Japanese Noh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUhtCLKFMx0

http://www.nohkyogen.jp/english/english02.html

I watched this video for my example of Japanese Noh. According to the second website , these are the elements:

The instrumentalists, called Hayashi, sit at the back of the stage. The instruments include the transverse flute, called a nohkan, an hourglass-shaped drum held at the shoulder, called a kotsuzumi, a slightly larger hourglass-shaped drum placed on the lap, a okawa or otsuzumi, or a barrel-shaped drum placed on a small floor stand and played with two sticks, called a taiko. In addition to these instrument sounds, the drummers shout, which serves as signals for the other musicians.

Hindustani Music

I picked this video for my sample of Hindustani music. It comprises of Girish Makwana on tablas, Saby Bhattacharya on sarod, and Nicolas Buff on alto saxophone. The reason why I chose this one was due to the instrument combination. The saxophone is undoubtedly an "outsider" in this arrangement, but it makes for a sort of bridging for the two cultures. In my opinion, its addition to the trio works out surprisingly well. The smooth timbre of the saxophone kind of balances out the more harsh timbre of the sarod.

The ensemle is heterogeneous and starts off with an improvised solo by the saxophone player. He then passes the lead along to Bhattacharya on sarod, accompanied by the tablas. Usually it is a solo accompanied by the drums, but during the middle, it is heterophony. The sound of the tablas intrigues me the most, however. Being able to produce those complex rhythms is no small feat.