Abstract
The interest of comparative musicologists and ethnomusicologists in musical cognition is reviewed in brief and anthropological and psychological approaches to this topic compared. Research on two contrasting Afghan lute types is discussed with reference to inter-relationships between instrument morphology, movement and music. A grammar of rhythmic improvisation utilizing permutations of right hand stroke patterns is examined, and perceptual and motor factors identified which explain why some rhythmic patterns are used more than others. The paper argues that greater importance should be given to spatio-motor aspects of musical cognition.