On BBC Radio 4 - Tuesday 30th August at 11.30 and then available to listen to again.

A Little Flat: The Music Our Ears Overlook


Musician, DJ and producer Nabihah Iqbal celebrates the variety of music systems across the globe.

Drawing on musical traditions from around the world, she takes a closer look at the notes and scales used to make music. She examines how and why our ears hear some music as ‘in tune’ and other music as ‘out of tune.’

With the help of a range of musicians and music experts, Nabihah asks if we are missing out on certain musical experiences and looks at what the future holds for music across the world.

Professor Roger T Dean at the MARCS Institute, explains that the notes we use to make music are much more flexible than the keys seen on the piano might suggest and how our ears are conditioned to like certain sounds.

Nabihah hears from music scholar Dr Joe Peters and examines the issue of a shrinking music biodiversity. Nabihah explores what this means for music on a local and global scale with the help of vocalist and educator Anuja and musician and electric sitarist BISHI who demonstrates the freedom possible from playing music across different traditions.

Multi-instrumentalist and researcher, Dr Khyam Allami, discusses how technology impacts what type of music we make and are exposed to and suggests solutions for a rich musical future.

Producer: Nooriyah Qais
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4