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Reference
Middle Eastern style reference
Maqam-based styles, oud and qanun textures, dabke, Persian classical, Turkish forms and modern fusions.
How to use this list
Each row pairs a style term with a cue line written in the same grammar: what the music is, what plays it, roughly how fast, and how it feels. Copy the cue, then change one thing at a time so you can tell which token moved the result.
Naming a maqam or a specific instrument keeps the melodic ornament right; generic "Middle Eastern" prompts tend to produce cliché.
Combining entries
Percussion names matter: darbuka, riq, bendir and daf each change the feel of the same melody.
If a take drifts away from what you wanted, remove tokens rather than adding more. Long prompts dilute; short, specific ones steer.
| Arabic pop | arabic pop, maqam-tinged vocal melisma, qanun and strings over modern beat, darbuka groove, 105 BPM, glossy and romantic |
| Khaleeji | khaleeji, gulf rhythm with oud and violins, hand claps, ornamented male vocal, 110 BPM, festive and stately |
| Shaabi | shaabi, driving maqsoum rhythm, keyboard accordion lead, streetwise vocal, 130 BPM, raucous and crowd-pumping |
| Mahraganat | mahraganat, hard-clipped electro beat, autotuned Cairo street vocals, synth riffs, 110 BPM, loud and defiant |
| Tarab | tarab, large orchestra with qanun oud ney and strings, long ornamented vocal improvisation, 70 BPM, rapturous and emotive |
| Classical Egyptian orchestra | egyptian orchestral style, sweeping violin unisons, riq percussion, maqam modulations, 90 BPM, lush and dramatic |
| Oud taqsim | oud taqsim, solo oud improvisation in maqam hijaz, free rhythm, natural room reverb, contemplative and intimate |
| Ney meditation | ney flute meditation, breathy overtones, drone background, no percussion, slow rubato, serene and spiritual |
| Sufi devotional | sufi devotional, hypnotic zikr chant, frame drums, ney and kanun, gradual tempo build, 90 BPM, trance-like and reverent |
| Qawwali | qawwali, harmonium drone, tabla and dholak, call-and-response group vocals, ecstatic solo flights, 120 BPM, fervent and rising |
| Turkish arabesk | arabesk, tearful male vocal, bağlama and strings, darbuka rhythm, 100 BPM, melodramatic and aching |
| Turkish folk (türkü) | turkish folk, bağlama saz lead, asymmetrical 9/8 rhythm, plaintive vocal, davul and zurna, 120 BPM, rustic and stirring |
| Anatolian rock | anatolian rock, fuzz guitar with saz melodies, 1970s organ, odd-meter groove, 115 BPM, psychedelic and gritty |
| Turkish psychedelic funk | turkish psych funk, wah guitar, electric saz, breakbeat drums, analog organ, 105 BPM, groovy and retro |
| Persian classical | persian classical, tar and santur interplay, tombak percussion, avaz vocal improvisation in dastgah, 75 BPM, refined and melancholic |
| Persian pop | persian pop, 6/8 shesh-o-hasht rhythm, synth strings, daf accents, warm male vocal, 115 BPM, nostalgic and danceable |
| Dabke | dabke, driving mijwiz reed lead, pounding tabl, hand claps, chanted line, 140 BPM, energetic and communal |
| Levantine wedding | levantine wedding music, derbake groove, keyboard qanun patches, zaghareet ululations, 128 BPM, celebratory and loud |
| Andalusian / Nuba | andalusian classical, ensemble of oud rebab and violin, measured nuba suite, choral refrains, 95 BPM, ornate and stately |
| Gnawa | gnawa, hypnotic guembri bass line, qraqeb metal castanets, call-and-response trance chant, 105 BPM, ritual and rolling |
| Rai | rai, algerian vocal phrasing, synth brass, darbuka and drum machine, 118 BPM, rebellious and danceable |
| Chaabi Moroccan | moroccan chaabi, looping violin motif, bendir and derbouka, chanted refrains, 112 BPM, communal and accelerating |
| Kurdish folk | kurdish folk, tanbur melody, daf frame drum, soaring modal vocal, line-dance rhythm, 118 BPM, proud and yearning |
| Israeli Mizrahi pop | mizrahi pop, bouzouki-like hooks, middle eastern strings, modern dance beat, ornamented vocal, 112 BPM, bright and emotional |
| Middle Eastern trap fusion | middle eastern trap, maqam synth lead, 808 sub bass, rolling hats over darbuka samples, 140 BPM, dark and modern |
| Desert cinematic | middle eastern cinematic, duduk and ney lead, sustained string bed, low frame-drum pulse, 70 BPM, vast and haunting |
| Belly dance instrumental | belly dance instrumental, saidi and maqsoum rhythms, accordion and qanun trade-offs, tabla solo break, 125 BPM, playful and hypnotic |
Raw data: /guide/reference/lists/middle-eastern-list.json · 27 entries
FAQ
Can I get quarter tones?
Sometimes. Ask for a maqam by name and for ornamented microtonal phrasing, but verify by ear — results vary between takes.
Do I have to use the whole middle eastern cue line?
No. The lines are built from independent tokens, so you can keep the two or three that matter and drop the rest without breaking the grammar.
Can I mix this list with another one?
Yes — keep one rhythm description, one lead instrument, one production word and a single tempo. Competing rhythm descriptions are the usual cause of muddled results.