: Which specific terms could be used to search for music without beats / percussions / drums? From what I can gather, most music besides some specific genres is based on top of a background beat layer. I happen to be one of

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I don't know of a specific term for "absence of percussion music", but there certainly are some genres which are known to avoid the use of percussive instruments and of any pronouced beat, in very different styles.

Try ambient music, a genre I believe was created or at least much codified by Brian Eno's album "ambient music for airports"

For even less notes you can look for drone music, wich is based on a single note and modulations of the timbre (mostly synthesisers)

(sorry, most of what i find on youtube is "for relaxation..." but I believe drone music is a genre in itself)

another path could be some traditionnal musics, for example maqams, which have obviously underlying rythm but insist more on the feel of the scale. Here is one of my favorite albums :

If you like the last example, you need to check this youtube channel : www.youtube.com/channel/UChFYEy5Ni_3WC7pf8QWT7IQ Other traditional styles wich seem "rythmless" include Indian Ragas, most Japanese Sakuhachi pieces, and many other I don't know of yet

There are plenty of music genres around the world which have a "secondary" relation towards rythm, these are only a few.
Hope I got your question right