So @natswash and I have been puzzling over the meaning of bes for a while, because it's an important root word that shows up in a lot of places, like beskar. The most logical meaning is "metal"--beskar is Mandalorian steel, so having the root word for metal in there is apropos. It even works with the word for the weaponized Mandalorian flute, the bes'bev, which would then translate literally to "metal spike." But the theory seemed to fall apart with the word bes'laar, music. "Metal song"? How did that make sense?
After much confusion and brainstorming, we think we figured it out, and it depends on the meaning of the word laar, song.
My unexamined assumption was that "song" meant a melody played on whatever instrument was handy. But I think laar means something different. The ~*archaic word werlaara means "myth," and its connection to laara implies an oral tradition--as oral traditions are often chanted or sung to make them easier to remember. So, by that reasoning, laara means specifically vocal song, as well as chant, recitation, and poetry (in retrospect, given that laaran means "singing" and laararir means "to sing," this should have been obvious).
Back to bes'laar. We now have a plausible reason for it to be called "metal song": it's a song played on a metal instrument, rather than the voice. And if you take the worldbuilding a little further, it could mean any kind of instrumental music, from a flute solo on up to a symphony.
On a slightly tangential note, we also agreed that KT's definition of bes'bev as having "a sharpened, cut-off end" was rubbish, bc 1) cutting the end off a flute bore to make a diagonal, "spiky" cutting edge would ruin it as an instrument, and 2) sharpening the edges of a small round tube to razor sharpness would be "a pain in the ass." A much better solution would be to affix a bayonet to the end of the tube, as it would preserve the sound, be easier to construct, and simplify maintenance (plus it would still have that spike aesthetic). And if you made the bayonet attachment universal, then you could swap it between your weapon and your flute as needed. Win-win. (Also, just imagine schoolchildren learning to play with wood or plastic blades on the ends of their recorders.)
