Traditional Music
Traditional music is unlike classical music or other genres of music.
It is essentially an aural tradition - hearing and playing. It is also a living tradition
Although many tunes have been committed to recording media and written down in different formats, they do not represent any definitive version. They are interpretations or personal versions of things that have passed into the collective culture.
It is often distinctive in the rhythms such as reels, jigs, mazurkas etc reflecting their origins as dance tunes. Some of the music is modal reflecting the instruments and sometimes culture.
The music is also eclectic. It ranges from old and simple tunes to music hall and modern compositions covering a wide variety of playing styles covering jazz, blues, rock, gospel, ballad, folk, country and virtually any other that has ever existed. All countries have traditional music and it tends to transcend geographical boundaries bound as it is to the people rather than the places. This is why traditional music migrates and evolves as people move around the world.