Cool Stuff - Arabic and Indian music

 Arabic and Indian music have been so interesting to learn about this week. Both have such unique and beautiful styles! The first video that I wanted to share is some dance clips from Bollywood movies. I've always been interested to learn more about Bollywood because a few years ago I saw a dance video or something along those lines and I was so fascinated with the dance technique, the music, and the outfits. The clip that I'm going to share is kind of long, but it's really cool! The dancing is so amazing to watch, and the songs are really catchy and make you want to get up and dance. The outfits and jewelry they wear are also just so beautiful. One thing I noticed is that the timbre of a lot of Bollywood singers seems pretty consistent from song to song. The female singers especially have consistently light timbres to their voices. 

When looking for music from the Middle East I found this beautiful traditional lullaby from Egypt, by this ensemble group. I thought this video was really neat to watch because you can see a lot of the instruments we talked about in class being used like the qanun and Doumbek. There's also a bowed chordophone and an aerophone being used in this piece. I really enjoyed the singer's voice and how it sounded with the instruments. The tone and quality of her singing are really captivating to listen to. 

Finally, I was looking for what else to include in my cool stuff blog and there are so many cool things from these parts of the world, but I found a singer named Asmahan and I wanted to share a couple of her songs. Asmahan was an Egyptian singer from the 1930s, and I really enjoyed listening to her music. This song "Ya habibi taala elhaani"has a mysterious sound to it, and her voice not as melodic, but it fits the song very well. The second song I included by her "Askiniha" also has a similar sound theme, but her voice is more melodic during this song. I really enjoyed both songs and her music has a very intriguing timeless feel to it.