Folk Music Traditions of the World
Folk Music Traditions Of The World is a structured culture dataset with 20 entries. Its fields include Tradition, Region, Key Instruments. The source values are preserved as a structured reference table.
Every row is shown below and is also available as CSV, JSON, or Excel.
Dataset details
- Table scope
- All 20 rows
- Fields
- 5 columns
- Source
- Community curated
- Data updated
- Apr 9, 2026
Included fields: Tradition, Region, Key Instruments, Mood, Known For.
The table contains every record in this dataset; the same records are available in each download format.
Preview observations
No reliable range or grouping can be calculated from the loaded rows without interpreting the source data.
Useful for
- Comparing Tradition, Region, and Key Instruments across culture entries
- Building reference tables, charts, or analyses from 20 downloadable records
Tradition↕ | Region↕ | Key Instruments↕ | Mood↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Irish trad | Ireland | Fiddle, tin whistle, uilleann pipes, bodhran | Lively, melancholic | Jigs, reels, hornpipes, and slow airs passed down in pub sessions |
Flamenco | Andalusia, Spain | Guitar, palmas, cajon, voice | Passionate, anguished | Romani-rooted art of cante (song), baile (dance), and toque (guitar) from southern Spain |
Fado | Portugal | Portuguese guitarra, classical guitar, voice | Saudade, longing | Lisbon and Coimbra ballads of fate, loss, and the sea, UNESCO heritage |
Klezmer | Ashkenazi Eastern Europe | Clarinet, violin, accordion, bass | Joyful, bittersweet | Ashkenazi Jewish wedding and celebration music from the shtetls of Poland and Ukraine |
Gamelan | Indonesia (Java, Bali) | Gongs, metallophones, drums | Hypnotic, ceremonial | Bronze percussion orchestra central to Javanese court and Balinese temple life |
Bluegrass | Appalachia, USA | Banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, upright bass | High-lonesome, driving | Bill Monroe's fast-picking Appalachian string band style rooted in Scots-Irish ballads |
Rebetiko | Greece | Bouzouki, baglamas, guitar | Urban, melancholic | Greek urban blues from Piraeus coffeehouses, song of refugees and the underground |
Tuvan throat singing | Tuva, Siberia | Voice, igil, doshpuluur | Primal, overtonal | Khoomei technique producing multiple vocal pitches at once, evoking landscapes |
Qawwali | Punjab, South Asia | Harmonium, tabla, voice, handclaps | Ecstatic, devotional | Sufi devotional music of the Indian subcontinent, popularized by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan |
Mariachi | Jalisco, Mexico | Violin, vihuela, guitarron, trumpet | Festive, romantic | Mexican ensemble music with charro suits and rancheras performed at celebrations |
Samba | Brazil | Pandeiro, surdo, cavaquinho, cuica | Exuberant, rhythmic | Afro-Brazilian carnival rhythm from Rio de Janeiro samba schools |
Tango | Rio de la Plata, Argentina | Bandoneon, violin, piano, guitar | Sensual, dramatic | Buenos Aires dance music of immigrants and the milongas of the 1890s |
Cajun | Louisiana, USA | Accordion, fiddle, triangle | Toe-tapping, rustic | French-Acadian dance music of the Louisiana bayou with zydeco cousin |
Mbira music | Zimbabwe (Shona) | Mbira dzavadzimu, hosho | Trance, spiritual | Shona thumb piano played to summon ancestral spirits at bira ceremonies |
Hindustani classical folk | North India | Sarangi, dhol, voice | Devotional, earthy | Rajasthani Manganiyar and Langa traditions carrying Sufi and bhakti roots |
Rai | Algeria | Gasba, darbuka, synth, voice | Defiant, modern | Oran's rebel pop music fusing Bedouin folk with electric instruments |
Morna | Cape Verde | Violin, guitar, cavaquinho | Nostalgic, oceanic | Cape Verdean ballad form made globally famous by Cesaria Evora |
Huayno | Andes (Peru, Bolivia) | Charango, quena, bombo | Joyful, earthy | Indigenous Andean dance music sung in Quechua with wistful high vocals |
Appalachian old-time | Southern Appalachia | Clawhammer banjo, fiddle | Rural, haunting | Pre-bluegrass mountain string band music descended from British Isles ballads |
Celtic Breton | Brittany, France | Bombarde, biniou, harp | Wild, oceanic | Breton fest-noz dance music revived by Alan Stivell and the Celtic folk movement |
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