked with the nail of the index finger. Used in Persian classical music

An end blown flute used throughout the Middle East. Sometimes spelled ney, nei, or nai

Trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer, played with two balsa wood mallets, used throughout the Middle East but particularly in Iran and Turkey

Term used for various single-skin drums in the Middle East, but principally for the goblet-shaped drum used in Persian classical music