Before finding out the wonders of traditional Romanian music, you have to know a thing. Romania has about 9 regions. Each region has its own music. Well, they’re not that different. But the instruments and the dances are specific.
First, traditional Romanian music doesn’t sound like anything you’ve heard before. It’s not pop, rock, hip-hop or anything else that comes to your mind now. It’s intense and it talks about life’s ups and downs, about Romanian habits, about nature. There are traditional songs in which animals appear and talk. These are called ballads. You can hear traditional music at music festivals, weddings or in the countryside.Of course, traditional Romanian musicians use instruments like drums, guitars and violins. But you’ve heard of these. And you surely know the sound they make. Let’s get to the interesting ones.
Ever heard of wind instruments? If not, they’re instruments that you blow air into and sound comes out at the other end. This kind of instruments is often used in traditional Romanian Music. The taragot is one of them. Picture it like a long tube. Also, the “ţilinca” is a wind instrument used in traditional music. What’s that? Imagine a really long stick that has a hole in the middle, from the beginning until its end. This instrument is similar to the flute. The difference is that the flute has small round holes in it. Another wind instrument used in traditional Romanian music is the panpipe. A panpipe is made of several sticks with holes that look just like pipes glued together. Traditional Romanian musicians use them, but they also use instruments that are similar. No, I’m not talking about the bass guitar. I’m talking about the cobza and the zongora. These traditional Romanian instruments have strings, like a guitar. But the sounds they make are different from that of a guitar. The zongora is even held vertically. Add the accordion and the saxophone to all these, and you basically have an idea about traditional Romanian music.
Still, the best way is to listen to a song. You’ll know then what traditional music really means. Ask your mom or your dad to search some traditional Romanian songs on the Internet.
Online Romanian lessons for kids: dinolingo.com