Music is a universal language that is understood and appreciated by people all around the world. It has the ability to bring people together and evoke emotions and memories. While music may be universal, the terminology used to describe it can vary greatly from one language and culture to another. That is why, if you want to discuss anything music-related in another language, like Serbian, it’s important to have basic knowledge of some Serbian music vocabulary that will help you describe what you want to say.
Serbian is a South Slavic language spoken by approximately 10 million people in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo. Serbia itself is a country with strong music traditions, mostly through Serbian folk music, recognized worldwide. From the instruments used to create it to the different types of music and musical styles, Serbian has its own distinct vocabulary to describe all these music-related terms.
Whether you are a musician looking to expand your knowledge of music terminology in other languages, or simply someone with an interest in learning about modern Serbian music, in this article, I’m going to teach you the best Serbian music vocabulary so that you never miss a beat! (See what I did there?)
Serbian Music Vocabulary: Musical Instruments
Let’s start from the very basics; there is no music without musical instruments. I mean, you can make music with your mouth (like the incredible Pentatonix), or even by banging on stuff that are not musical instruments, but when you think about music, your mind almost instantly visualizes musical instruments. Plus, the entrance point into music for many people is learning how to play one musical instrument, so if you want to explain to your Serbian friend that you played the cello when you were younger, you probably should know how to say it in Serbian.
The following table lists some of the most common instruments in the musical industry, along with their Serbian translation. If I missed any musical instrument, please feel free to add it in the comments!
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| accordion | хармоника (harmonika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]хармоника[/Speechword] |
| amplifier | појачало (pojačalo) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]појачало[/Speechword] |
| Bongos | Бонгос (Bongos) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Бонгос[/Speechword] |
| cello | виолончело (violončelo) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]виолончело[/Speechword] |
| clarinet | кларинет (klarinet) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]кларинет[/Speechword] |
| cymbals | чинеле (činele) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]чинеле[/Speechword] |
| double bass | контрабас (kontrabas) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]контрабас[/Speechword] |
| drums | бубњеви (bubnjevi) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]бубњеви[/Speechword] |
| flute | флаута (flauta) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]флаута[/Speechword] |
| guitar | гитара (gitara) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]гитара[/Speechword] |
| Harmonica | Хармоника (Harmonika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Хармоника[/Speechword] |
| harp | харфа (harfa) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]харфа[/Speechword] |
| Horn | Хорн (Horn) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Хорн[/Speechword] |
| Instrument | Инструмент (Instrument) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Инструмент[/Speechword] |
| keyboard | тастатура (tastatura) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]тастатура[/Speechword] |
| mandolin | мандолина (mandolina) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]мандолина[/Speechword] |
| organ | орган (organ) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]орган[/Speechword] |
| piano | клавир (klavir) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]клавир[/Speechword] |
| saxophone | саксофон (saksofon) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]саксофон[/Speechword] |
| tambourine | тамбура (tambura) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]тамбура[/Speechword] |
| Trombone | Тромбон (Trombon) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Тромбон[/Speechword] |
| trumpet | труба (truba) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]труба[/Speechword] |
| violin | виолина (violina) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]виолина[/Speechword] |
| xylophone | ксилофон (ksilofon) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]ксилофон[/Speechword] |
Music Genres In Serbian
After you’ve conquered musical instruments, it is time to explore different musical genres and discover the ones you like the most. Different musical genres also have different words to describe them, so the following table lists the terms used in Serbian.
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| bachata | бацхата (bachata) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]бацхата[/Speechword] |
| blues | блуес (blues) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]блуес[/Speechword |
| classical music | класична музика (klasična muzika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]класична музика[/Speechword] |
| country music | кантри музика (kantri muzika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]кантри музика[/Speechword] |
| Contemporary music | Савремена музика (Savremena muzika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Савремена музика [/Speechword] |
| disco music | диско музика (disko muzika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]диско музика[/Speechword] |
| folk music | Народна музика (Narodna muzika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Народна музика[/Speechword] |
| Heavy metal | Хеави метал (Heavi meta) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Хеави метал[/Speechword] |
| hip-hop | Хип Хоп (hip-hop) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Хип Хоп[/Speechword] |
| jazz | јазз (jazz) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]јазз[/Speechword] |
| lambada | ламбада (lambada) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]ламбада[/Speechword] |
| modern music | модерна музика (moderna muzika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]модерна музика[/Speechword] |
| opera | опера (opera) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]опера[/Speechword] |
| pop music | Поп Музика (Pop Muzika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Поп Музика[/Speechword] |
| R&B (rhythm and blues) | Р&Б (ритам и блуз) (R&B (ritam i bluz)) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]ритам и блуз[/Speechword] |
| rap | рап (rap) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]рап[/Speechword] |
| reggae | реггае (raggae) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]реггае[/Speechword] |
| reggaeton | реггаетон (raggaeton) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]реггаетон[/Speechword] |
| rock music | рок музика (rok muzika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]рок музика[/Speechword] |
| tango | танго (tango) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]танго[/Speechword] |
| Traditional music | Традиционална музика (Tradicionalna muzika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Традиционална музика [/Speechword] |
Serbian Music: General Vocabulary
Now that you’ve conquered both musical instruments and music genres, you still have to master some more terms to be able to show your musical peers how much of a connoisseur of Serbian music you are! Here is a list of other terms that you’ll probably need when talking about music in Serbian.
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| composer | Композитор (kompozitor) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Композитор[/Speechword] |
| concert | концерт (koncert) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]концерт[/Speechword] |
| duet | дует (duet) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]дует[/Speechword] |
| lyrics | Текст (tekst) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Текст[/Speechword] |
| microphone | Микрофон (mikrofon) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Микрофон[/Speechword] |
| music | Музика (muzika) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Музика[/Speechword] |
| musician | музичар (muzičar) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]музичар[/Speechword] |
| note | Белешка (Beleška) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Белешка[/Speechword] |
| record | запис (zapis) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]запис[/Speechword] |
| rock band | рок бенд (rok bend) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]рок бенд[/Speechword] |
| singer | певач (pevač) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]певач[/Speechword] |
| soloist | солиста (solista) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]солиста[/Speechword] |
| song | песма (pesma) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]песма[/Speechword] |
| stage | фаза (faza) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]фаза[/Speechword] |
| symphony | симфонија (simfonija) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]симфонија[/Speechword] |
| tape | трака (traka) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]трака[/Speechword] |
| vocalist | вокалиста (vokalista) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]вокалиста[/Speechword] |
Musical Note Terms In Serbian
Let’s now have a look at some terms about musical notes. These words might be used in more technical discussions about music.
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| accent | акценат (akcenat) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]акценат[/Speechword] |
| alto | Алто (alto) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Алто[/Speechword] |
| baritone | баритон (bariton) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]баритон[/Speechword] |
| bass clef | бас кључ (bas ključ) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]бас кључ[/Speechword] |
| beat | победити (pobediti) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]победити[/Speechword] |
| bridge | мост (most) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]мост[/Speechword] |
| chord | акорд (akord) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]акорд[/Speechword] |
| double bass | контрабас (kontrabas) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]контрабас[/Speechword] |
| double flat | дупли стан (dupli stan) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]дупли стан[/Speechword] |
| downbeat | потиштен (potišten) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]потиштен[/Speechword] |
| duration | трајање (trajanje) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]трајање[/Speechword] |
| flat | раван (ravan) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]раван[/Speechword] |
| half note | полунапомена (polunapomena) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]полунапомена[/Speechword] |
| homophonic | хомофонски (homofonski) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]хомофонски[/Speechword] |
| interval | Интервал (interval) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Интервал[/Speechword] |
| major | главни (glavni) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]главни[/Speechword] |
| melody | мелодија (melodija) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]мелодија[/Speechword] |
| minor | минор (minor) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]минор[/Speechword] |
| modulation | Модулација (modulacija) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Модулација[/Speechword] |
| music score | мусиц сцоре (music score) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]мусиц сцоре[/Speechword] |
| octave | октава (oktava) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]октава[/Speechword] |
| pitch | висина тона (visina tona) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]висина тона[/Speechword] |
| polyphonic | полифоно (polifono) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]полифоно[/Speechword] |
| quarter note | четвртина нота (četvrtina nota) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]четвртина нота[/Speechword] |
| scale | Скала (Skala) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Скала[/Speechword] |
| sequence | Низ (niz) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Низ[/Speechword] |
| slur | Увреда (uvreda) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Увреда[/Speechword] |
| soprano | сопран (sopran) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]сопран[/Speechword] |
| staff | особља (osoblja) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]особља[/Speechword] |
| tenor | Тенор (tenor) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Тенор[/Speechword] |
| voice | Глас (glas) | [Speechword voice=”Serbian Male” isinline]Глас[/Speechword] |
Popular Music Phrases To Start A Conversation
If you really want to show off your knowledge about music in Serbian but don’t know how to start the conversation, here are a few examples you can use to trigger the discussion:
- Do you like music? / Волите ли музику? (Volite li muziku?)
- I love rock and roll! / Волим рокенрол! (Volim rokenrol!)
- I used to play guitar when I was younger / Свирао сам гитару кад сам био млађи (Svirao sam gitaru kad sam bio mlađi)
- My dad is the lead singer in a band / Мој тата је певач у бенду (Moj tata je pevač u bendu)
- I have a full drum kit at home! / Имам пун комплет бубњева код куће! (Imam pun komplet bubnjeva kod kuće!)
- What is your favourite band? / Који је твој омиљени бенд? (Koji je tvoj omiljeni bend?)
- Have you ever played an instrument? / Да ли сте икада свирали неки инструмент? (Da li ste ikada svirali neki instrument?)
Learn Serbian With Ling App
Do you want to know more about the Serbian language so you can tell your friends how you love Serbian hip-hop? That is music to my ears!
First, you should try exploring our blog, where we discuss many topics about not only Serbian and Balkan music but other topics related to Serbian, such as facts about Serbian culture or sports vocabulary.
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