Iranian music uses the same seven note scale with half-steps as European music. Stylistically, Iranian music is typical of music of the Middle East. However, Iranian music puts more of an emphasis on melody than rhythm as tradition Arabic Music does. In fact, modern traditional Arabic music is heavily influenced by the Iranian tradition of music.

The Iranian music tradition is one of the oldest and when the Arabs brought Islam to Iran, the Persians introduced music to Islam. Islam has always had an ambivalent relationship with music. Many Islamic scholars do not believe there to be any need for music for religious reasons because it distracts the observance of God. The Sufi tradition of Islam that emphasizes the esoteric nature of God believe that music is important to exploring the esoteric nature of God. The famous Sufi poet Rumi sang songs in his native tongue, Parsi of the Middle Ages. Rumi, also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, was born in the 13th century of the Common Era. The beautiful words of his poetry are full of wonder and mystery and speak of topics that are universal of the human condition. Many of Rumi’s poems were put to music. Iranian songs are very poetic in nature and many modern genres are rooted in Sufi tradition of music and Rumi’s verses.

Iranian Pop and Rock Music

As strong as Iranian culture is, the influence of modern Western music is inevitable. Iranian popular music is stylistically Western but the lyrical content of Iranian pop is telling of Iranian cultural norms. Iran’s pop and rock music is very popular among the youth and is a product of the cultural exchanges that are typical of the age of modern communications. Iranian rock an popular music became popular in the 1970′s before the 1979 revolution. Even American style hip-hop is popular in Iran. The rap lyrics are said in the Parsi language.