Different Musical Instruments That Are Used To Create Arabic Belly Dancing Music

There are various variations in regards to the type of Arabic belly dancing music that are available on the market and one such is called Rai, which is a form of Algerian pop music that is heavily dependent on Algerian as well as Arabic music styles and is further mixed with Western pop music that also includes Reggae. This form of Arabic belly dancing music can be performed both in Arabic as well as in French languages.

However, the history of Arabic belly dancing music is not very well documented even though a number of attempts have been made, resulting in little success and none have been definitive. Nevertheless, in late 19th century in Egypt Napoleon’s invasion brought to the notice of Arab musicians’ western notation, till that time, had been an oral tradition. Later in the 20th century, the development of classical Egyptian Tarab took place along with the forming of classical Arabic ensembles where the voice began to dominate Arabic belly dancing music.

Some famous musical instruments that are used in Arabic belly dancing music are the Oud, the Buzuk, the Qanoun, the Saz, the Nay, the Mejwiz and the Debakkeh also called the tabla. The Oud has a rich low tone that makes it very suitable for long Tarab evenings and is a pear shaped lute having a short fretless neck that can be plucked with either fingers or a feather, which is now made out of plastic.

The Qanoun

The Qanoun consists of approximately fifty strings strung on a metallic table and is very similar to the Santour used in Iranian music. Instead of the strings being hammered they are plucked and the musician straps his left or right fingers with metal plucks and enables the Qanoun to provide fast attacks in addition to high harmonics and add a sharp edge to the Arabic belly dancing music.

The Saz and the Buzuk is a lute having a long neck and is pear shaped and comes in different sizes and has different number of frets and the instrument can be tuned in different ways to match different regions or moods/occasions. The Nay is a bamboo flute with seven holes that provides the Arabic belly dancing music players with the ability to play different maqams.

The Derbakkeh or Tabla is a drum that looks like an hour glass and is traditionally made from clay though recent ones are known to be made from metal. The Derbakkeh gives the basic rhythm in Arabic belly dancing music and is one versatile instrument. The main Arabic belly dancing music schools include Lebanese and Tunisian dancing schools.