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Forex Music
Classical music will help your Forex trading
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Listen to Classical music, while you Trade or Scalp
We have assembled this Classical music collection to help you during your Forex trades. It is measured to last for a trade session . Either the European morning or the U.S. morning. Don't trade more than the music lasts. If you take your daily profit goal, shut down your trade station and head over for the pleasures of life.
Classical music has been scientifically proven to encourage cognitive development.
Classical music is an aural and visual feast that promotes creativity, mental awareness, which will help you in your Forex trading.
Forex traders bring to their trading, different experiences based on their profession. Each profession or experience provides different strengths and weaknesses. Engineers who try to learn Forex trading often try to model the market and project the price direction based on equations. Doctors try to diagnose the price action during their Forex trades. The Forex market is not a patient . The traders that have been professional athletes, are disciplined and they have the ability to control their emotions. Ofcourse the emotions can provide valuable advantage concerning the trade management but too much of emotion control might be less productive. It is evident that Forex trading is a great challenge among all professions, leaving most people challenged as never before in mastering profitable Forex trading.
If one profession would appear to provide important insight for Forex trading, it would be the field of Music because there is harmony in Forex price movements flow and market rhythm .
Consider the everyday experience of driving your car and trying to find a radio station that you would like to listen to. Selecting the scan button allows you to listen for a few moments to each station until the right tune comes along. The driver doesn't need to know all of the songs being played in every station. The main goal is to hear the song, that is appealing. In the same way, the Forex market is constantly streaming a variety of patterns. Each day there are many opportunities for many potential trades. By entering in the market flow and rhythm, along with the price action, that is "playing" a tradable pattern will be revealed.
This is a sequence, that like music provides an underlying theme to market moves. In all this period ,classical music will help you remain focus in the market flaw and rhythm emotional steady.
Foreign exchange market
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Foreign exchange
Exchange rates
Currency band
Exchange rate
Exchange rate regime
Fixed exchange rate
Floating exchange rate
Linked exchange rate
Markets
Foreign exchange market
Futures exchange
Retail forex
Products
Currency
Currency future
Non-deliverable forward
Forex swap
Currency swap
Foreign exchange option
See also
Bureau de change
The foreign exchange market (currency, forex, or FX) is where currency trading takes place. It is where banks and other official institutions facilitate the buying and selling of foreign currencies. [1]FX transactions typically involve one party purchasing a quantity of one currency in exchange for paying a quantity of another. The foreign exchange market that we see today started evolving during the 1970s when worldover countries gradually switched to floating exchange rate from their erstwhile exchange rate regime, which remained fixed as per the Bretton Woods system till 1971.
Presently, the FX market is one of the largest and most liquid financial markets in the world, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, corporations, governments, and other institutions. The average daily volume in the global foreign exchange and related markets is continuously growing. Traditional daily turnover was reported to be over US$3.2 trillion in April 2007 by the Bank for International Settlements.[2] Since then, the market has continued to grow. According to Euromoney's annual FX Poll, volumes grew a further 41% between 2007 and 2008.[3]
The purpose of FX market is to facilitate trade and investment. The need for a foreign exchange market arises because of the presence of multifarious international currencies such as US Dollar, Pound Sterling, etc., and the need for trading in such currencies.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Market size and liquidity
* 2 Market participants
o 2.1 Banks
o 2.2 Commercial companies
o 2.3 Central banks
o 2.4 Hedge funds as speculators
o 2.5 Investment management firms
o 2.6 Retail foreign exchange brokers
o 2.7 Non-bank Foreign Exchange Companies
o 2.8 Money Transfer/Remittance Companies
* 3 Trading characteristics
* 4 Determinants of FX Rates
o 4.1 Economic factors
o 4.2 Political conditions
o 4.3 Market psychology
* 5 Algorithmic trading in foreign exchange
* 6 Financial instruments
o 6.1 Spot
o 6.2 Forward
o 6.3 Future
o 6.4 Swap
o 6.5 Option
o 6.6 Exchange-Traded Fund
* 7 Speculation
* 8 References
* 9 See also
* 10 External links
[edit] Market size and liquidity
The foreign exchange market is unique because of
* its trading volumes,
* the extreme liquidity of the market,
* its geographical dispersion,
* its long trading hours: 24 hours a day except on weekends (from 22:00 UTC on Sunday until 22:00 UTC Friday),
* the variety of factors that affect exchange rates.
* the low margins of profit compared with other markets of fixed income (but profits can be high due to very large trading volumes)
* the use of leverage
Main foreign exchange market turnover, 1988 - 2007, measured in billions of USD.
As such, it has been referred to as the market closest to the ideal perfect competition, notwithstanding market manipulation by central banks. According to the Bank for International Settlements,[2] average daily turnover in global foreign exchange markets is estimated at $3.98 trillion. Trading in the world's main financial markets accounted for $3.21 trillion of this. This approximately $3.21 trillion in main foreign exchange market turnover was broken down as follows:
* $1.005 trillion in spot transactions
* $362 billion in outright forwards
* $1.714 trillion in foreign exchange swaps
* $129 billion estimated gaps in reporting
Of the $3.98 trillion daily global turnover, trading in London accounted for around $1.36 trillion, or 34.1% of the total, making London by far the global center for foreign exchange. In second and third places respectively, trading in New York accounted for 16.6%, and Tokyo accounted for 6.0%.[4] In addition to "traditional" turnover, $2.1 trillion was traded in derivatives.
Exchange-traded FX futures contracts were introduced in 1972 at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and are actively traded relative to most other futures contracts.
Several other developed countries also permit the trading of FX derivative products (like currency futures and options on currency futures) on their exchanges. All these developed countries already have fully convertible capital accounts. Most emerging countries do not permit FX derivative products on their exchanges in view of prevalent controls on the capital accounts. However, a few select emerging countries (e.g., Korea, South Africa, India—[1]; [2]) have already successfully experimented with the currency futures exchanges, despite having some controls on the capital account.
FX futures volume has grown rapidly in recent years, and accounts for about 7% of the total foreign exchange market volume, according to The Wall Street Journal Europe (5/5/06, p. 20).
Top 10 currency traders [5]
% of overall volume, May 2008 Rank Name Volume
1 Flag of Germany Deutsche Bank 21.70%
2 Flag of Switzerland UBS AG 15.80%
3 Flag of the United Kingdom Barclays Capital 9.12%
4 Flag of the United States Citi 7.49%
5 Flag of the United Kingdom Royal Bank of Scotland 7.30%
6 Flag of the United States JPMorgan 4.19%
7 Flag of the United Kingdom HSBC 4.10%
8 Flag of the United States Lehman Brothers 3.58%
9 Flag of the United States Goldman Sachs 3.47%
10 Flag of the United States Morgan Stanley 2.86%
Foreign exchange trading increased by 38% between April 2005 and April 2006 and has more than doubled since 2001. This is largely due to the growing importance of foreign exchange as an asset class and an increase in fund management assets, particularly of hedge funds and pension funds. The diverse selection of execution venues have made it easier for retail traders to trade in the foreign exchange market. In 2006, retail traders constituted over 2% of the whole FX market volumes with an average daily trade volume of over US$50-60 billion (see retail trading platforms).[6] Because foreign exchange is an OTC market where brokers/dealers negotiate directly with one another, there is no central exchange or clearing house. The biggest geographic trading centre is the UK, primarily London, which according to IFSL estimates has increased its share of global turnover in traditional transactions from 31.3% in April 2004 to 34.1% in April 2007. The ten most active traders account for almost 80% of trading volume, according to the 2008 Euromoney FX survey.[3] These large international banks continually provide the market with both bid (buy) and ask (sell) prices. The bid/ask spread is the difference between the price at which a bank or market maker will sell ("ask", or "offer") and the price at which a market-maker will buy ("bid") from a wholesale customer. This spread is minimal for actively traded pairs of currencies, usually 0–3 pips. For example, the bid/ask quote of EUR/USD might be 1.2200/1.2203 on a retail broker. Minimum trading size for most deals is usually 100,000 units of base currency, which is a standard "lot".
These spreads might not apply to retail customers at banks, which will routinely mark up the difference to say 1.2100/1.2300 for transfers, or say 1.2000/1.2400 for banknotes or travelers' checks. Spot prices at market makers vary, but on EUR/USD are usually no more than 3 pips wide (i.e., 0.0003). Competition is greatly increased with larger transactions, and pip spreads shrink on the major pairs to as little as 1 to 2 pips.
[edit] Market participants
Financial markets
Bond market
Fixed income
Corporate bond
Government bond
Municipal bond
Bond valuation
High-yield debt
Stock market
Stock
Preferred stock
Common stock
Registered share
Voting share
Stock exchange
Foreign exchange market
Derivatives market
Credit derivative
Hybrid security
Options
Futures
Forwards
Swaps
Other Markets
Commodity market
Money market
OTC market
Real estate market
Spot market
Finance series
Financial market
Financial market participants
Corporate finance
Personal finance
Public finance
Banks and Banking
Financial regulation
v • d • e
Unlike a stock market, where all participants have access to the same prices, the foreign exchange market is divided into levels of access. At the top is the inter-bank market, which is made up of the largest investment banking firms. Within the inter-bank market, spreads, which are the difference between the bid and ask prices, are razor sharp and usually unavailable, and not known to players outside the inner circle. The difference between the bid and ask prices widens (from 0-1 pip to 1-2 pips for some currencies such as the EUR). This is due to volume. If a trader can guarantee large numbers of transactions for large amounts, they can demand a smaller difference between the bid and ask price, which is referred to as a better spread. The levels of access that make up the foreign exchange market are determined by the size of the “line” (the amount of money with which they are trading). The top-tier inter-bank market accounts for 53% of all transactions. After that there are usually smaller investment banks, followed by large multi-national corporations (which need to hedge risk and pay employees in different countries), large hedge funds, and even some of the retail FX-metal market makers. According to Galati and Melvin, “Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, and other institutional investors have played an increasingly important role in financial markets in general, and in FX markets in particular, since the early 2000s.” (2004) In addition, he notes, “Hedge funds have grown markedly over the 2001–2004 period in terms of both number and overall size” Central banks also participate in the foreign exchange market to align currencies to their economic needs.
[edit] Banks
The interbank market caters for both the majority of commercial turnover and large amounts of speculative trading every day. A large bank may trade billions of dollars daily. Some of this trading is undertaken on behalf of customers, but much is conducted by proprietary desks, trading for the bank's own account. Until recently, foreign exchange brokers did large amounts of business, facilitating interbank trading and matching anonymous counterparts for small fees. Today, however, much of this business has moved on to more efficient electronic systems. The broker squawk box lets traders listen in on ongoing interbank trading and is heard in most trading rooms, but turnover is noticeably smaller than just a few years ago.
[edit] Commercial companies
An important part of this market comes from the financial activities of companies seeking foreign exchange to pay for goods or services. Commercial companies often trade fairly small amounts compared to those of banks or speculators, and their trades often have little short term impact on market rates. Nevertheless, trade flows are an important factor in the long-term direction of a currency's exchange rate. Some multinational companies can have an unpredictable impact when very large positions are covered due to exposures that are not widely known by other market participants.
[edit] Central banks
National central banks play an important role in the foreign exchange markets. They try to control the money supply, inflation, and/or interest rates and often have official or unofficial target rates for their currencies. They can use their often substantial foreign exchange reserves to stabilize the market. Milton Friedman argued that the best stabilization strategy would be for central banks to buy when the exchange rate is too low, and to sell when the rate is too high—that is, to trade for a profit based on their more precise information. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of central bank "stabilizing speculation" is doubtful because central banks do not go bankrupt if they make large losses, like other traders would, and there is no convincing evidence that they do make a profit trading.
The mere expectation or rumor of central bank intervention might be enough to stabilize a currency, but aggressive intervention might be used several times each year in countries with a dirty float currency regime. Central banks do not always achieve their objectives. The combined resources of the market can easily overwhelm any central bank.[7] Several scenarios of this nature were seen in the 1992–93 ERM collapse, and in more recent times in Southeast Asia.
[edit] Hedge funds as speculators
About 70% to 90% of the foreign exchange transactions are speculative. In other words, the person or institution that bought or sold the currency has no plan to actually take delivery of the currency in the end; rather, they were solely speculating on the movement of that particular currency. Hedge funds have gained a reputation for aggressive currency speculation since 1996. They control billions of dollars of equity and may borrow billions more, and thus may overwhelm intervention by central banks to support almost any currency, if the economic fundamentals are in the hedge funds' favor.
[edit] Investment management firms
Investment management firms (who typically manage large accounts on behalf of customers such as pension funds and endowments) use the foreign exchange market to facilitate transactions in foreign securities. For example, an investment manager bearing an international equity portfolio needs to purchase and sell several pairs of foreign currencies to pay for foreign securities purchases.
Some investment management firms also have more speculative specialist currency overlay operations, which manage clients' currency exposures with the aim of generating profits as well as limiting risk. Whilst the number of this type of specialist firms is quite small, many have a large value of assets under management (AUM), and hence can generate large trades.
[edit] Retail foreign exchange brokers
There are two types of retail brokers offering the opportunity for speculative trading: retail foreign exchange brokers and market makers. Retail traders (individuals) are a small fraction of this market and may only participate indirectly through brokers or banks. Retail brokers, while largely controlled and regulated by the CFTC and NFA might be subject to foreign exchange scams.[8][9] At present, the NFA and CFTC are imposing stricter requirements, particularly in relation to the amount of Net Capitalization required of its members. As a result many of the smaller, and perhaps questionable brokers are now gone. It is not widely understood that retail brokers and market makers typically trade against their clients and frequently take the other side of their trades. This can often create a potential conflict of interest and give rise to some of the unpleasant experiences some traders have had. A move toward NDD (No Dealing Desk) and STP (Straight Through Processing) has helped to resolve some of these concerns and restore trader confidence, but caution is still advised in ensuring that all is as it is presented.
[edit] Non-bank Foreign Exchange Companies
Non-bank foreign exchange companies offer currency exchange and international payments to private individuals and companies. These are also known as foreign exchange brokers but are distinct in that they do not offer speculative trading but currency exchange with payments. I.e., there is usually a physical delivery of currency to a bank account.
It is estimated that in the UK, 14% of currency transfers/payments[10] are made via Foreign Exchange Companies.[11] These companies' selling point is usually that they will offer better exchange rates or cheaper payments than the customer's bank. These companies differ from Money Transfer/Remittance Companies in that they generally offer higher-value services.
[edit] Money Transfer/Remittance Companies
Money transfer/remittance companies perform high-volume low-value transfers generally by economic migrants back to their home country. In 2007, the Aite Group estimated that there were $369 billion of remittances (an increase of 8% on the previous year). The four largest markets (India, China, Mexico and the Philippines) receive $95 billion. The largest and best known provider is Western Union with 345,000 agents globally.
[edit] Trading characteristics
Most traded currencies[2]
Currency distribution of reported FX market turnover Rank Currency ISO 4217 code
(Symbol) % daily share
(April 2007)
1 Flag of the United States United States dollar USD ($) 86.3%
2 Flag of Europe Euro EUR (€) 37.0%
3 Flag of Japan Japanese yen JPY (¥) 17.0%
4 Flag of the United Kingdom Pound sterling GBP (£) 15.0%
5 Flag of Switzerland Swiss franc CHF (Fr) 6.8%
6 Flag of Australia Australian dollar AUD ($) 6.7%
7 Flag of Canada Canadian dollar CAD ($) 4.2%
8-9 Flag of Sweden Swedish krona SEK (kr) 2.8%
8-9 Flag of Hong Kong Hong Kong dollar HKD ($) 2.8%
10 Flag of Norway Norwegian krone NOK (kr) 2.2%
11 Flag of New Zealand New Zealand dollar NZD ($) 1.9%
12 Flag of Mexico Mexican peso MXN ($) 1.3%
13 Flag of Singapore Singapore dollar SGD ($) 1.2%
14 Flag of South Korea South Korean won KRW (₩) 1.1%
Other 14.5%
Total 200%
There is no unified or centrally cleared market for the majority of FX trades, and there is very little cross-border regulation. Due to the over-the-counter (OTC) nature of currency markets, there are rather a number of interconnected marketplaces, where different currencies instruments are traded. This implies that there is not a single exchange rate but rather a number of different rates (prices), depending on what bank or market maker is trading, and where it is. In practice the rates are often very close, otherwise they could be exploited by arbitrageurs instantaneously. Due to London's dominance in the market, a particular currency's quoted price is usually the London market price. A joint venture of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Reuters, called Fxmarketspace opened in 2007 and aspired but failed to the role of a central market clearing mechanism.
The main trading center is London, but New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore are all important centers as well. Banks throughout the world participate. Currency trading happens continuously throughout the day; as the Asian trading session ends, the European session begins, followed by the North American session and then back to the Asian session, excluding weekends.
Fluctuations in exchange rates are usually caused by actual monetary flows as well as by expectations of changes in monetary flows caused by changes in gross domestic product (GDP) growth, inflation (purchasing power parity theory), interest rates (interest rate parity, Domestic Fisher effect, International Fisher effect), budget and trade deficits or surpluses, large cross-border M&A deals and other macroeconomic conditions. Major news is released publicly, often on scheduled dates, so many people have access to the same news at the same time. However, the large banks have an important advantage; they can see their customers' order flow.
Currencies are traded against one another. Each pair of currencies thus constitutes an individual product and is traditionally noted XXX/YYY, where YYY is the ISO 4217 international three-letter code of the currency into which the price of one unit of XXX is expressed (called base currency). For instance, EUR/USD is the price of the euro expressed in US dollars, as in 1 euro = 1.5465 dollar. Out of convention, the first currency in the pair, the base currency, was the stronger currency at the creation of the pair. The second currency, counter currency, was the weaker currency at the creation of the pair.
The factors affecting XXX will affect both XXX/YYY and XXX/ZZZ. This causes positive currency correlation between XXX/YYY and XXX/ZZZ.
On the spot market, according to the BIS study, the most heavily traded products were:
* EUR/USD: 27%
* USD/JPY: 13%
* GBP/USD (also called sterling or cable): 12%
and the US currency was involved in 86.3% of transactions, followed by the euro (37.0%), the yen (17.0%), and sterling (15.0%) (see table). Note that volume percentages should add up to 200%: 100% for all the sellers and 100% for all the buyers.
Trading in the euro has grown considerably since the currency's creation in January 1999, and how long the foreign exchange market will remain dollar-centered is open to debate. Until recently, trading the euro versus a non-European currency ZZZ would have usually involved two trades: EUR/USD and USD/ZZZ. The exception to this is EUR/JPY, which is an established traded currency pair in the interbank spot market. As the dollar's value has eroded during 2008, interest in using the euro as reference currency for prices in commodities (such as oil), as well as a larger component of foreign reserves by banks, has increased dramatically. Transactions in the currencies of commodity-producing countries, such as AUD, NZD, CAD, have also increased.
[edit] Determinants of FX Rates
See also: exchange rates
The following theories explain the fluctuations in FX rates in a floating exchange rate regime (In a fixed exchange rate regime, FX rates are decided by its government):
(a) International parity conditions viz; purchasing power parity, interest rate parity, Domestic Fisher effect, International Fisher effect. Though to some extent the above theories provide logical explanation for the fluctuations in exchange rates, yet these theories falter as they are based on challengeable assumptions [e.g., free flow of goods, services and capital] which seldom hold true in the real world.
(b) Balance of payments model (see exchange rate). This model, however, focuses largely on tradable goods and services, ignoring the increasing role of global capital flows. It failed to provide any explanation for continuous appreciation of dollar during 1980s and most part of 1990s in face of soaring US current account deficit.
(c) Asset market model (see exchange rate) views currencies as an important asset class for constructing investment portfolios. Assets prices are influenced mostly by people’s willingness to hold the existing quantities of assets, which in turn depends on their expectations on the future worth of these assets. The asset market model of exchange rate determination states that “the exchange rate between two currencies represents the price that just balances the relative supplies of, and demand for, assets denominated in those currencies.”
None of the models developed so far succeed to explain FX rates levels and volatility in the longer time frames. For shorter time frames (less than a few days) algorithm can be devised to predict prices. Large and small institutions and professional individual traders have made consistent profits from it. It is understood from above models that many macroeconomic factors affect the exchange rates and in the end currency prices are a result of dual forces of demand and supply. The world's currency markets can be viewed as a huge melting pot: in a large and ever-changing mix of current events, supply and demand factors are constantly shifting, and the price of one currency in relation to another shifts accordingly. No other market encompasses (and distills) as much of what is going on in the world at any given time as foreign exchange.
Supply and demand for any given currency, and thus its value, are not influenced by any single element, but rather by several. These elements generally fall into three categories: economic factors, political conditions and market psychology.
[edit] Economic factors
These include: (a)economic policy, disseminated by government agencies and central banks, (b)economic conditions, generally revealed through economic reports, and other economic indicators.
1. Economic policy comprises government fiscal policy (budget/spending practices) and monetary policy (the means by which a government's central bank influences the supply and "cost" of money, which is reflected by the level of interest rates).
2. Economic conditions include:
Government budget deficits or surpluses
The market usually reacts negatively to widening government budget deficits, and positively to narrowing budget deficits. The impact is reflected in the value of a country's currency.
Balance of trade levels and trends
The trade flow between countries illustrates the demand for goods and services, which in turn indicates demand for a country's currency to conduct trade. Surpluses and deficits in trade of goods and services reflect the competitiveness of a nation's economy. For example, trade deficits may have a negative impact on a nation's currency.
Inflation levels and trends
Typically a currency will lose value if there is a high level of inflation in the country or if inflation levels are perceived to be rising [. This is because inflation erodes purchasing power, thus demand, for that particular currency. However, a currency may sometimes strengthen when inflation rises because of expectations that the central bank will raise short-term interest rates to combat rising inflation.
Economic growth and health
Reports such as GDP, employment levels, retail sales, capacity utilization and others, detail the levels of a country's economic growth and health. Generally, the more healthy and robust a country's economy, the better its currency will perform, and the more demand for it there will be.
Productivity of an economy
Increasing productivity in an economy should positively influence the value of its currency. It affects are more prominent if the increase is in the traded sector [3].
[edit] Political conditions
Internal, regional, and international political conditions and events can have a profound effect on currency markets.
All exchange rates are susceptible to political instability and anticipations about the new ruling party. Political upheaval and instability can have a negative impact on a nation's economy. For example, destabilization of coalition governments in India, Pakistan and Thailand can negatively affect the value of their currencies. Similarly, in a country experiencing financial difficulties, the rise of a political faction that is perceived to be fiscally responsible can have the opposite effect. Also, events in one country in a region may spur positive or negative interest in a neighboring country and, in the process, affect its currency.
[edit] Market psychology
Market psychology and trader perceptions influence the foreign exchange market in a variety of ways:
Flights to quality
Unsettling international events can lead to a "flight to quality," with investors seeking a "safe haven". There will be a greater demand, thus a higher price, for currencies perceived as stronger over their relatively weaker counterparts. The Swiss franc has been a traditional safe haven during times of political or economic uncertainty.[12]
Long-term trends
Currency markets often move in visible long-term trends. Although currencies do not have an annual growing season like physical commodities, business cycles do make themselves felt. Cycle analysis looks at longer-term price trends that may rise from economic or political trends. [13]
"Buy the rumor, sell the fact"
This market truism can apply to many currency situations. It is the tendency for the price of a currency to reflect the impact of a particular action before it occurs and, when the anticipated event comes to pass, react in exactly the opposite direction. This may also be referred to as a market being "oversold" or "overbought".[14] To buy the rumor or sell the fact can also be an example of the cognitive bias known as anchoring, when investors focus too much on the relevance of outside events to currency prices.
Economic numbers
While economic numbers can certainly reflect economic policy, some reports and numbers take on a talisman-like effect: the number itself becomes important to market psychology and may have an immediate impact on short-term market moves. "What to watch" can change over time. In recent years, for example, money supply, employment, trade balance figures and inflation numbers have all taken turns in the spotlight.
Technical trading considerations
As in other markets, the accumulated price movements in a currency pair such as EUR/USD can form apparent patterns that traders may attempt to use. Many traders study price charts in order to identify such patterns.[15]
[edit] Algorithmic trading in foreign exchange
Electronic trading is growing in the FX market, and algorithmic trading is becoming much more common. According to financial consultancy Celent estimates, by 2008 up to 25% of all trades by volume will be executed using algorithm, up from about 18% in 2005.[citation needed]
An algorithmic trader needs to be mindful of potential fraud by the broker. Part of the weekly algorithm should include a check to see if the amount of transaction errors when the trader is losing money occurs in the same proportion as when the trader would have made money.
[edit] Financial instruments
[edit] Spot
A spot transaction is a two-day delivery transaction (except in the case of trades between the US Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Turkish Lira and Russian Ruble, which settle the next business day), as opposed to the futures contracts, which are usually three months. This trade represents a “direct exchange” between two currencies, has the shortest time frame, involves cash rather than a contract; and interest is not included in the agreed-upon transaction. The data for this study come from the spot market. Spot transactions has the second largest turnover by volume after Swap transactions among all FX transactions in the Global FX market. NNM
[edit] Forward
See also: forward contract
One way to deal with the foreign exchange risk is to engage in a forward transaction. In this transaction, money does not actually change hands until some agreed upon future date. A buyer and seller agree on an exchange rate for any date in the future, and the transaction occurs on that date, regardless of what the market rates are then. The duration of the trade can be a one day, a few days, months or years. Usually the date is decided by both parties.
[edit] Future
Main article: currency future
Foreign currency futures are exchange traded forward transactions with standard contract sizes and maturity dates — for example, $1000 for next November at an agreed rate [4],[5]. Futures are standardized and are usually traded on an exchange created for this purpose. The average contract length is roughly 3 months. Futures contracts are usually inclusive of any interest amounts.
[edit] Swap
Main article: foreign exchange swap
The most common type of forward transaction is the currency swap. In a swap, two parties exchange currencies for a certain length of time and agree to reverse the transaction at a later date. These are not standardized contracts and are not traded through an exchange.
[edit] Option
Main article: foreign exchange option
A foreign exchange option (commonly shortened to just FX option) is a derivative where the owner has the right but not the obligation to exchange money denominated in one currency into another currency at a pre-agreed exchange rate on a specified date. The FX options market is the deepest, largest and most liquid market for options of any kind in the world.
[edit] Exchange-Traded Fund
Main article: exchange-traded fund
Exchange-traded funds (or ETFs) are open ended investment companies that can be traded at any time throughout the course of the day. Typically, ETFs try to replicate a stock market index such as the S&P 500 (e.g., SPY), but recently they are now replicating investments in the currency markets with the ETF increasing in value when the US Dollar weakens versus a specific currency, such as the Euro. Certain of these funds track the price movements of world currencies versus the US Dollar, and increase in value directly counter to the US Dollar, allowing for speculation in the US Dollar for US and US Dollar denominated investors and speculators.
[edit] Speculation
Controversy about currency speculators and their effect on currency devaluations and national economies recurs regularly. Nevertheless, economists including Milton Friedman have argued that speculators ultimately are a stabilizing influence on the market and perform the important function of providing a market for hedgers and transferring risk from those people who don't wish to bear it, to those who do.[16] Other economists such as Joseph Stiglitz consider this argument to be based more on politics and a free market philosophy than on economics.[17]
Large hedge funds and other well capitalized "position traders" are the main professional speculators.
Currency speculation is considered a highly suspect activity in many countries.[where?] While investment in traditional financial instruments like bonds or stocks often is considered to contribute positively to economic growth by providing capital, currency speculation does not; according to this view, it is simply gambling that often interferes with economic policy. For example, in 1992, currency speculation forced the Central Bank of Sweden to raise interest rates for a few days to 500% per annum, and later to devalue the krona.[18] Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is one well known proponent of this view. He blamed the devaluation of the Malaysian ringgit in 1997 on George Soros and other speculators.
Gregory J. Millman reports on an opposing view, comparing speculators to "vigilantes" who simply help "enforce" international agreements and anticipate the effects of basic economic "laws" in order to profit.[19]
In this view, countries may develop unsustainable financial bubbles or otherwise mishandle their national economies, and foreign exchange speculators allegedly made the inevitable collapse happen sooner. A relatively quick collapse might even be preferable to continued economic mishandling. Mahathir Mohamad and other critics of speculation are viewed as trying to deflect the blame from themselves for having caused the unsustainable economic conditions. Given that Malaysia recovered quickly after imposing currency controls directly against IMF advice, this view is open to doubt.
[edit] References
1. ^ Sullivan, arthur; Steven M. Sheffrin (2003). Economics: Principles in action. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458: Pearson Prentice Hall. pp. 551. ISBN 0-13-063085-3. http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZ3R9&PMDbSiteId=2781&PMDbSolutionId=6724&PMDbCategoryId=&PMDbProgramId=12881&level=4.
2. ^ a b c Triennial Central Bank Survey (December 2007), Bank for International Settlements.
3. ^ a b Annual FX poll (May 2008), Euromoney.
4. ^ BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey, published in December 2007.
5. ^ Source: Euromoney FX survey FX Poll 2008: The Euromoney FX survey is the largest global poll of foreign exchange service providers.'
6. ^ http://www.ifsl.org.uk/upload/CBS_Foreign_Exchange_2007.pdf (December 2007), International Financial Services, London.
7. ^ Alan Greenspan, The Roots of the Mortgage Crisis: Bubbles cannot be safely defused by monetary policy before the speculative fever breaks on its own. , the Wall Street Journal, December 12, 2007
8. ^ McKay, Peter A. (2005-07-26). "Scammers Operating on Periphery Of CFTC's Domain Lure Little Guy With Fantastic Promises of Profits". The Wall Street Journal (Dow Jones and Company). http://online.wsj.com/article/SB112233850336095645.html?mod=Markets-Main. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
9. ^ Egan, Jack (2005-06-19). "Check the Currency Risk. Then Multiply by 100". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/business/yourmoney/19fore.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1191337503-g1yHfewhqPWye0XtI+Eq0A&oref=slogin. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
10. ^ The Sunday Times (UK), 16 July 2006
11. ^ The 5 largest in the UK are Travelex, Moneycorp, HiFX, World First and Currencies Direct
12. ^ Safe haven currency
13. ^ John J. Murphy, Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets (New York Institute of Finance, 1999), pp. 343–375.
14. ^ Investopedia
15. ^ Sam Y. Cross, All About the Foreign Exchange Market in the United States, Federal Reserve Bank of New York (1998), chapter 11, pp. 113–115.
16. ^ Michael A. S. Guth, "Profitable Destabilizing Speculation," Chapter 1 in Michael A. S. Guth, SPECULATIVE BEHAVIOR AND THE OPERATION OF COMPETITIVE MARKETS UNDER UNCERTAINTY, Avebury Ashgate Publishing, Aldorshot, England (1994), ISBN 1856289850.
17. ^ What I Learned at the World Economic Crisis Joseph Stiglitz, The New Republic, April 17, 2000, reprinted at GlobalPolicy.org
18. ^ But Don't Rush Out to Buy Kronor: Sweden's 500% Gamble - International Herald Tribune
19. ^ Gregory J. Millman, Around the World on a Trillion Dollars a Day, Bantam Press, New York, 1995.
[edit] See also
* Balance of trade
* Bretton Woods system
* Currency pair
* Double top
* Foreign currency mortgage
* Foreign exchange hedge
* Foreign exchange reserves
* Foreign exchange scam
* Foreign exchange swap
* Head and shoulders (chart pattern)
* Nonfarm payrolls
* Retail foreign exchange
* Special Drawing Rights
* Technical analysis
* Tobin Tax
* World currency
* Major inter-dealer FX brokers: EBS, Reuters
* Major retail FX brokers: FXCM, World First, HY Markets, Travelex, Henyep Investment, Varengold Bank FX, InstaForex
[edit] External links
* Benchmark Currency Rates from Bloomberg
* CFTC Commission Advisory Customer fraud Protection
* United States Federal Reserve daily update
* Microstructure effects, bid-ask spreads and volatility in the spot foreign exchange market pre and post-EMU Technical description of FX market workings.
* OECD Exchange rate statistics
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_exchange_market"
Categories: Foreign exchange market
FXConverter - Currency Converter for 164 Currencies
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Music of India
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Music of India
Bhajan · Classical · Filmi · Folk · Hip Hop
Ghazal · Pop · Qawwali · Rock
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Classical (Carnatic · Hindustani)
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Thyagaraja Aradhana
Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana
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Sruti
The Music Magazine
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anthem
"Jana Gana Mana"
National
song
"Vande Mataram"
By state/territory
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Madhya Pradesh · Maharashtra · Manipur
Meghalaya · Mizoram · Nagaland · Orissa
Punjab · Rajasthan · Sikkim · Tamil Nadu
Tripura · Uttar Pradesh · Uttaranchal
West Bengal
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and, developed over several eras, it remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as sources of religious inspiration, cultural expression and pure entertainment. India is made up of several dozen ethnic groups, speaking their own languages and dialects, having very distinct cultural traditions.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Classical music
o 1.1 Hindustani music (hindusthānī)
o 1.2 Carnatic music (karnātic)
* 2 Folk music
o 2.1 Bauls
o 2.2 Bhangra
o 2.3 Bhavageete
o 2.4 Dandiya
o 2.5 Lavani
o 2.6 Popular music
o 2.7 Qawwali
o 2.8 Rabindra Sangeet
o 2.9 Rajasthan
o 2.10 Interaction with non-Indian music
* 3 Modern music
o 3.1 Indi-pop music
o 3.2 Rock & Metal music
o 3.3 Dance music
* 4 Western classical music
* 5 Further reading
* 6 See also
* 7 References
[edit] Classical music
Main article: Indian classical music
The two main traditions of classical music which have been Carnatic music, found predominantly in the peninsular regions and Hindustani music, found in the northern and central parts. While both traditions claim Vedic origin, history indicates that the two traditions diverged from a common musical root since c. 13th century.
Further information: Indian classical music, Hindustani music, and Carnatic music
[edit] Hindustani music (hindusthānī)
Main article: Hindustani classical music
Hindustani music is an Indian classical music tradition that go back to Vedic times, and further developed circa the 13th and 14th centuries AD with Persian influences and from existing religious and folk music. The practice of singing based on notes was popular even from the Vedic times where the hymns in Sama Veda, a sacred text, was sung as Samagana and not chanted. Developing a strong and diverse tradition over several centuries, it has contemporary traditions established primarily in India but also in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In contrast to Carnatic music, the other main Indian classical music tradition (originating from the South), Hindustani music was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions, Vedic philosophy and native Indian sounds but also enriched by the Persian performance practices of the Mughals. Besides pure classical, there are also several semi-classical forms such as thumri and tappa.
Check out some North Indian music, video and audio streams, at Ragmala Television and Radio presented by the Batish Institute of India Music and Fine Arts
[edit] Carnatic music (karnātic)
Main article: Carnatic music
The present form of Carnatic music is based on historical developments that can be traced to the 15th - 16th centuries AD and thereafter. From the ancient Sanskrit works available, and the several epigraphical inscriptional evidences, the history of classical musical traditions can be traced back to about 2500 years. Carnatic music is completely melodic, with improvised variations. The main emphasis is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in a singing style (known as gāyaki). Like Hindustani music, Carnatic music rests on two main elements: rāga, the modes or melodic formulæ, and tāḷa, the rhythmic cycles.[1]
Purandara Dasa is credited with having founded today's Carnatic Music. He systematized the teaching method by framing a series of graded lessons such as swaravalis, janta swaras, alankaras, lakshana geetas, prabandhas, ugabhogas, thattu varase, geetha, sooladis and kritis. He introduced the Mayamalavagaula as the basic scale for music instruction. These are followed by teachers and students of Carnatic music even today. Another of his important contributions was the fusion of bhava, raga and laya in his compositions.
Purandara Dasa was the first composer that started commenting on the daily life of the people in compositions. He incorporated in his songs popular folk language and introduced folk ragas in the mainstream. The most important contribution he made was the fusion of bhava, raga and laya into organic units.
He also composed a large number of lakshya and lakshana geetas, many of which are sung to this day. His sooladis exhibit his mastery of the techniques of music, and are considered an authority for raga lakshana. Scholars attribute the standardization of varna mettus entirely to Purandaradasa.
Purandaradasa's era was probably the beginning of Carnatic music's movement towards krithi based classical music (one of its distinguishing characteristics compared to Hindustani). The peripatetic dasas who followed him are believed to have followed the systems he devised, as well as orally passing down his compositions.
Purandaradasa was a performer, a musicologist and the father of Carnatic musical pedagogy. He is credited with having elevated Carnatic music from religious and devotional music into the realm of a performing art. For all these reasons and the enormous influence that he had on Carnatic music, musicologists call him the "Sangeeta Pitamaha" or the grandfather of Carnatic music.
Popular Carnatic vocalists of today include M. Balamuralikrishna, Nithyashree Mahadevan, Sudha Ragunathan, P. Unni Krishnan, Aruna Sairam, Priya Sisters, S. Sowmya, Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Sreevalsan J. Menon, Bombay Jayashri Ramnath, Ranjani & Gayatri, Vijay Siva, O. S. Arun, O. S. Thyagarajan, T. M. Krishna, Malladi Brothers - Sriram Prasad & Ravikumar, Sriram Parasuram & Anuradha Parasuram, Sikkil C. Gurucharan, Vishakha Hari, S. Kasthurirangan and Singapore V.S.Hari.
[edit] Folk music
A pair of Indian folk musicians performing in a rural village
Main article: Indian folk music
[edit] Bauls
The Bauls of Bengal were an order of musicians in 18th, 19th and early 20th century India who played a form of music using a khamak, ektara and dotara. The word Baul comes from Sanskrit batul meaning divinely inspired insanity. They are a group of mystic minstrels. They are thought to have been influenced greatly by the Hindu tantric sect of the Kartabhajas as well as by Sufi sects. Bauls travel in search of the internal ideal, Maner Manush (Man of the Heart).
[edit] Bhangra
Main article: Bhangra
Bhangra is a lively form of music and dance that originated in the Punjab region. As many Bhangra lyrics reflect the long and often tumultuous history of the Punjab, knowledge of Punjabi history offers important insights into the meaning of the music. While Bhangra began as a part of harvest festival celebrations, it eventually became a part of such diverse occasions as weddings and New Year celebrations. Moreover, during the last thirty years, Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity worldwide, both in traditional form and as a fusion with genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae, and in such forms it has become a pop sensation in the United Kingdom and North America. Rabbi Shergill is not a Bhangra artist, but is a punjabi singer, and is a great example.
[edit] Bhavageete
Main article: Bhavageete
Bhavageete (literally "emotion(al) song") is a form of expressionist poetry and light music. Some notable Bhavageete performers include Gantasala, P. Kalinga Rao, Mysore Ananthaswamy, C. Aswath, Shimoga Subbanna, Archana Udupa, and Raju Ananthaswamy.
[edit] Dandiya
Main article: Dandiya
Dandiya is a form of dance-oriented folk music that has also been adapted for pop music. The present musical style is derived from the traditional musical accompaniment to the folk dance.
[edit] Lavani
Main article: Lavani
Lavani comes from the word Lavanya which means beauty. This is one of the most popular forms of dance and music that is practiced all over Maharashtra. It has in fact become a necessary part of the Maharashtrian folk dance performances. Traditionally, the songs are sung by female artistes, but male artistes may occasionally sing Lavanis. The dance format associated with Lavani is known as Tamasha. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the enchanting beats of 'Dholak', an drum like instrument. Dance performed by attractive women wearing nine-yard saris. They are sung in a quick tempo. The verve, the enthusiasm, the rhythm and above all the very beat of India finds an expressive declaration amidst the folk music of India, which has somewhat, redefined the term "bliss". Lavani originated in the arid region of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
[edit] Popular music
The biggest form of Indian popular music is filmi, or songs from Indian musical films. The film industry of India supported music by according reverence to classical music while utilizing the western orchestration to support Indian melodies. Music composers like Naushad, Vasant Desai, Shankar Jaikishan, C. Ramchandra, Salil Chowdhary and S.D. Burman employed the principles of harmony while retaining classical and folk flavor. Reputed names in the domain of Indian classical music like Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pt. Ramnarayan have also composed music for films. Independent pop acts such as Asha Bhosle, Alisha Chinai, Shaan, Madhushree, Shreya Ghoshal, Nihira Joshi, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sonu Nigam, Sukhwinder Singh, Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Alka Yagnik and rock bands like Indus Creed, Indian Ocean, and Euphoria exist and have gained mass appeal with the advent of cable music television.
[edit] Qawwali
Main article: Qawwali
Qawwali is a Sufi form of devotional music based on the principles of classical music. It is performed with one or two lead singers, several chorus singers, harmonium, tabla, and dholak.
[edit] Rabindra Sangeet
Rabindranath Tagore was a towering figure in Indian music. Writing in Bengali, he created a library of over 2,000 songs now known by Bengalis as 'rabindra sangeet' whose form is primarily influenced by Hindustani classical, sub-classicals, Karnatic, western, bauls, bhatiyali and different folk songs of India. Many singers in West Bengal, and Bangladesh base their entire careers on the singing of Tagore musical masterpieces. The national anthem of India and national song of Bangladesh are Rabindra Sangeets.
[edit] Rajasthan
Rajasthan has a very diverse cultural collection of musician castes, including Langas, Sapera, Bhopa, Jogi and Manganiyar. Rajasthan Diary quotes it as a soulful, full-throated music with Harmonious diversity. The haunting melody of Rajasthan evokes from a variety of delightfully primitive looking instruments. The stringed variety include the Sarangi, Rawanhattha, Kamayacha, Morsing and Ektara. Percussion instruments come in all shapes and sizes from the huge Nagaras and Dhols to the tiny Damrus. The Daf and Chang are a big favourite of Holi (the festival of colours) revellers. Flutes and bagpipers come in local flavours such as Shehnai, Poongi, Algoza, Tarpi, Been and Bankia.
The essence of Rajasthani music is derived from the creative symphony of string instruments, percussion instruments and wind instruments accompanied by melodious renditions of folk singers. It enjoys a respectable presence in Bollywood music as well.
[edit] Interaction with non-Indian music
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, rock and roll fusions with Indian music were well-known throughout Europe and North America. Ali Akbar Khan's 1955 performance in the United States was perhaps the beginning of this trend.
Jazz pioneers such as John Coltrane—who recorded a composition entitled 'India' during the November 1961 sessions for his album Live At The Village Vanguard (the track was not released until 1963 on Coltrane's album Impressions)—also embraced this fusion. George Harrison (of the Beatles) played the sitar on the song "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" in 1965, which sparked interest from Shankar, who subsequently took Harrison as his apprentice. Jazz innovator Miles Davis recorded and performed with musicians like Khalil Balakrishna, Bihari Sharma, and Badal Roy in his post-1968 electric ensembles. Virtuoso jazz guitarist John McLaughlin spent several years in Madurai learning Carnatic music and incorporated it into many of his acts including Shakti which featured prominent Indian musicians. Other Western artists such as the Grateful Dead, Incredible String Band, the Rolling Stones, the Move and Traffic soon incorporated Indian influences and instruments, and added Indian performers. Legendary Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia joined guitarist Sanjay Mishra on his classic cd "Blue Incantation" (1995). Mishra also wrote an original score for French Director Eric Heumann for his film Port Djema (1996) which won best score at Hamptons film festival and The Golden Bear at Berlin. in 2000 he recorded Rescue with drummer Dennis Chambers (Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin et al.) and in 2006 Chateau Benares with guests DJ Logic and Keller Williams (guitar and bass).
Though the Indian music craze soon died down among mainstream audiences, diehard fans and immigrants continued the fusion. In the late 1980s, Indian-British artists fused Indian and Western traditions to make the Asian Underground. Since the 90's, Canadian born musician Nadaka who has spent most of his life in India, has been creating music that is an acoustic fusion of Indian classical music with western styles. One such singer who has merged the Bhakti sangeet tradition of India with the western non-India music is Krishna Das and sells music records of his musical sadhana.
In the new millennium, American hip-hop has featured Indian Filmi and Bhangra. Mainstream hip-hop artists have sampled songs from Bollywood movies and have collaborated with Indian artists. Examples include Timbaland's "Indian Flute", Erick Sermon and Redman's "React", Slum Village's "Disco", and Truth Hurts' hit song "Addictive", which sampled a Lata Mangeshkar song, and the Black Eyed Peas sampled Asha Bhosle's song "Yeh Mera Dil" in their hit single "Don't Phunk With My Heart". In 1997, the British band Cornershop paid tribute to Asha Bhosle with their song Brimful of Asha, which became an international hit. British-born Indian artist Panjabi MC also had a Bhangra hit in the U.S. with "Mundian To Bach Ke" which featured rapper Jay-Z. Asian Dub Foundation are not huge mainstream stars, but their politically-charged rap and punk rock influenced sound has a multi-racial audience in their native UK. Recently international star Snoop Dogg appeared in a song in the film Singh Is Kinng.
Sometimes, the music of India will fuse with the traditional music of other countries. For example, Delhi 2 Dublin [1], a band based in Canada, is known for fusing Indian and Irish music, and Bhangraton is a fusion of Bhangra music with reggaeton, which itself is a fusion of hip hop, reggae, and traditional Latin American music. [2]
[edit] Modern music
[edit] Indi-pop music
Main article: Indian pop
Indian pop music, often known as Indipop or Indi-pop, is based on an amalgamation of Indian folk and classical music, and modern beats from different parts of the world. Indian popular music began initially with root-grass efforts made by Pakistani famous singers Nazia Hassan and Zohaib Hassan.The indian pop music is largely catered by indian filmy music and the Pakistani famous pop music.In fact almost all Pakistani artists and bands are extremely popular among indians like Vital sign, Junoon, fusion, strings, Reath, Jal are some famous bands from Pakistan while famouse pop artists are Junaid jamshed, Nazia and Zohaib Hassan, Ali Hyder, Sajjad Ali, Atif Aslam, Shehzad Roy, Ali Azmat, Ali Zafar, Hadiqa Kiani, Najum Sheraz, Saleem Javed and many more.
Much of Indian Pop music comes from the Indian Film Industry, and until the 1990s, few singers like Usha Uthup, Sharon Prabhakar, and Peenaz Masani outside it were popular. Since then, pop singers in the latter group have included Baba Sehgal, Alisha Chinai, Shantanu Mukherjee aka Shaan, Sagarika, Colonial Cousins (Hariharan, Leslie Lewis), Lucky Ali, and Sonu Nigam, and music composers like Jawahar Wattal, who made top selling albums with, Daler Mehndi, Shubha Mudgal, Baba Sehgal, Swetha Shetty and Hans Raj Hans [2]
Besides those listed above, popular Indi-Pop singers include Zubeen Garg,Daler Mehndi, Raghav Sachar Rageshwari, Devika Chawla, Bombay Vikings, Asha Bhosle, Sunidhi Chauhan, Bombay Rockers, Anu Malik, Jazzy B, Malkit Singh, Hans Raj Hans, Raghav, Jay Sean, Juggy D, Rishi Rich, Sheila Chandra, Bally Sagoo, Punjabi MC, Bhangra Knights, Mehnaz, and Sanober.
Recently, Indian pop has taken an interesting turn with the "remixing" of songs from past Indian movie songs, new beats being added to them.
[edit] Rock & Metal music
Main article: Indian rock
The rock music "scene" in India is extremely small when compared to filmi or fusion music "scenes" but has of recent years come into its own, achieving a cult status of sorts. Rock music in India has its origins in 1960s and 70's when international stars such as The Beatles visited India and brought their music with them. These artistes' collaboration with Indian musicians such as Ravi Shankar and Zakir Hussain have led to the development of Raga Rock. However Indian Rock Bands began to gain prominence only much later, around the late 1980s. It was around this time that the rock band Indus Creed formerly known as The Rock Machine got itself noticed on the international stage with hits like Rock N Roll Renegade. Other bands quickly followed. As of now, the rock music scene in India is quietly growing day by day and gathering more support. With the introduction of MTV in the early 1990s, Indians began to be exposed to various forms of rock such as grunge and speed metal. This influence can be clearly seen in many Indian bands today. The cities of Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have emerged as major melting pots for rock and metal enthusiasts. Some prominent bands include Indian Ocean,Parikrama, Pentagram, Hologram, Thermal and a Quarter,No Idea(indian band), Zero, Half step down, Scribe, Indus Creed, Demonic Resurrection, PRITHVI, Agni, Exiled, Cassini's Division, The Supersonics, Span, Camouflage, Five Little Indians and Nexus. The future looks encouraging thanks to entities such as DogmaTone Records, Eastern fare music foundation, that are dedicated to promoting and supporting Indian Rock.
One of the most famous rock musicians in the world is the late Freddie Mercury of Queen. Born Farrokh Bomi Bulsara to Indian parents in Zanzibar, he was raised in Panchgani near Mumbai. Mercury was influenced early on by the Bollywood playback singer Lata Mangeshkar along with western influences such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and The Beatles.
[edit] Dance music
Main article: Goa Trance
[edit] Western classical music
The spread and following of Western Classical Music in India is almost entirely non-existent. It is mainly patronized by the Indian Zoroastrian community and small esoteric groups with historical exposure to Western Classical Music. There are practically no conservatories, opera companies or working symphonies that cater to Western Classical music. Western Music education is also severely neglected and pretty rare in India. Western Keyboard, drums and guitar instruction being an exception as it has found some interest; mainly in an effort to create musicians to service contemporary popular Indian music. Many reasons have been citied for the obscurity of Western Classical Music in India, a country rich in its musical heritage by its own right, however the two main reasons are an utter lack of exposure and a passive disinterest in what is considered esoteric at best. Also, the difficulty in importing Western Musical instruments and their rarity has also contributed to the obscurity of Classical Western music.
Despite more than a century of exposure to Western classical music and two centuries of British colonialism, classical music in India has never gained more than 'fringe' popularity. Many attempts to popularize Western Classical Music in India have failed in the past due to disinterest and lack of sustained efforts, most notably in the setting up of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra by Mehli Mehta in the 1930s. In 2006 at Mumbai (Bombay), the National Centre for the Performing Arts was established with a grant of Rs 4 million from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (an eminent Indian-Zoroastrian entrepreneur) and the collaboration of other corporate houses to promote Western Classical music and visual arts. It was designed to accommodate performance of symphony orchestras and Operas. However, there are still no schools of repute that train musicians in Western classical music or vocalists in Opera to this day. Most Indians in Western classical music reside outside India in countries with adequate training and performance opportunities.
Some prominent Indians in Western classical music are:
* A. R. Rahman, Music Director, Composer, Singer. Specialized in Western Classical from Trinity University(OXFORD).
* Zubin Mehta, Renowned music conductor.
* Mehli Mehta, Father of Zubin, violinist and founding conductor of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra.
* Naresh Sohal, British Indian-born composer.
* Param Vir, British Indian-born composer.
* Sandee Bhagwati, German Indian-born composer.
* Opera singers: Amar Muchhala, Anando Mukerjee
[edit] Further reading
* Killius, Rolf. Ritual Music and Hindu Rituals of Kerala. New Delhi: B.R. Rhythms, 2006..
* Manuel, Peter.. Thumri in Historical and Stylistic Perspectives. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1989..
* Manuel, Peter.. Cassette Culture: Popular Music and Technology in North India. University of Chicago Press, 1993. ISBN 0-226-50401-8.
* Maycock, Robert and Hunt, Ken. "How to Listen - a Routemap of India". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 63–69. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
* Hunt, Ken. "Ragas and Riches". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 70–78. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0.
[edit] See also
* Indian musical instruments
* List of regional genres of music
[edit] References
Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Music of India
1. ^ http://www.carnatic.com What is Carnatic Music
2. ^ Music man with a golden touch The Hindu, December 9, 2002."..Daler Mehndi's "Dardi Rab Rab" and "Ho Jayegi Balle Balle", Shubha Mudgal's "Ali More Angana", Shweta Shetty's "Deewane To Deewane Hain", Hans Raj Hans' "Jhangar", Bhupi Chawla's "Jogiya Khalli Balli", Ila Arun's "Haule Haule", Malkit Singh's "Paaro", Ali Haider's "Mahi O Mahi" and Sujat Khan's "Lajo Lajo".
Atif Aslam
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Atif Aslam
Born March 12, 1983 (1983-03-12) (age 26)
Origin Lahore, Pakistan
Genre(s) Pop, rock
Occupation(s) Musician, Singer, Lyricist
Instrument(s) Guitar
Label(s) Pakistan - Fire Records
India - Tips
Website http://www.aadeez.com/
Members
Sarmad Ghafuur
Mobeen Shah
Sameer Rasheed
Former members
Mahmood Rehman
Atif Aslam (Urdu: عاطف اسلم, born March 12, 1983) is a Pakistani pop/rock singer. He was born in Wazirabad and educated in Lahore and Rawalpindi. He is widely recognized in the subcontinent and has given several Pakistani hit song such as Aadat, Woh Lamhe, and Meri Kahani. In addition to his success in Pakistan, he has also emerged into a successful singer in India receiving many Filmfare nominations. His Bollywood hits have been the calming songs Pehli Nazar Mein and the beautiful Bakhuda Tumhi Ho.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Early life
* 2 Music career
o 2.1 Jal
o 2.2 Controversy
o 2.3 Solo career
* 3 Discography
o 3.1 Albums
* 4 Awards
* 5 References
* 6 External links
[edit] Early life
Atif's kindergarten started in Model town Lahore at Kimberley Hall School. His first stage manifestation was in a fancy dress show at his school when he was in 1st grade, where he performed as Imran Khan 'Captain of the Pakistani Cricket Team'. Since then cricket was a passion for him. At that time he did not listen to any particular kind of songs.
At the age of 9, he moved to Rawalpindi where he studied at Saint Paul's School. Atif came back to Lahore in 1995 where he continued his studies in Divisional Public School (DPS), Model Town, Lahore. He was selected in his school cricket team as a bowler. Atif cleared his 10th grade in 14 years of age with a distinctive edge that he has always been the youngest boy in the class because of his double promotions while he was in Kimberley Hall. During this period he was putting his best efforts into becoming a professional cricketer.[citation needed]He passed out of DPS after completing his school ending matriculation exams. He further continued his education from PAF College, Lahore where he completed his FSc with the class of 2001. He also had a brief stint by painting guests visiting the 5-star Pearl Continental Hotel in Bhurban.
[edit] Music career
[edit] Jal
One day he was singing to his guy friends at the college canteen. His friends urged him to participate in the singing competition on Independence Day celebrations at PAF College Lahore and Sargodha in 1998. He performed there and won the competition.
His hobby of singing continued with him entering the singing competition of his college. There were a total of 3 participants. The media team entered Atif's name in the competition at the eleventh hour. He won the competition by singing the hit number Duur of Strings. He kept on winning these competitions every semester until he announced that he will no longer participate in them so that someone else can also win the competition.
He met Goher, a guitarist and future Jal bandmate, at his college. Together they practised and started doing mini-concerts for their friends whether they wanted to hear them play or not. Atif used to perform Junoon and Strings songs at these concerts. They started performing in their college, McDonalds, Uncle Bubba's Rabba Dabba and other restaurants. Thus began the original line up of Jal.
Jal recorded the song Aadat at Mekal Hassan's Studio. The song became popular on different musical websites such as Pakmanzil.com in Pakistan. The song was also being on aired on major Radio channels of Pakistan like City FM 89, FM 100, Mast FM 103, FM 105 etc. The video for this song was released on Ary The Music and then it was played on almost all the channels.
[edit] Controversy
After the release of the song "Aadat" by Jal, there were disputes within the band about Atif's brother being the band's manager. At this point Atif broke off from the band to do his own solo album. His solo album was released a few weeks before the release of the new Jal's (Goher Mumtaz, Farhan Saeed, Shazi) "Aadat". As both Jal's "Aadat", and Atif’s album, Jalpari, shared certain tracks (such as "Aadat", "Wo Lamhey", "Rangon Mein" and "Dil Harey"), an unofficial war over rights began between both the groups. Goher Mumtaz sued Atif Aslam for using the name "Jal" in his album title cunningly (Jal pari, meaning mermaid). As the copyright law in Pakistan is quite ambiguous (people can change the name of the content and use the content labelling it as their own property).
The hype this feud gave to both Atif and the new Jal was extraordinary and split music fans with the fans of each side backing their respective favourite. On the other hand, a few years back a video on youtube was released by Pakmanzil.com with Atif Aslam giving a message to Goher Mumtaz to leave the differences behind and move on with his career and stop blaming each other fovoices.
[edit] Solo career
Atif released his first album Jal Pari on 19 July 2004 by Sound Master and IC records. Its promoters declared it to be the best selling album of the year within just 5 months of the release.[1]. In the meantime Atif also cleared his Bachelors in Computer Science (Hons.) from University of Central Punjab. On 14 April 2007 Atif Aslam performed in Royal Albert Hall. His second album, Doorie was released on 22 December 2006.
On 8 January 2008, Atif Aslam released his third album, Meri Kahani.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
Album Information
Jal Pari
* Released: July 2004
* Label: Sound Master and IC Records
* Singles: Aadat, Woh Lamhe, Jalpari, Gal sun ja, Mahi ve, Zindagi
Doorie
* Released: December 2006
* Label: Tips
* Singles: Kuch is tarhaa, Doorie, Mahiya ve soniya, O Re Piya, Maula
Meri Kahani
* Released: January 2008
* Label: Tips , Fire Records
* Singles: Meri Kahani, Humrahi, Hungami Halaat, Rabba Sacheya, Joug
Pyass
* Release: December 2009
* Label: Fire Records
* Singles:Teriyan Yaadan,Pyaar Ke Pal,O Janna,Ruk Ja Tham Ja,Coming Soon
[edit] Awards
* Best Song, Best Composition, and Best Lyrics for Aadat - 2nd Jazz Indus Music Awards (Pakistan)
* Best Playback Singer and Best Debut Singer - Sahara Sangeet Awards (India)
* Best Song, best Lyricist, and best Composition - ARY Music Awards (Pakistan)
* Most Wanted Male - The Musik Awards (Pakistan)
* Best Pop Star of the Year - Filmazia Awards (Pakistan)
* Best Album of the Year for Doorie - 2007 LUX Style Awards (Pakistan)
* Most Stylish Musician of 2007 - MTV Pakistan Style Awards
* Most Stylish Musician - MTV Style Lycra Awards (India)
* Tamgha-e-Imtiaz or Medal-of-Excellence (Pakistan's highest civilian award), on Pakistan Day (March 23, 2008)
* Best Dressed Award Male - LUX Style Awards 2008 (Pakistan)
[edit] References
1. ^ - Solo Atif Aslam
[edit] External links
* Atif Aslam at the Internet Movie Database
* Atif Aslam Official Web Partners/
* Atif Aslam's Official Website
* 10 Tracks
* Atif Aslam's Fan Site/
Music of Pakistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Music of Pakistan
Genres
Classical • Ghazal • Qawwali • Hamd • Pop • Filmi • Rock • Hip Hop
Media and Performance
Music awards Lux Style Awards • MTV Awards • Indus Music Awards • The Musik Awards
Music charts AAG 10 • The Musik Countdown
Music festivals All Pakistan Music Conference
Music media MTV Pakistan • Indus Music • The Musik • AAG
National anthem Qaumi Tarana
Regional Music
Balochi • Dari • Farsi • Kashmiri • Khowar • Pastho • Punjabi • Saraiki • Sindhi • Hindko
This box: view • talk
The Music of Pakistan includes diverse elements ranging from music from other parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian folk music, Persian music, Turkish music, Arabic music as well as more modern American music influences. With the multiple influences, Pakistani music has emerged as a "fusion" of many other types of sounds together to form a distinctly Pakistani sound.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Classical music
o 1.1 Instruments
o 1.2 Gharanas
* 2 Famous Composers and Performers
* 3 Ghazal music
o 3.1 Famous Composers and Performers
* 4 Qawwali music
o 4.1 Instruments
o 4.2 Humnawa
o 4.3 Famous Composers and Performers
* 5 Folk music
o 5.1 Balochi
o 5.2 Pashto
o 5.3 Punjabi
o 5.4 Sindhi
o 5.5 Siraiki
o 5.6 Shina
o 5.7 Khowar
o 5.8 Persian
* 6 Hamd and Nasheeds
* 7 Filmi music
* 8 East meets West
o 8.1 Pop music
o 8.2 Rock music
* 9 The West Connection
o 9.1 Rap and Hip Hop
o 9.2 Pop & Rock
o 9.3 Music producers
* 10 Music Journalism
* 11 See also
* 12 External links
[edit] Classical music
See also Classical Music & Gharana
A sitar workshop in Islamabad, Pakistan.
South Asian classical music has 7 basic notes (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni), with five interspersed half-notes, resulting in a 12-note scale. Unlike the 12-note scale in Western music, the base frequency of the scale is not fixed, and intertonal gaps (temper) may also vary; however with the gradual replacement of the sarangi by the harmonium, an equal tempered scale is increasingly used. The performance is set to a melodic pattern (raag) characterized in part by specific ascent and descent. Other characteristics include King and Queen notes and a unique note phrase (Pakad). In addition each raga has its natural register (Ambit) and glissando (Meend) rules, as well as features specific to different styles and compositions within the raga structure. Performances are usually marked by considerable improvisation within these norms. It is traditional for performers who have reached a distinguished level of achievement, to be awarded titles of Ustad.
[edit] Instruments
* Sitar
* Tanpura
* Tabla
* Harmonium
* Sarangi
* Santoor
* Rubab
* Ektara
[edit] Gharanas
A gharana is a system of social organization or school linking musicians or dancers by lineage and/or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. A recent is, Khayal Darpan, traces the development of classical music in Pakistan since 1947.
Some of the famous schools (Gharana) are:
* Agra Gharana
* Benaras Gharana
* Gwalior Gharana
* Mewati Gharana
* Patiala Gharana
* Kirana Gharana
* Dilli Gharana
* Sham chaurasi gharana
[edit] Famous Composers and Performers
* Maqbool Ahmed Sabri
* Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
* Amanat & Fateh Ali Khan
* Dilshad Hussain Khan
* Umeed Ali Khan
* Salamat & Nazakat Ali Khan
* Mubarak Ali Khan
* Fateh & Hameed Ali Khan
* Nihal Abdullah Khan
* Vilayat Ali Khan
* Mohammed Hafiz and Mohammed Afzal Khan
* Barkat Ali Khan
* Bhailal Mohammed Khan
* Ghulam Hassan Shaggan
* Amanat Ali Khan
* Akhtar Ali/Zakir Ali Khan
* Asad Ali Khan
* Badar/Qamar-uz-Zaman
* Chote Ghulam Ali Khan
* Hussain Baksh GulloKhan
* Imtiaz/Riyaz Ali Khan
* Ghulam Shabir and Jaffar Khan
* Ghulam Haider Khan
* Nassirudin Sami Khan
* Nasir Ahmed Khan Khan
* Late Alam Lohar
* Roshanara Begum
* Naseem Begum
* Nayyara Noor
* Muhammad Ali Shehki
* Surraiya Multanikar
* Umrao Bandoo Khan
* Mohammed Sharif Poonchawalay
* Ashraf Sharif
* Nathoo Khan
* Bundu Khan
[edit] Ghazal music
Main article: Ghazal
In poetry, the ghazal (Persian: غزل; Turkish: gazel) is a poetic form consisting of couplets which share a rhyme and a refrain. Each line must share the same meter. Etymologically, the word literally refers to "the mortal cry of a gazelle". The animal is called Ghizaal, from which the English word gazelles stems, or Kastori haran (where haran refers to deer) in Urdu. Ghazals are traditionally expressions of love, separation and loneliness, for which the gazelle is an appropriate image. A ghazal can thus be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 10th century Persian verse. It is derived from the Persian qasida. The structural requirements of the ghazal are more stringent than those of most poetic forms traditionally written in English. In its style and content it is a genre which has proved capable of an extraordinary variety of expression around its central theme of love and separation. It is considered by many to be one of the principal poetic forms the Persian civilization offered to the eastern Islamic world.
The ghazal spread into South Asia in the 12th century under the influence of the new Islamic Sultanate courts and Sufi mystics. Exotic to the region, as is indicated by the very sounds of the name itself when properly pronounced as ġazal. Although the ghazal is most prominently a form of Urdu poetry, today, it has influenced the poetry of many languages. Most Ghazal singers are trained in classical music and sing in either Khyal or Thumri.
[edit] Famous Composers and Performers
* Abida Parveen
* Ahmed Faraz
* Amanat Ali Khan
* Faiz Ahmed Faiz
* Farida Khanum
* Firaq Gorakhpuri
* Noor Jehan
* Ghulam Ali
* Hussain Bux Gullo
* Iqbal Bano
* Malika Pukhraj
* Munni Begum
* Mehdi Hassan
* Naheed akhtar
* Nayyara Noor
* Qamar Jalalvi
* Tahira Syed
* Tina Sani
[edit] Qawwali music
Main article: Qawwali
Sufi- Qawwali artist Abida Parveen in concert
Qawwali (Urdu: قوٌالی) is the devotional music of the Chishti Sufis. Qawwali is a vibrant musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years. Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines throughout the subcontinent, it has also gained mainstream popularity. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the late Aziz Mian, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and sabri brothers, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals. Listeners, and often artists themselves are transported to a state of wajad, a trance-like state where they feel at one with God, generally considered to be the height of spiritual ecstasy in Sufism. The roots of Qawwali can be traced back to 8th century Persia, however, Qawwali in the form we know it today was essentially created by Amir Khusrau in the late 13th century.
During the first major migration from Persia, in the 11th century, the musical tradition of Sama migrated to South Asia, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Rumi and his Mevlana order of Sufism have been the propagators of Sama in Central Asia. Amir Khusrau of the Chisti order of Sufis is credited with fusing the Persian and South Asian musical traditions, to create Qawwali as well as the classical music tradition. The word "Sama" is used (or is the preferred name) in Central Asia and Turkey, for forms very similar to Qawwali while in Pakistan, the formal name used for a session of Qawwali is "Mehfil-e-Sama".
[edit] Instruments
* Tabla
* Dholak
* Harmonium
[edit] Humnawa
A group of qawwali musicians, called Humnawa in Urdu, typically consists of eight or nine men — women are, for all intents and purposes, excluded from traditional Muslim music as respectable women are traditionally prohibited from singing in the presence of men, though these traditions are changing — including a lead singer, one or two side singers, one or two harmoniums (which may be played by lead singer, side singer or someone else), and percussion. If there is only one percussionist, he plays the tabla and dholak, usually the tabla with the left hand and the dholak with the right. Often there will be two percussionists, in which case one might play the tabla and the other the dholak. There is also a chorus of four or five men who repeat key verses, and who aid and abet percussion by hand-clapping. The performers sit in two rows — the lead singer, side singers and harmonium players in the front row, and the chorus and percussionists in the back row.
[edit] Famous Composers and Performers
* Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
* Abida Parveen
* Amir Khusrau
* Bulleh Shah
* Sultan Bahu
* Sabri Brothers
* Aziz Mian
* Munshi Raziuddin
* Qawwal Bahauddin
* Farid Ayyaz
* Alam Lohar
* Mehnaz
* Ghulam Abbas
* Sohail Rana
[edit] Folk music
Main article: Pakistani folk music
A trio of Pakistani folk singers performing at a local gathering
Pakistani folk music deals with subjects surrounding daily life in less grandiose terms than the love and emotion usually contained in its traditional and classical counterpart. In Pakistan, each province has its own variation of popular folk music.
Pakistan has created many famous singers in this discipline such as the late Alam lohar, who was very influential in the period of 1940 until 1979: he created the concept of jugni and this has been a folk song ever since, and he sang heer, sufiana kalaams, mirza, sassi and many more famous folk stories. He created the style of singing with the chimta and since his death Arif Lohar has carried on with his father's tradition alongside adopting his own unique style, such as the new acclaimed and successful album 21 Century Jugni.
[edit] Balochi
Main article: Music of Balochistan
[edit] Pashto
Main article: Music of NWFP
[edit] Punjabi
Main article: Music of Punjab (Pakistan)
[edit] Sindhi
Main article: Music of Sindh
[edit] Siraiki
Siraiki is spoken by 13.9 million people in southern Punjab and northern Sindh. Atta Ullah Essa Khelvi is one of the most famous Siraiki singers in Pakistan, hailing from Mianwail. Siraiki media has significantly developed and has brought more talent onto the national level, such as Kook TV and Rohi Tv. The Siraiki language is often considered the sweetest of all Pakistani languages, hence the popularity of Siraki music is nationwide. The great late Pathane Khan also did considerable work in the field of Siraiki music. His songs such as Mera Ishq Vi Tu and Charakay De are still loved by masses and equally appreciated by non-Siraiki speakers. Another star of this language is world renowned folk singer Reshma. She has rendered some beautiful songs in Saraiki along with Urdu and Punjabi for which she gained fame across Pakistan and internationally.
[edit] Shina
The predominant language found in Gilgit in Pakistan's Northern Areas has an extensive oral history which dates back several thousand years. With the increase in tourism to Pakistan's Northern Areas and increased domestic as well as international awareness of the local folk music, the Shinha folk traditions have managed to stay alive and vibrant.
[edit] Khowar
A dardic language with considerable Persian influence is found in Pakistan's Chitral region in the North West of the country. Khowar folk music had considerable patronage particularly during the rule of the Mehtars in the last century. Folk music in this region has remained relatively pure and unscathed by modern influences due to the relative isolation of this district. The arrival of many refugees from the adjacent Nuristan province of Afghanistan and the subsequent increase in commercial activity in Chitrali bazaars allowed this local form of music to flourish in the past few decades.
[edit] Persian
Persian is spoken mainly in the North West of Pakistan but there are also considerable Persian speaking inhabitants in Pakistan's major urban centres of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. During and after the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and subsequent arrival of millions of Afghan refugees to Pakistan, much of the Afghan (Dari/Persian) music industry was kept alive by performances and recordings made in Pakistan. After more than 20 years, Persian folk music has made considerable and often subtle contributions the overall Pakistani music industry. singers from Afghanistan regularly perform throughout Pakistan particularly at weddings and other formal functions.
[edit] Hamd and Nasheeds
Main articles: Hamd and Nasheed
There is a large number of hamd and nasheed singers in Pakistan. This is a type of islamic religious music where poetrical verses of the love for God (Allah) is expressed. Some of the most famous artists include: Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, along with his nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the Sabri Brothers, Hafiz Marghoub Ahmad Hamdani, Qari Waheed Zafar and Alhaj Muhammad Owais Raza Qadri.
'Hamd' is also used extensively in Christian religious music from Pakistan and all over the world where people from this region are found.'Hamd' is not the exclusive domain of any religion. As pointed out - it denotes praise to God, it is more extensively used in the Muslim world. It is usually used in conjunction with the Sanna and referred to as 'Hamd - o - Sanna'.
[edit] Filmi music
Main articles: Cinema of Pakistan and Filmi pop
Pakistan's film industry known as "Lollywood" is based in Lahore. One of the most famous singers of the Pakistan film industry is Madame Noor Jehan (Malika-e-Tarranum). Noor Jehan had a brief and successful acting career before devoting herself completely to music. She sang extensively for Pakistani films and also sang Ghazals, folk songs and patriotic songs (milli naghmay) for Pakistan television. Until the 1960’s Pakistani film music enjoyed a robust period of creative activity with a great number of songs acquiring popularity across the sub-continent. The major music directors of this period (with the noted exception of Khawaja Khurshid Anwar) were mostly rababis. Some of the great names were: Ustad Inayat Hussain, Ghulam Ahmed Chishti, Rashid Attre, Ustad Tasadduq, Master Abdullah, Feroz Nizami, Tufail Farooqi and Ustad Nazar. During the early 1960s Urdu film and music quality declined as the result of various factors. The dominance of trend-setting music directors who had experience of seasoned pre-partition artists declined and they were replaced by a new and younger generation who tapped the Punjabi film market. Most Pakistani music and musicians are now in demand in Bollywood as well.
[edit] East meets West
Pakistani music in the 21st century revitalized itself to become a popular sound throughout the region and world. Pakistan music today has a rich blend of classical and Pakistani folk music with western sounds leading the music industry to rebuild and re-establish itself. The industry began to pick up in late 2003, when media laws in Pakistan became more relaxed, and resulted in a mass explosion of private Pakistani television channels.
[edit] Pop music
Main article: Pakistani pop music
Pakistani pop music is attributed to have given birth to the genre in the South Asian region with Ahmed Rushdi's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966 and has since then been adopted in Bangladesh, India and lately Nepal as a pioneering influence in their respective pop cultures. Veterans like Runa Laila started the pop industry in Bangladesh while the fifteen-years old pop sensation Nazia Hassan with her brother Zohaib Hassan ushered the birth of pop music in South Asia tailing on the success of her British endeavours.
From Rushdi's pop hits to songs sung by the Hassan siblings, to bands including Junoon, Vital Signs and Strings, Hadiqa Kiyani to Abrar-ul-Haq the Pakistani pop industry has steadily spread throughout South Asia and today is the most popular genre in Pakistan and the neighbouring South Asian countries. Songs sung by Pakistani pop artists are a regular feature on soundtracks of most of the Bollywood films. “Dil Dil Pakistan” sung by Vital Signs was voted the third most popular song in the world by a BBC poll.[citation needed]
[edit] Rock music
Main articles: Pakistani rock and Sufi rock
Rock music in Pakistan has become very popular not only in Pakistan but across South Asia. All these groups have millions of fans across the world including in other parts of South Asia. A landmark event occurred in 2003 when the Pakistani group Strings's song, Najane Kyun became a featured single on the Urdu Soundtrack for Spider-Man 2. Rock music has developed so much in Pakistan, that it already has two sub-genere's. The Pakistani band Junoon popularised a genre of music called Sufi rock (influenced from legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) that blended traditional Pakistani folk and Sufi music with western rock. Also Arif Lohar made a huge success with a rock folk album in 2006 called 21st century Jugni: this album was successful worldwide, and in India won 3 awards at the Alpha Punjabi Awards ceremony for best International Punjabi vocalist and best remixed and best folk rock album. Bands like Seth, Mizraab, Dusk, Messiah, and Black Warrant set the pace for metal, many underground bands would follow. Pakistan Rock Industry has been getting large over the years, New bands are coming in and bringing their own style on the mainstream.
Pakistani Rock Industry can be sub-divided in various genre's of Rock such as Progressive Rock, Metal, Hard Rock etc.
[edit] The West Connection
There are more than 10 million expatriates who live outside of Pakistan mainly in countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia and many other countries. With this large population lots of musical talent has been produced, some of which is world recognized!
Some names include UK based Adnan Sami Khan, Dubai based Shahzaman, NY based DJ Aphlatoon and Holland based Imran Khan.
[edit] Rap and Hip Hop
Main article: Pakistani hip hop
Although hip hop and rap have not taken root in Pakistan, many musicians of Pakistani origin have begun to enter the Hip Hop industry. One of the most well known Artist is Hamza Javeed - an Islamabad based rapper whose powerful voice, aggressive bars, and uncompromising attitude set him aside from the rest.
From Lahore is the S.T.T. which comprises of about six rappers and they have been doing freestyle rap on TV shows as well. The first name as an Exclusive Deejay; DJ STT who happens to play House, Progressive, Tribal, Soca, Chutney, Hip Hop, R&B and Urban music.
Another star rising from the streets of karachi is King Qzer aka Karlim. He has been making music since he was 12 and is soon about to launch his latest album called MyoEvolution. Other works include Prelude, Ma Vita, and The Inside. Check More at his website http://www.kingqzer.tk
The first website dedicated to Pakistan Hip Hop is www.pakhiphop.com This is the first site dedicated to bringing Pakistan to the Hip Hop Music Scene.
[edit] Pop & Rock
* Raasta - An Australian Pop rock duo from Perth produced by Glenn Bidmead and sound engineered by Daniel Jones of Savage Garden. The Raasta project is aimed at the Pakistani and Indian markets. Raasta has recently acquired major record deals with The Musik Records (Pakistan) and HOM Records (India). Their debut album titled Pehla Safar is expected to be released with music videos at some point in 2008. Website
* Kraze - The first all-girl Pakistani band from Michigan, USA
* Sozz The Band A Progressive Rock band from Toronto formed in 2006 by Danish Javaid and AP Website
* Deeyah - Deepika from Oslo, Norway Website
* Josh The Band - Qurram Hussain from Toronto, Canada and Rupinder Magon from Montreal, Canada Website
* CarMa - A Rock/Alternative act based in Toronto, Canada Website
* Wasey Naik - Second Jeddah based Pakistani singer in the history.
* Nadia Ali - A former member of ilo from New York City (popularized by the hit single Rapture)- The Next Pakistani Electronic Diva Website
* Tariq Hussain - A Canadian singer-songwriter and radio personality from Cowansville, Canada Website
* Izteraab - An Urdu rock band from Toronto, Canada Website
* Falak The Band - A South Asian fusion rock band from Toronto, Canada Website
* Kashif - An upcoming English R&B artist based in Montreal, Canada Website
* Zameer - The band is based out of Toronto and consists of three brothers, Zameer, Hussain, and Ali who have been writing and performing together from a very early age. They were previously known as Dead Shyre, and independently sold over 2000 copies of their CD Poet of the Season. Website
* Zzen - A Progressive Rock/Metal outfit coming out of Toronto, Canada Website
* Laal Band - a new band trying to revive the tradition of left wing restistance poetry and music in Pakistan by singing the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Habib Jalib and Ahmed Faraz etc.
[edit] Music producers
Music production seems to have stayed in the shadows in the Pakistan music industry. Behind the successes of some of the top talent in the country, there were almost always music producers who never got their due credit. Some of them include:
* Thar Production - THAR PRODUCTION is a Pioneer and Market Leader Music Releasing and Distribution Company, Occupied 60 per% sale of Cassettes and CDs of Private Albums in Urdu and different Local Languages like Punjabi, Sindhi, Seriki, Pashto, Balochi, Hindko etc. of Pakistan, Releasing over 250 Audio and Video Albums annually.Thar Production targeted almost every audience and entertaining Peoples through its unique collection, whether they like Religious content or music content. We have waste archive of Famous and most demanded Singers like Abrar-ul-Haq, Rahim Shah, Sandra, Attaullah, Abida Perven, Nassebo Lal, Akram Rahi, Kosar Japani, Shaman Meraili, Ahmed Mughal, and most demanding Nohekhaan Nadeem Sarwar, Hassan Sadiq, Qurban Jafri, Mukhtiyar Shedi, and many more..
Website
* Amir Khan - Amir Khan was a well known young and upcoming electronic music composer in the growing Karachi music industry in 1990s. He worked extensively as a composer, arranger and session musician. Former lead of the band known as "The Boyz", Amir released his solo instrumental album titled "Space Dimensions" through EMI (Pakistan) Ltd in 1990 which went on to worldwide release later. Amir also held the distinct honor of being one of the first Asian to write as a contributor for famous "Keyboard Magazine". Amir has worked with Ali Haider, Zohaib Hassan, Tina Sani, Arshad Mahmood, Sultana Siddiqi and Saira Kazmi to name a few. Amir now lives in USA and offers professional music services for films, video games and other multimedia projects. Website
* JO-G - is a rapper/music producer who writes, plays and performs his music in English/Urdu/Punjabi,Studied Music Production and Audio Engineering from Recording Arts Canada, based in Karachi and one of the finest Music Producer in Pakistan, mostly in every genre of music but hip hop and RnB is his main game, http://www.JO-G.com is his official web site
* Faraz Anwar - Internationally known Guitarist/Songwriter Faraz Anwar has been in the music scene for the past 18 years. During this time he has produced songs/albums for more than 58 different artists in Pakistan. Website
* Faisal Rafi-Starting of as an A&R Manager for the pioneering record company VCI records, Faisal has grown into one of the most sought after producers in the country. He has worked with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Aamir Zaki, Ustaad Saami, Ustaad Fateh Ali Khan, Nafees Ahmad, Kaavish and the list continues like a who's who of the Pakistani music industry. He now runs Silent Music Co. based in Karachi and even though he is now more focused on Classical and Folk music preservation, he still continues to work with cutting edge music with artistes old and new. Some of Faisal's latest work includes Kaavish, Raeth, Strings, Karavan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan hit album Charkha which he co-produced with Rohail Hyatt. Faisal is also known to regularly collaborate with Shahi Hasan, legendary Vital Signs member and Producer, both are deeply involved in classical and world music. Silent Music also boasts Pakistan's premiere state of the art recording facility which is frequented by musicians from all genres.
* Rohail Hyatt - Member of the Band Vital Signs. He has produced all the Vital Signs albums and various other artists like Awaz, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ali Azmat to name a few. He has worked with big names such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ustaad Saami and Fareed Ayaz. His production 'Jiya Dhadak Dhadak Jaye' for the film 'Kalyug' with Rahet Fateh Ali Khan on vocals, went to number one on the Indian charts for 6 weeks in 2005. He has also produced the background score and main score of the film 'Khuda Kay Liye'(In the name of God) Website
* Meekal Hassan - Band Manager of The Meekal Hassan Band and the most talented of all the musicians in Pakistan. He has produced great hits like "Aadat" for Jal The Band, "Sampooran" & "Andohlan" from his own band's album.
* Asad Kamal - An immensely talented musician plus singer who has been greatly under-rated throughout his whole life and hasn't had much of commercial success but things are different now and he is producing the best Pop, Rock & Hip Hop music out there. He's probbably the only musician in Pakistan who is producing Hip Hop professionally with Artists like Farhan Khan, Waleed and Abbas Ali Khan working in his Studio called "STUDIO 051" [www.studio051.com] [Website]
* S.T.T. Productionz - A Company known to deliver Excellence. S.T.T. has been composing and producing music ever since 1997 out of his Toronto based studio which at that time was specializing strictly in Hip-Hop and Rap music. With his latest 7th Album from the Remix Department, he is rising as a unique master of all trades who has been rated as one of the best international Deejays in Pakistan. He has recorded around 12 different vocalists on his previous albums and carries himself as a flashing icon in the industry not just a name. Website
* Zulfiqar aka Xulfi One of the best out there who produced hit albums for many different bands such as E.P (he is also a former member of the band), Call (current member), Jal (all songs in the first album except "Aadat"), and Roxen (for their album called "Rozen-e-Deewar")
[edit] Music Journalism
Main article: Pakistani music journalism
Music journalism in Pakistan has grown tremendously over the years, especially with the growth of the country's pop music industry and underground rock culture. Popular music journalism was uncommon in the country till about 1985 when Karachi's tabloid, The Star started printing reviews written by Farrukh Moriani who is also considered to be the country's first ever pop music critic. At the end of the eighties and with the coming of the Liberal government of Benazir Bhutto in 1988, the once repressed and frowned upon (by the Islamist dictatorship of General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq), Pakistani pop music emerged from the underground and started gaining mainstream popularity. With this came another pioneering Pakistani music and fashion critic Fifi Haroon who was amongst the first in the country to undertake full features on the growing local music scene. Another frontrunner in this regard was Mohammed Ali Tim, but it wasn't until the arrival of the Farjad Nabi (at The The News International) and Aysha Aslam (at The Herald) and Nadeem Paracha that music journalism began to be taken seriously. Streaming Pakistani music online.
[edit] See also
* Music of South Asia
* Culture of Pakistan
* History of Pakistani pop music
* Association of Music Professionals of Pakistan
* Pakistani musical instruments
* Pakistani hip hop
* List of Pakistani musicians
* List of Pakistani film singers
* List of Pakistani folk singers
* List of Pakistani ghazal singers
* List of Pakistani qawwali singers
* List of Pakistani musical groups
* List of songs about Pakistan
* Filmi pop
* National Academy of Performing Arts
[edit] External links
Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Music of Pakistan
* Mp3 Music
* Pakistani songs Pop, Classic, Naat, Nohas, Folk in Punjabi, Sindhi, Seriki, Pashto, Balochi, Hindko etc.
* Punjabi Folk Music
* PakVillage.com::: Pakistani Music by all Singers, Pop, Classical, Naat etc
* Musical instruments manufacturer
* Pakmanzil.com
* pakhiphop.com
* koolmuzone.com
* A Collection of Pakistani pop music and ghazals
* Music.pakistanway.com
* Music of Pakistan
* Information about Indo-Pakistan music
* Music Pakistan
* www.HumAwaz.com
* www.MediaDestination.com
* Pakistani Videos
* Sindhi Sangat - Sindhi Remix Songs : promoting and preserving the Music of Sindh
* Music Videos - Pakistani Music videos : Pakistani music videos on youtube