Today you’re going to learn about a really important genre of Arabic music. This music is timeless and ancient. It is very different in tone and feeling than Arabic music in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Egypt. You can call it Sawt Al-Khaleej, or Sawt for short.
Sawt music is the Arabic music I find very intriguing. The rhythms are very unique, and the Oud playing is absolutely furious. I love how edgy it is.
The first time I heard and saw Sawt music, I thought it was something completely unique. I don’t know many non-Arab musicians who actually know any of the repertoire. It’s a niche.
You have to sing too, so that would make it harder for non-Arabs to get into.
Sawt in Arabic means voice. Khaleej means Gulf. This is the sound or voice of the Gulf. This music can be heard in all the Arabic Gulf countries like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.
Check out my video about it.
More Sawt
Check out these videos of sawt performances.
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