Traditional ARABIC Music - موسيقى تقليدية - Relaxing Music TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN THE ARAB WORLD Melodic Style Traditional Arabic music is almost wholly melodic, and melodies are often melismatic and highly ornamented as in "Seyouff el Ezz" performed by Mohammed Assaf. Singing is held as the ideal of musical expressiveness. In traditional style, singers are almost always accompanied by an instrumental ensemble playing in unison with the singer. Maqam System The theory behind the maqam system of Arabic music stretches back to the ninth century. Arabic music is based on eight commonly used melodic modes, or maqams. The maqam system is the basis of composed and improvised Arabic music, whether vocal and instrumental. The maqam system is mostly taught orally, and by extensive listening to traditional playing. Each maqam is also meant to produce a certain mood or emotional state in the listener. The particular tones of each maqam are organized in seven-tone scales, and each maqam has charac