Music is everywhere in the Estian Sea. Most taverns and inns have a troubadour performing in the evening, and street performers are plentiful in the larger cities. Music is also central to the bards, who use it to call forth powerful magic. It is, however, important to note that not all performers are bards, just like how not all who pray to a deity are clerics.
Cultures
All cultures enjoy music, and each one has its own preferred styles. Some performers venture out into other styles, or even merge them together in strange fusions.
Humans
Human music, like so much else in their culture, is not uniform. Agrarian cultures play music much closer to what the smallfolk play, while mystical cultures prefer grand symphonies played by ensembles of several dozen performers.
Elves
Elven music features vocals prominently, often delivered by several performers or a choir in counterpoint lines. Ballads, lays, and other story-telling forms are common, usually accompanied by harp, dulcimer, mandolin, or violin.
Many half-elf musicians are comfortable in both the elven and human traditions, and they continually produce some of the most avant-garde fusion between them.
Dwarves
Not for the faint of heart, dwarven music features heavy percussion and basslines. It prioritizes rhythm over melody, and if there are vocals, they are mostly chants to go along the percussion.
Smallfolk
Some of the most popular music across the isles is the jigs and reels of the smallfolk. These jaunty tunes are easy to dance to. It is not uncommon for halfling tunes to feature comedic lyrics.
Instruments
These are some of the instruments used across the Estian Sea.
Crookhorn
Analogue of: saxophone
An S-shaped wind instrument, played with two hands by pressing keys along its length. Crookhorns are usually made from brass. It is a very versatile instrument, and its mellow, melodious sound is favored by many of the smallfolk.
Yarting
Analogue of: guitar
A string instrument with a fretted neck. Many different sizes and versions exist, ranging from the small four-stringed ukuleles preferred by middins to complex twelve-stringed versions played with complex picking patterns.