Background <p>Anxiety is a common issue among patients who are candidates for surgery. Limited studies have explored the impact of two types of vocal and instrumental traditional music on anxiety levels, and their results have been different. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the effects of vocal and instrumental traditional music on anxiety levels among candidates for general surgery.</p> Methods <p>In this clinical trial, 102 general surgery patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups with 34 participants each: instrumental music, vocal music, and a control group. The data collection tools consisted of a personal information form and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Form. The intervention duration was set at 15&#xa0;min. The instrumental and vocal music interventions were implemented for the respective intervention groups, while the control group used headphones connected to a silent playback device. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics with SPSS-18 software.</p> Results <p>The mean score of state anxiety before the intervention in the instrumental music, vocal music, and control groups was 40.1 ± 10.7, 40.7 ± 11.7, and 38.5 ± 10.2, respectively. After the intervention, the mean scores changed to 34.3 ± 8.9, 35.8 ± 9.8, and 38.8 ± 10.0, respectively. The paired t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in anxiety levels before and after the intervention within both the vocal and instrumental music groups (<i>P</i> &lt; .001).</p> Conclusions <p>Both instrumental and vocal traditional music demonstrated a positive impact on reducing patients’ anxiety. Therefore, considering the low cost and absence of side effects associated with this method, its utilization is recommended for candidates undergoing general surgery.</p>