Maqam Kurd on guitar

The notes, one by one

Steps are counted in equal quarter tones of 50 cents, the usual written convention for Arabic maqam. Real intonation shifts with region, maqam and player. Pitches are given in cents above the tonic; a fretted semitone is 100 cents.

Ajnas

A maqam is built from small units of three to five notes, each with its own colour. These are the units of Maqam Kurd.

• Jins Kurd

  On D, 4 notes

  D · E♭ · F · G

• Jins Nahawand

  On G, 5 notes

  G · A · B♭ · C · D

Sayr

Jins Kurd on the tonic, then Jins Nahawand from the ghammaz, G, up to the octave.

1. Jins Kurd establishes the maqam around the tonic, D, with the half step right above it.
2. At the ghammaz, G, the melody passes into Jins Nahawand.
3. Jins Nahawand carries it up to the octave D.

Example phrase

Climbs Jins Kurd to rest on the ghammaz, G, falls back to the tonic, visits Jins Nahawand above, then settles on the tonic.

A short outline written for Fretwise that follows the sayr above. It is not a quotation from the repertoire. Press “Play the phrase” on the neck to hear it.

Sources

• MaqamWorld: Maqam Kurd

Tuning convention: 24-tone equal temperament. Intervals are written as in the source; practice varies by region and player.