Did you notice the different music style at the end of this song of Michael Pinnella ? Ok. I'll tell ya...
First of all this instrument is called "ud" (you call it "oud"). It is a half arabic, half turkish instrument. And it is fretless.
But it is not the instrument that gives the different feel. It is our (as i am from Turkey) folk music structure which is very different from the "well tempered system" of the west.
In "well tempered system" (Pythagor found it) a sound frequency is divided into two and we get the sharps and flats that way. And it is easy to use armonic sounds together to make a polyphony. But in our folk music structure a sound is divided even up to 9 (yes, 9). So it is usually fretless instruments in our culture. Pitch bends and pitch slides are very important. So our music is usually made in a wide pitch, playing close notes following each other with lots of pitch slides. This makes it very emotionally melancholic. Of course not all these 9 faults are used but according to the mode that is used (there are hundreds of modes ("makam" as we reffer), many of these faults are used. So that is what gives our music the taste that could never be found in a well tempered system. This musical style is also used in Greece, India, arabic countries, most parts of the western block and some parts of Africa.
I like Symphony X because they usually use modal structures in their music "which is close to our musical taste" without touching to jazz and blues of American style. They even use some of our "makams" unawarely. These two afro-american styles are far to our culture and no matter how hard i try to love them, i coudn't. I am sorry
There are also bands in my country that combines the polyphony of west and makams of the east. One of them is "Laço Tayfa". They are all virtuosos in their instruments. They combine western and eastern music and also the instruments with progressive elements. Or you should try "Asiaminor". Both of these bands are similar and they make a synthesis between eastern and western music. I like them both.
http://lacotayfa.calabashmusic.com/
http://www.lacotayfa.com/html/home.html
http://www.myndefyre.com/asiaminor/index.html
PS: I am sorry for my bad english. And also I don't have much musical knowledge. I just wanted to describe what i know. If you see stg. wrong, please correct me.
First of all this instrument is called "ud" (you call it "oud"). It is a half arabic, half turkish instrument. And it is fretless.
But it is not the instrument that gives the different feel. It is our (as i am from Turkey) folk music structure which is very different from the "well tempered system" of the west.
In "well tempered system" (Pythagor found it) a sound frequency is divided into two and we get the sharps and flats that way. And it is easy to use armonic sounds together to make a polyphony. But in our folk music structure a sound is divided even up to 9 (yes, 9). So it is usually fretless instruments in our culture. Pitch bends and pitch slides are very important. So our music is usually made in a wide pitch, playing close notes following each other with lots of pitch slides. This makes it very emotionally melancholic. Of course not all these 9 faults are used but according to the mode that is used (there are hundreds of modes ("makam" as we reffer), many of these faults are used. So that is what gives our music the taste that could never be found in a well tempered system. This musical style is also used in Greece, India, arabic countries, most parts of the western block and some parts of Africa.
I like Symphony X because they usually use modal structures in their music "which is close to our musical taste" without touching to jazz and blues of American style. They even use some of our "makams" unawarely. These two afro-american styles are far to our culture and no matter how hard i try to love them, i coudn't. I am sorry
There are also bands in my country that combines the polyphony of west and makams of the east. One of them is "Laço Tayfa". They are all virtuosos in their instruments. They combine western and eastern music and also the instruments with progressive elements. Or you should try "Asiaminor". Both of these bands are similar and they make a synthesis between eastern and western music. I like them both.
http://lacotayfa.calabashmusic.com/
http://www.lacotayfa.com/html/home.html
http://www.myndefyre.com/asiaminor/index.html
PS: I am sorry for my bad english. And also I don't have much musical knowledge. I just wanted to describe what i know. If you see stg. wrong, please correct me.
