Musical instruments, the music, and musicians worldwide have always aroused both my interest and my curiosity. Particularly the classical and folk music traditions of individual countries and regions.

Contemporary popular music has no frontiers. The same track will be I'Podded in London, Tokyo, New York, even in the most remote locations. Specific musical traditions are less well known. How many people would recognize the sounds of Classical Chinese Opera for instance? A chance hearing would constitute ' Sounds Unfamiliar '.

We all now have available, because of power of the Internet, an incredible archive of information, text, images, and sounds. YouTube for makes available an enormous range of video clips from the popular to the obscure.

However, the sheer volume of what is available can errect a barrier to choice and exploration, making the process of seeing and hearing what we really want to hear and see, a time consuming and frustrating, process.

' Sounds Unfamiliar ' is an attempt to present, with carefully chosen examples, an introduction to classical and folk music traditions worldwide.

Mongolia Throat singingPerhaps the best-known musical form of the Mongols is the throat singing tradition known as hoomii, extant among all or most Mongols. This unique type of singing involves the ... Read more Japan On the Origins of Gagaku in Japan Gagaku, the court music of the Imperial Household of Japan, has a long and august tradition. It has been played by musicians from ... Read more