his article deals with the subject matter of musical style and the impact made by changes occurring in the songs of the Iraya, an upland people of Mindoro, Philippines. Its purpose is to show how swaying, though threatened by today's changing tastes, is a key feature of traditional Iraya singing. The issue is that Iraya elders believe that their melodic style is presently moving towards the style of the Tagalogs-the dominating lowland people. This major trend has been recognized by my key informant Mr. Angel Anias, an elder from Caagutayan village in the town of San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro. After listening to some tape recordings of Iraya songs from another area-Tabinay Malaki in the town of Puerto Galera2-Angel Anias and a few other elders commented that many Iraya singers today have started rendering traditional songs in the style of the Tagalogs. He pointed out further that this is mainly due to the absence of the swaying style found in traditional melodies. This study addresses the question of how swaying is perceived in traditional Iraya songs. Knowing how the people perceive their music aids in understanding how present changes could be detected by a native singer. I found it necessary and extremely helpful to understand the issue through what Steven Feld calls "ethno-theory" (1981:24-47). Most of the data were acquired from field observations and numerous discussions with Iraya elders and especially Angel Anias and Juana Edmedio, who recorded examples of all genres of traditional music.3