Advantages & Disadvantages of Traditional Music

Traditional music, sometimes called folk music, is music that is related to the national culture, noncommercial and passed on from generation to generation. Traditional music is acoustic and employs instruments historically found in the culture. Traditional music varies from country and region and is often played at cultural ceremonies and events.

Traditional music is a symbol for a nation's culture. The lyrics in traditional music often deal with national historical events and issues that occurred at the time the song was written. The music can be used to identify a certain group of people and unite them. The music has strong emotional ties, as certain pieces are often played during national holidays or other events. Traditional music can help unite people from the music's country of origin.

Due to the lack of copyrights on traditional music, the music can be sampled and used by modern artists and others without having to pay royalties. The artists who wrote the original music often never got credit for it and as a result did not receive recognition for their creations. In addition, the artist never received any money for writing the music.

An important part of traditional music is the use of traditional instruments. Many of these instruments are never used in other forms of music. The preservation of traditional music keeps the artisans who create these traditional instruments in business. The instruments are also a symbol of national culture, and as much as the music can represent a people, so too can the instruments.

Traditional music was passed on through oral traditions, and many songs were never formally written down or recorded. As such, over time many of these songs have been lost to the ages, and future generations have been deprived of the music. Since many traditional songs have not been recorded, they can be difficult to find and exhibit.