Mike's Oud Forums

makams tahir and muhayyer

Masel - 8-28-2009 at 06:45 AM

i am trying to understand the difference between these two makams.

as far as i know, both are descending makams that share the same husseini scale, and make a rest on husseini note (as opposed to makam neva which rests on the note neva). so what is it that makes tahir and muhayyer two different makams?

PeppeOud - 8-29-2009 at 05:36 AM

Basically Tahir has a more similar seyir to Neva instead of Husseyni, but descending as you said.

Muhayyer : Huseyni = Tahir : Neva

So is not correct to make a rest on husseyni (mi) while playing Tahir, you've to play "around" neva note like rast from neva.
"theoretically" the two makams have a different composition:

Muhayyer is, like Husseyni composed by an Huseyni pentachord from dugah and an Ussak tetrachord from husseyni.

Tahir is, like Neva, composed by an Ussak tetrachord from Dugah and a Rast pentachord from Neva.

As you will know, each tetrachord/pentachord brings with him certain melodic movements so by the composition of Tahir makam you will easily understand how Huseyni is a less important note than Neva in his seyir.

Edward Powell - 8-29-2009 at 03:42 PM

where the confusion comes is that an ussak tetrachord + rast pentachord are the same NOTES as huseini pentachord + ussak tetrachord. The point being that "huseini PENTACHORD" could also probably be called and ussak pentrachord --- in terms strictly just of the notes (not the dominants)


Masel - 8-29-2009 at 05:09 PM

ok i know the pentachords, i probably misheard or something about tahir being husseini + ussak not ussak + rast. thanks