nicaraguan ensemble grupo camayo sings accompanied by guitars and percussion, the melody is supported of the ensemble. [guitar plays, and singing in spanish] [chorus sings, and orchestra plays] music that simultaneously combines two or more different lines is said to be polyphonic. the term polyphony has specific meaning within the western classical idiom, describing much of the multi-part music of the middle ages and the renaissance. however, it is also used generally to describe any multi-part musical tradition. in the javanese gamelan of indonesia, layers of music produced by gongs and metalaphones create a polyphonic web of sound. these layers are made up of interlocking percussion parts and different melodic lines. [drumming] polyphony can be rhythmic as well as melodic as in the west african manjani rhythm played on the jembe family of drums. the lead drummer improvises over the different rhythmic patterns played by members of the group. [drumming] [soft flute music] when the texture of music is monophonic, what can add richness to the singlline? in japan, the shakuhachi, an end