Mike's Oud Forums

Maqamat in sheet music

Ajina - 4-12-2018 at 03:46 AM

Hi all,

I am learning to play middle eastern music, but on a keyboard not on an oud.
This forum is one of the best I have seen regarding discussions about maqamat and so I am posting my question here – I hope I have explained myself clearly enough.

At the moment I am learning to play songs through sheet music. In the future I hope that I can start to pick things out by ear, though that may yet be some time away.

My question is regarding the ascending and descending forms of maqamat in sheet music. How do I determine whether any particular note is ascending or descending?

The sheet music I am currently using seems to be simplified for western learners. For example D Hijaz listed as D Eb F# G A Bb C D, rather than D Eb F# G A B-(b) C D as noted by both Turath and Maqamworld.

So therefore I am wanting to know how to modify the scores, so that if any maqam in a song I am learning actually has ascending and descending pathways, I can note this correctly in the music score.

Is someone able to assist me?

Regards

John Erlich - 4-12-2018 at 06:10 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Ajina  
Hi all,

I am learning to play middle eastern music, but on a keyboard not on an oud.
This forum is one of the best I have seen regarding discussions about maqamat and so I am posting my question here – I hope I have explained myself clearly enough.

At the moment I am learning to play songs through sheet music. In the future I hope that I can start to pick things out by ear, though that may yet be some time away.

My question is regarding the ascending and descending forms of maqamat in sheet music. How do I determine whether any particular note is ascending or descending?

The sheet music I am currently using seems to be simplified for western learners. For example D Hijaz listed as D Eb F# G A Bb C D, rather than D Eb F# G A B-(b) C D as noted by both Turath and Maqamworld.

So therefore I am wanting to know how to modify the scores, so that if any maqam in a song I am learning actually has ascending and descending pathways, I can note this correctly in the music score.

Is someone able to assist me?

Regards


If I am understanding your question correctly, the answer is that you can't really go though a Westernized Arabic/Turkish/Persian music score and "correct" it, adding the microtones "back," unless you already know the song well. Maqamat that have notes that change depending on whether the melody is ascending or descending exhibit that trait as a tendency, not a hard-and-fast rule. [MORE LEARNED FORUM MEMBERS PLEASE CORRECT ME IF YOU BELIEVE I'M WRONG.] A better solution, if you are ready (and equipped) to deal with microtones, is to find un-Westernized scores of the pieces you wish to learn.

Many Forum members have extensive collections of music scores. What is your primary style? Do you have a list of songs with microtones that you wish to play?

All the best,
"Udi" John

Ajina - 4-14-2018 at 12:57 AM

Hi all,

John - Thanks for the reminder that I can’t just assume that the ascending and descending pathways are rules. Are you also suggesting the ascending and descending pathways can vary within a maqam in one tune, let alone comparing one tune to another?

I did some more hunting around in western music theory and it seems to be that: “When the second note of an interval is higher than the first note the interval is an ascending interval. If the second note is lower the interval is a descending interval.”

Does this also apply to middle eastern music written in western sheet music?

I am a middle eastern style dancer and originally got my keyboard to help me understand and hear maqamat as none of the learn maqam cds for dancers did anything for me. I have to play it myself to start to be able to hear and understand. My primary music style is music for middle eastern dance, as I am a dancer that has gotten entranced by the beauty of ME music.

I am focusing on working my way through Carmine T. Guida’s free sheet music of “Hafla Songs”. At this stage, I haven’t been able to work out whether the ascending or descending pathways have been utilised or not.

I could make a listing of the songs in the book, in case anyone does have “traditional” scores that indicate if the pathways are used in the songs.

I also have the “Arabic Music and Songbook”, but most of the notes and comments are all in Arabic, so not much help to me at the moment.

Thanks for any help

Regards

John Erlich - 4-14-2018 at 10:52 AM

Hi,

I went back and looked at the the Carmine Guida/Amy Krueger "Hafla Songs" collection. The songs employing microtones (only a couple) are not notated as such, though there is a reminder note to that effect.

The other book you mention (this one?: http://www.maqam.com/Arabic-Music-Song-Book-Content-W20.html) I heard of, but never seen before. The songs all look like well-known material that is generally available.

Why don't you go ahead and start by posting a list of a few songs to start?

Best,
"Udi" John

John Erlich - 4-14-2018 at 10:53 AM

As far as understanding Arabic maqam in general, have you seen this book: https://www.amazon.com/Maqam-Book-Doorway-Scales-Modes/dp/965505053X ?

Ajina - 4-15-2018 at 12:26 AM

Hi John,

I emailed Carmine direct to ask his opinion (which I really should have done first), and he stated that the scores are correct and that the maqam is only listed as a basic reference.

So, at this stage, I don’t actually need to assess the sheet music I am currently working on.

But I am still curious about the ascending and descending aspects of maqamat. Are there reasons for why any particular song would include different ajnas when going up or down? Is it dependent on how a musician is feeling at the time? Or the emotional content intended for the tune? Is there a regional or cultural component? Are there any, even vague guidelines or is it entirely up to the composer or the improvising musicican?

I have been looking at maqamat books for a while, but been unable to decide which books are my best investment. The David Muallem book looks interesting - I like the fact that it described as a textbook that can be used for self study.

The only books with maqamat I have are: Cameron Powers “Arabic Musical Scales”, and Egyptian Music Appreciation by George Dimitri Sawa.

Thanks for your help.

Regards

JassimbinMater - 4-15-2018 at 03:35 AM

Hi,

For reading the music you should probably disregard the ascent/descent dynamic of the maqam, and stick with the written accidentals as the piece is written according to western staff notation.

The difference in the ascent/descent of maqamat is a guide to how the maqam should feel. If you want to add embellishments to the song, improvise, or write music in the maqam, then this dynamic becomes more significant.

The reason behind this is that arabic music originally relied on "modes" which are based on the "feel" of the music. Thus you could have many modes in the same key signature. To illustrate the modes, composers would provide a small excerpt of music in that mode.

The Andalusi/Maalouf music of North Africa of based on the modal system, where there is a mode for each hour of the day.

Over time Arabic music theory has moved toward more formalised maqamat, more and more analogous to western scales. Some people no longer teach the maqamat as different ascending and descending, preferring to have it act the same as a western scale.

"D Hijaz listed as D Eb F# G A Bb C D, rather than D Eb F# G A B-(b) C D as noted by both Turath and Maqamworld"

Maqam world lists D Hijaz as having the B -(b)- ascending and the Bb descending. I'm assuming that your key signature indicates E and B as flat, and F#. If there is a B -(b)- it should be indicated by an accidental. In my experience the B -(b)- in maqam hijaz is not rare, but not exactly common either.

I haven't much formal education in maqamat but I've read quite a bit about it and this is my understanding. Please correct me if I'm wrong anyone.

Hope it helps.

John Erlich - 4-15-2018 at 08:47 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Ajina  

But I am still curious about the ascending and descending aspects of maqamat. Are there reasons for why any particular song would include different ajnas when going up or down? Is it dependent on how a musician is feeling at the time? Or the emotional content intended for the tune? Is there a regional or cultural component? Are there any, even vague guidelines or is it entirely up to the composer or the improvising musicican?


For maqamat with notes differing between ascending and descending (Rast, Bayati, Hejaz, etc.), my best sense is that the use of the raised or lowered pitch is dictated by the melodic needs of the song/taqsim and preferences of the performer. Tendencies are not hard-and-fast rules. For example, when I playing a taqsim in Rast on C (Do), I use the Bhalfb 6th degree to "lead" the listener's ear up to the high C (root tone), and the Bb 6th degree when I want to emphasize the descending nature of the passage I'm playing, especially when the passage ends back on the lower C root. Does that make sense?