(headline image: Algair Jaw Harp) Few musical instruments are as small and unassuming yet as globally far-reaching as the jaw harp. Also known as the…
View More An Overview of the Twangy Jaw HarpCategory: Articles
Kolintang: The Wooden Wonder of Minahasa
(headline image: Kolintang class in middle school. As a regular curriculum in some schools in Indonesia, it is a way to pass the technique of…
View More Kolintang: The Wooden Wonder of MinahasaHow Rembetika music unites the people of troubled Cyprus
(headline photo: Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay) Writer and musician John Phillpott travels to Cyprus and discovers a music that has played a crucial…
View More How Rembetika music unites the people of troubled CyprusThe Dulzaina, Spain’s Cherished Traditional Reed Instrument
The dulzaina is a traditional Spanish double-reed woodwind instrument belonging to the oboe family. It typically measures about 70 cm in length and features a conical…
View More The Dulzaina, Spain’s Cherished Traditional Reed InstrumentFrom Alpha’s “Boulevard de la mort” to FEMUA 2025’s Beats and Ballots
An estimated 100,000 people turned out for the weeklong Festival des Musiques Urbaines d’Anoumabo in Côte d’Ivoire’s economic capital, Abidjan. A raucous mix of music,…
View More From Alpha’s “Boulevard de la mort” to FEMUA 2025’s Beats and BallotsThe Story of the Keyboard: From Rudimentary Sounds to Dazzling Modern Innovations
(headline image: MOOG Muse – Eight-Voice Analog Bi-Timbral Polyphonic Synthesizer) It is almost impossible to imagine modern music without the presence of a keyboard. Whether…
View More The Story of the Keyboard: From Rudimentary Sounds to Dazzling Modern InnovationsThe legend of John Barleycorn
Writer and musician John Phillpott delves into the darkness of pre-history and unearths a mysterious character known on both sides of the Atlantic by the…
View More The legend of John BarleycornThe Ney: A Charming Middle Eastern Reed Flute
(headline image: professional Arabic ney, 7 flutes, Ahmad Abd El Ghani) The ney (also spelled nay) is an ancient end-blown flute made from reed, widely…
View More The Ney: A Charming Middle Eastern Reed FluteThe Best of Irish and Irish-Diaspora Folk Music for 2025
To celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, we have compiled a list with some of the finest Irish folk music recordings that appeared recently on World Music…
View More The Best of Irish and Irish-Diaspora Folk Music for 2025Castañuelas, an Essential Instrument in Flamenco and Spanish folk traditions
(Headline image semi-professional Jale Spanish flamenco castanets – Castañuelas) The castañuelas (castanets), are a percussion instrument consisting of two wooden pieces connected by a cord.…
View More Castañuelas, an Essential Instrument in Flamenco and Spanish folk traditions
