Thesis Book - Seeds of Hope

CULTURE: MUSIC
Afghan music comes in various linguistic,
ethnic, and regional traditions. The
AFGHANISTAN’S FIRST FEMALE STREET ARTIST
Shamsia Hassani
country’s neighbors like Iran, Tajikistan,
China, and Uzbekistan play a huge influence on
the regional style of music. Folk music is a
great feature embedded in the culture that is
enjoyed by rural and urban populations. One of
the most prominent examples is the Folk music
from the southern Pashtun region which has a
rich history of independence and pride expressed
in poetry. The majority of the folk song comes
in a poetic form of landay which is composed of
RABAB
nine and thirteen-syllable lines (Sakata). The
musical instrument used in this type of regional
music is Rabab which is carved out of mulberry
wood with three main playing strings and twelve
to fifteen sympathetic strings which vibrate and
create rich harmonics and tones. The instrument
is the best-known in Afghanistan as it is a virtuosic
solo instrument in the classical music of
the culture. The folk music on the western side,
however, has a similar relation to the folk traditions
of Iran with a song genre known as chahar
baiti (quatrain). These poems are often inspired
by the subject of love. The popular instrument
is known as the dutar, which means “two strings”.
This long-necked, portable instrument is found
in many teahouses to be played. Other ethnic
groups such as Tajiks and Uzbeks share the same
musical style which used Chahar baiti (Sakata).
HERAT DUTAR
Fig 6
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