As described in the book Serpent of the Nile, by Wendy Buonaventura, "Arabic dance is shaped by its accompanying music. This music is never simply background, it is composed around the dance. Musicians follow a dancer, giving her the particular rhythms and moods she requires. Meanwhile, it is her task to express the emotions called for by the music and, during improvisations around a solo instrument, to bring out the instruments essential quality." Belly dance grew out of the rhythmic influences of traditional Eastern music. This music is fundamentally different from music in the West. Western music depends upon a regular rhythm and melodies which build upon a progression of chords and relies on changes in tempo for variety. In contrast, Eastern music, has the following characteristics:     It relies on the rhythms which lead the melody and lend variety to the patterns.     There is a near absence of standard tempos of music.     Songs typically begin with an arrhythmic, or a free rhythm introduction known as          "taqassim" (or division).     Vocal music is allowed complete freedom from standard tempo or rhythm when not          accompanied by a rhythm instrument.     Eastern rhythms are additive, whereas western rhythms are multiplicative. This means          that western rhythms break down evenly. For example a 4/4 is twice as long as a 2/4.          By contrast, Eastern rhythms are a series of smaller patterns strung together and cannot          be evenly divided as in the following examples: 3+2+2=7, 2+2+2+3=9, 4+3+3=10. The          rhythms can be highly complex, with patterns sometimes consisting of as many as 48          beats. The basic components of a rhythm are two kinds of beat and silences (rests).          The downbeat (dumm) is a deep sound made by hitting the drum near the center.          The upbeat (takk) is a crisper, high-pitched sound made by tapping the rim of the drum.     Melody in Arab music also incorporates microtonality, namely intervals that do not          conform to the half-step and whole-step divisions of traditional Western music. The traditional music ensemble, known as the takht, was comprised of the following instruments: the 'ud, the qanun, the nay, the riqq, and the kamanjah (a spike fiddle). In the late nineteenth century the kamanjah was replaced with the Western violin, that remained as a folk instrument under the name rababah. After World War I, the takht was gradually expanded into an orchestra that combined these Arab instruments and other instruments borrowed from the West, especially instruments of the violin family. (Additional information about the history of Arabic Musical Instruments can be found at the web site:   History of Music and Musical Instruments see previous issues -  issue #30, pages 4, 5, 6 and 7.    Information regarding early Arab music recording in Cairo, and a really great picture, can be found at the web site:   Cairo Practice.)  An instrument frequently used by belly dancers to accompany their dance is finger cymbals. Known as Zills in Turkey and Sagat in Arabic, finger cymbals have held a long tradition in middle eastern dance. The earliest  finger cymbals made of metal were found in the area of Thebes (c.200 BC) with a large central boss and upturned rim, measuring 2-7/16" in diameter. For further information on Arab music and rhythm see the following web sites:

		Americanistan  –  The American group that plays belly dance music has a web page with sound samples of Middle Eastern Instruments.
		2ArabMusic : Arab Music  –  A chart and description of Arab music
		Al-Takht  –  A brief article about the traditional music ensemble
		Arabic Music – A very detailed discussion of Arabic music.
		Arabic Musical Instruments – A description of Arab musical instruments.
		Egyptian Music - Seven Millennia of Performance  –  An article describing Egyptian music from ancient times to modern day.
		Egyptian Ney  –  A detailed description of this instrument.
		Iranian Traditional Musical Instruments  –  A description of the instruments with sound samples.
		Made in America: Historical and Contemporary Recordings of Middle Eastern Music in the United States – 1997 article about Arab American Music.
		Middle Eastern Rhythms – Chart showing various rhythms and MIDI files of the rhythms.
		Solo Improvisation (Taqâsîm) in Arab Music  –  Article about solo improvised music widely used in the Arab world.
		Traditional Music from the Arabian Gulf and Saudi Arabia  –  Article about the distinct music of the Gulf (Khaleej).

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Popular Middle Eastern Music

Blending of music styles has occurred for centuries; shaping music throughout the world.  Recently, however, there has emerged distinctly new music forms rather than music transformed by slow cultural changes.  "World beat," evolving in the 1980's, has become very popular. The style involves a purposeful fusion of rhythms and melodies of several countries.  Arab music is now included in the world beat sound and gaining popularity in the West.  (See  Arab Pop on the World Stage.)  Apart from music classified as "world beat,"  since the 1960's there has emerged Arab popular music.  Viewed as an imitation of Western music, this genre has raised concerns regarding the preservation of  traditional Middle East music.  In the 1970's a new sound call shaabi, meaning "of the people" was born.  With old rural origins and traditional rhythms, it is mixed with a modern urban musical style, often using western and electronic instruments. The music is often raw with emotion and containing street slang and satirical lyrics. The popular music with the most widespread appeal, however, is the Egyptian style known as "Al-jil" or "generation music."  Another music style that has become popular in both the Arab world and the West is Rai music, with origins dating back a few decades.  Among recent popular songs is "Desert Rose" by Sting, accompanied by popular Rai singer Cheb Mami.  (Abdelkader Saadoun - Rai's Ambassador to Britain)