The music of Mauritania comes predominantly from the country’s largest ethnic group: the Moors. The music is produced using traditional instruments which include an hourglass-shaped four-stringed lute called the tidinit and the ardin, a harp which is exclusively played by women.

The music conforms to 3 different ways; Al-bayda (The White Way), Al-kahla (The Black Way) and L’-gnaydiya (The Spotted Way). There are then 5 different modes; Karr (Youth), Fagu (beginning of the age of virility), Le-Khal (Maturity), Le-Byadh (Maturity) & Le-Btayt (Old Age). They also convey a series of feelings ranging from joy to sadness.

Elements which are purely musical differentiate these modes, such as an accent or a series of different harmonies. Male players must respect the aforementioned ways, female players playing the Ardin do not need to be so precise as the instrument conveys all 3 ways so only the modes are contrasted.

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