Greek traditional music, or demotic music, varies by region in style, sound and rhythm and has evolved from
Byzantine music tradition, which itself evolved from ancient Greek music. Common instruments are the
Lyra, which is used by the Greeks of
Pontus and
Crete, the clarinet, which is used all over mainland Greece, as well as trumpets which are used mostly in the northern parts of the country, which has generally replaced the more traditional
zournas.
Bagpipes are also used in the regions of
Macedonia and
Thrace. Other instruments include forms of the
floghera, which are common all over Greece, the
Qanun which is used among
Anatolian Greeks, the name of which comes from "κανών" ("kanon" rule, law), the
toubeleki.
Mirolóyia (laments, or mournful tunes) are mourful songs typically sang by older women in the regions of
Epirus and
Mani accompanied by no music. In other regions, such as Macedonia, they may only be music without any singing. In Epirus there also is a popular
polyphonic tradition. The oldest Greek demotic song is the
Dead brother's song, which dates back to the 9th century. Each genre of traditional music is typically accompanied by a different
dance. There are more than 10,000
folk dances from different regions of Greece, along with some pan-Hellenic dances that are catholic and known among all Greeks; although they might slightly differ by region. Most of the Greek dances are usually danced by groups in either a circle or a line, and might be for a specific gender only. Pan-Hellenic dances include
Hasapiko (which originated in Constantinople but was later adopted by all Greeks),
Syrtaki,
Kalamatianos (which originated in southern
Peloponnese),
Zeibekiko (which originated in the Greek-inhabited regions of western
Anatolia), and others; while known region-specific dances include
Pentozali (a war dance danced by men in the island of
Crete),
Serra (a war dance from Pontus),
Leventikos from Macedonia, Berati and Tsamikos from mainland Greece,
Ikariotikos from
Icaria, and others. == Influence of ancient Greek mythology ==