As well as using the melodic motifs of Arabic music, pieces such as Gamal Abdel Rahim's "Ekhnaton’s Prayer and Phoenician Dance" or Abdo Dagher's "The New Egyptian-Arabic Sufic Art Music" demonstrate many of the motifs unique to Arabic music. As well as the use of micro-tones and non-western modes, these solos also place an emphasis on improvised cadenzas and syncopated rhythms, which are often drummed out on the body of the cello itself.
Chinese musicians tune their cellos to the same concert pitch as western musicians. One possible reason for this is the existence of the Gerhu, a traditional Chinese instrument almost identical to the western cello. "Flowing Water" by Tan Hainu, takes a traditional melody, played on another similar instrument, the Guqin, and adapts it for the western cello.
Traditional Indian music is difficult to translate to the cello due the rounded timbre of the instrument and its relatively short sustain when plucked. Some cellists such as Saskia Rao de Haas have constructed modified instruments with additional strings that resonate sympathetically, creating a sitar-like drone. A number of Indian-style cellists such as Nancy Kulkarni have also performed similar modifications to play traditional Dhrupad music such as "Alap" and "Jor Jhala," both pieces in the Jaijaivanti mode.
A major part of Turkish traditional music is the Taksim, a type of directed improvisation. Players work within prescribed framework to produce their own variation on a classic theme. Usually the player is given a complex crib sheet of the piece's mode. For instance, the Taksim "Suzinak Taksimi" is in the "Suzinak Makam" mode. Solo pieces such as "Yeni Makam" make use of the microtonality synonymous with Arabic music, heard in the daily "Call-to-Prayer" from mosques.