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The thought that immediately struck me when I dove head first into the music of Afghanistan without any expectations was that it sounds a lot like Indian music. The similarities range from common instrumentation to their system of composition and performance. They both use the kind of melodic type system called raga, they both incorporate improvisation as well as strict composition in performances, they both seem to have a great emphasis on rhythmic structure over melody, and so on. Several instruments found in both Afghan music and Indian music are very similar, and some even being shared between both such as the tabla drum. Initially I figured this would be primarily because of their geographical proximity to each other, both located in a cultural region that ought to owe a great deal of its musical traditions to that of Persian modal music. The reason for their similar instrumentation could be attributed to Kabul's importance as a central trading hub of the Orient, meaning the people of Afghanistan would definitely be exposed to many of the instruments by means of the passing caravans.
