Music from

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

(), is sung and is generally performed in either the "Baits" or "Waee" styles. The Baits style is vocal music in Sanhoon (low voice) or Graham (high voice). Waee instrumental music is performed in a variety of ways using a string instrument. Waee, also known as

Kafi Kafi ( pa, ਕਾਫ਼ੀ (Gurmukhi), (Shahmukhi), Hindi: काफ़ी, Urdu: کافی, Sindhi:ڪافي) is a classical form of Sufi music mostly in the Siraiki, Punjabi and Sindhi languages and originating from the Punjab, and Sindh ...

, is popular in the surrounding areas of

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, and Kutch.

Sindhi Sufi music

Shah Jo Raag

The traditional compilations of

Shah Jo Risalo ''Shah Jo Risalo'' ( sd, شاھ جو رسالو) is a poetic compendium of famous Sindhi Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. In fact, it is many compendia, for Shah Abdul Latif's poetry in various forms of bayt and wai was compiled by many of hi ...

Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai ( sd, شاھ عبداللطيف ڀٽائي, ur, ; 1689/1690 – 21 December 1752), commonly known by the honorifics ''Lakhino Latif'', ''Latif Ghot'', ''Bhittai'', and ''Bhit Jo Shah'', was a Sindhi Sufi mystic, and ...

include 30 Suras (chapters) which are sang as raags. The oldest publications of

contained 36 Suras, but later six of the Suras were rejected because the language and content did not correspond to the style of the Shah. Recently,

Nabi Bakhsh Baloch Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch ( sd, نبي بخش خان بلوچ, Balochi: نبی بخش خان بلۏچ) (16 December 1917 – 6 April 2011) was a research scholar and writer. He was termed as a 'moving library' on the province of Sindh, Pakistan. ...

, the most famous Sindhi linguist has compiled and published a new publication after 32 years of research, into popular culture and the history of the

Sindhi language Sindhi ( ; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 30 million people in the Pakistani province of Sindh, where it has official status. It is also spoken by a further 1.7 million people in India, where it is a Scheduled languages of India ...

. The famous singer

Abida Parveen Abida Parveen ( Urdu, sd, ; born 20 February 1954) is a Pakistani singer, composer and musician of Sufi music. She is also a painter and entrepreneur. Parveen is one of the highest paid singers in Pakistan. Her singing and music has earned ...

has recorded the entire Shah's Suras on her 11th volume CD Shah Jo Risalo, released in December 2013. The 30 traditional Suras included in Shah Jo Risalo are: *Bilawal *Kalyan *Yaman Kalyan *Khambhat *Suri Raag *Samundi *Sohni *Sasui Aburi *Maazuri *Desi *Kohyari *Husaini *Laila Chanesar *Mumal Ranu *Marvi *Kaamod *Ghatu * Sorath *Kedaro *Sarang *Asaa *Ripp *Khahori *Barwo Sindhi *Ramkali *Kapa'iti *Purab *Karayal *Pirbhati *Dahar * misri solangi

Instruments used in Sindhi music

Common instruments used in Sindhi regional music include: *

Ektara Ektara ( bn, একতারা, hi, एकतारा, ur, اِک تارا, ne, एकतारे, pa, ਇਕ ਤਾਰਾ, ta, எக்டரா; literally 'one-string', also called actara, iktar, ektar, yaktaro, gopichand, gopichant, ...

known as Ektaro in Sindhi *

Tanpura The tanpura (), also referred to as tambura and tanpuri, is a long-necked plucked string instrument, originating in India, found in various forms in Indian music. It does not play melody, but rather supports and sustains the melody of an ...

known as Tanpuro in Sindhi *

Alghoza Alghoza is a paired woodwind instrument. It is traditionally used by Baloch, Saraiki, Sindhi, Kutchi, Punjabi and Rajasthani folk musicians. It consists of two joined beak flutes, one for melody, the second for drone. The flutes are either ti ...

Flute *

Bansuri A bansuri is an ancient side blown flute originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an aerophone produced from bamboo and metal like material used in Hindustani classical music. It is referred to as ''nadi'' and ''tunava'' in the ''Ri ...

Pungi The pungi (Hindi: पुंगी, ur, پُنگیپُنگی, Burmese: ပုန်ဂိ), originates from the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a reservoir into which air is blown and then channelled into two reed pipes. It i ...

known as Been in Sindhi * Narr *

Naghara The ''nagara'' or ''naghara'' is a drum used in the Middle East. There are several types of naghara, which is considered to be the lead instrument in folk ceremonies and weddings. The naghara differs in size and goes by various names such as ...

Dhol Dhol (IPA: ) can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan primarily includes nort ...

* Borrindo * Rabbab

Notable Sindhi musicians

Allan Faqir Allan Fakir (1932– 4 July 2000) ( Sindhi: ''علڻ فقيرُ'', Urdu: ''علن فقیر''), was a Pakistani folk singer. He was particularly known for his ecstatic style of performance, marked with extreme devotional rhetoric and Sufi dance-si ...

Sarmad Sindhi Popularly known as Sarmad Sindhi (7 July 1961 – 27 December 1996) ( Sindhi: سرمد سنڌي) (Urdu:سرمد سندھی) for his work on Sindhi Folk Music was a Sindhi folk singer, songwriter of Sindhi language. Considered one of the great sing ...

Humera Channa Humaira Channa, also known as Humera Channa (born on 22 Jun 1970 at Lahore), is a 6 Nigar Award winning film playback singer from Pakistan. She has won 3rd most Nigar Awards in history, ranked only after Noor Jehan and Mehnaz. Early life and c ...

Mai Bhaghi Mai Bhagi ( ur, مائی بھاگی) (c. 1906 – 7 July 1986) was a Pakistani folk musician, born Bhag Bhari in Mithi in Thar, Sindh. Mai Bhagi grew up in a village in the Thar Desert. Her father was Wanhyun Fakir and mother was Khadija Maga ...

Manzoor Sakhirani Manzoor Sakhiran ( Sindhi: منظور سخيراڻي) (Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Noor Bano *

Rubina Qureshi Rubina Qureshi, TI ( sd, روبينہ قريشي; also ''Rubeena''; 19 October 1940 – 13 July 2022) was a Pakistani Sindhi language folk singer. She was popularly known as ''Nightingale of Sindh'' as she performed most of her songs in Sindhi ...

Saif Samejo Saif Samejo (born 23 January 1984) is a musician and founder, lead vocalist and songwriter of the Pakistani Sufi folk band The Sketches. In May 2014 he opened the first music Aashram (School) in Hyderabad, Sindh named as "Lahooti Music Aashr ...

Sanam Marvi Sanam Marvi ( sd, ) (born : 17 April 1986) is a Pakistani folk and sufi singer. She sings in Sindhi, Punjabi, and Balochi languages.Sohrab Fakir * Ustad Manzoor Ali Khan * Ustad Mohammad Ibrahim * Ustad Muhammad Juman * Ustad Muhammad Yousuf * Ustad Misri Faqeer Makhmoor *

Zarina Baloch Zarina Baloch ( sd, زرينه بلوچ) (29 December 1930 – 25 October 2005) was a Pakistani folk music singer, vocalist and composer. She was also an actress, Radio and TV artist, writer, teacher for over 30 years, political activist and soc ...

Zeb-un-Nissa Zeb-un-Nissa ( fa, زیب النساء ) (15 February 1638 – 26 May 1702) was a Mughal princess and the eldest child of Emperor Aurangzeb and his chief consort, Dilras Banu Begum. She was also a poet, who wrote under the pseudonym of "Makhf ...

Sindhi songs

Some famous Sindhi songs include "Ho Jamalo", "Sindh Muhinji Amma", "Parchan Shaal Pavar Dhola" and "Peren Pavandi Saan." Waheed Ali, Barkat Ali, Misri Faqeer and Khatadar Ahiyan are well-known Sindhi musicians.

References

External links

First International Sindhi Radio with variety of 6 stations & 24/7 broadcast Collection of Sindhi Music OnlineClassic Sindhi Audio Stories for ChildrenFree Sindhi Music Ringtones, Sindhi MP3 Tones
Pakistani styles of music {{pakistan-stub