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180polyphony among the Caucasian peoples is regionally specific, and at the same time itconcentrates on one aspect of musical language only. Although both of these methods ofcomparative studies (wide regional studies and cross-cultural studies of a particularphenomenon of traditional music) require major cross-cultural comparative research, theyare methodologically quite different.For example, if we study Georgian traditional music as a part of a wide regionalstudy of Transcaucasian musical cultures, we will be dealing with three independentcultures (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) with major differences between the whole set ofimportant parameters: the languages they speak (Armenians speak Indo-European,Azerbaijanis Turkic, and Georgians the Caucasian family of languages), religions(Azerbaijanis are Moslems, Armenians and Georgians are Christians, although theybelong to different denominations of the Christian Church), and musical culture(Georgian singing traditions are overwhelmingly polyphonic, while Armenian andAzerbaijani singing traditions, having a whole set of differences between them, are bothmonophonic). At the same time, all three cultures, having lived together as neighborsduring the millennia (in the case of Armenians and Georgians) or at least a few centuries(Armenians and Georgians with Azerbaijanis), they currently have a whole set of sharedcultural elements. For example, there are quite a few shared song melodies, certain typesof musical instruments, and similar layers of urban music. Now, if we look at theprospects of regional ethnomusicological study of the entire Caucasian region, then theNorth Caucasian peoples, languages and religions come into the picture as well. So wewill be dealing with the peoples speaking the Indo-European family of languages(Armenians and Ossetians), the Turkic family of languages (Azerbaijanis, Balkarians andKarachaevis), and the Caucasian family of languages (Georgians, Abkhazians, Adighis,Chechens, Ingushes, and Dagestanians). Regarding religion, we will have here aChristian group of peoples, comprising Armenians, Georgians and Ossetians, and theMoslem group of peoples, comprising Azerbaijanis, most of the Abkhazians, Adighis,Balkarians, Karachaevis, Chechens, Ingushes, and Dagestanians. The situation is morecomplicated as part of the Georgians and Ossetians are Moslems, and part of theAbkhazians are Christian. In terms of musical culture this region can be divided into thegroup of peoples with a tradition of polyphonic singing (Georgians and all NorthCaucasian peoples), and peoples with monophonic singing traditions (Armenians andAzerbaijanis). [This kind of regional division was followed, for example, by the editorsof the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music.] At the same time the North Caucasianpeoples (irrespective of differences in religions and languages) share the tradition ofspecific Nart epic songs – very important for most of the peoples of North Caucasia andvirtually absent in Transcaucasia.On the other hand, a research project dedicated to some specific phenomenon ofGeorgian traditional musical culture would lead us to totally different regions andcultures of the world. For example, a search for the parallels and the possible roots ofGeorgian traditional string instruments could lead us to Middle and Central Asianmusical cultures; a search for the parallels of the western Georgian yodel would lead usto some isolated regions of the world, including the Alps, Balkans, some north Europeancountries, Central and South Africa and Papua New Guinea. This is hardly surprising, ason one hand the peoples of the world are tied to each other throughout their ethnichistory, migration processes, cultural and economical contacts, and on the other hand,