ABSTRACT
Ḥaḍari arts, which are those that developed or flourished among sedentary peoples, differ from traditional Bedouin arts in that they incorporate drums and have set percussive rhythmic modes (īqā’/īqā’āt, الإيقاع). In the twenty-first century, Najdi music categories of ḥaḍar and badū are blurred, since Bedouin started to incorporate drums and drumming music especially after the 631950s. Moreover, the majority of Najdi nationals are descendants of Bedouin (Ingham 1986, 47) and mass communication, technology, and cultural shifts have compelled individuals to no longer pigeonhole themselves into a single grouping. Thus, a Najdi today might enjoy a combination of current ḥaḍar, badū, and commercial arts.
