Ethiopian music is written in a variety of styles, the most common of which is the pentatonic scale with chevaline intervals. The primary modes of Ethiopian Highlands music, which is based on the qenet modal system, are tezeta, bati, ambassel, and anchihoy. There are three more modes besides the ones mentioned: Tezeta minor, Bati major, and Bati minor. Qenets can be used to create song titles, such as the remembering song tizita. When traditional instruments are played on Western instruments such as pianos and guitars, they are frequently not tempered (i.e., the pitches may differ substantially from the Western-tempered tuning method). Ethiopian folk music has a rich and long history. Despite the fact that most people listen to, play, and record popular music, most singers prefer to perform older compositions. Arba Lijoch, a brass band formed by 40 Armenian orphans who moved to Ethiopia from Jerusalem during Haile Selassie’s reign, became a notable Ethiopian musical institution during his reign. When this band arrived in Addis Ababa on September 6, 1924, it became Ethiopia’s first official orchestra. Large orchestras accompanied concerts in the final months of WWII, with the Army Band, Police Band, and Imperial Bodyguard Band among the most well-known.
