Arabic Music Rhythms *

This section lists all Arabic rhythms discussed in this website. This is by no means a comprehensive list since many North African, Iraqi and Khaliji (from the Arab Gulf region) rhythms are not included. Instead this website covers the most commonly used rhythms in the Middle East. In practice, it's difficult to find a definitive list of Arabic rhythms that all textbooks agree on, or a definitive reference on which rhythms are strictly Arabic since there's often an overlap with Turkish, Greek and Persian rhythms.

Muwashahat Rhythms

The Andalusian Muwashahat (plural of Muwashah) are a musical form that originated in Al-Andalus (medieval Spain and Portugal). The muwashah is often composed using a complex rhythm, ranging from 2/4 to 48/4 and greater. A muwashah may use more than one rhythm, although the norm is a single rhythm throughout. Lyrics in a muwashah are poetry in classical Arabic, and must neatly fit the rhythm (every syllable must fall on a beat).

Muwashahat Rhythms are shown in 5 different pages for convenience: [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ]

The  Muwashahat rhythms are listed in the order of their time signature.  Please click on any linked rhythm in group 2 to view.

*  Text and Audio Courtesy of Maqam World