Turkish Makam
Makam Hüseynî on guitar
Also written Hüseynî Makamı, Huseyni, Hüseyni
A Hüseynî pentachord on Dügâh with an Uşşak tetrachord on Hüseynî. It shares its notes with Uşşak; what sets it apart is that the güçlü is Hüseynî, a fifth above the karar, and the melody starts up there.
- Karar: Dügâh (A)
- Güçlü: Hüseynî (E)
- Seyir: inici-çıkıcı
Karar Güçlü Between the frets Tap any note to hear it at its exact pitch.
The notes, one by one
Intervals are counted in Holdrian commas, 53 to the octave (about 22.6 cents each), as in Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek theory. Performance practice differs from the theory in places. Pitches are given in cents above the karar; a fretted semitone is 100 cents.
| # | Note | Perde | Above the karar | On a standard guitar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Karar | Dügâh | 0.0¢ | On the fret |
| 2 | B −19¢ | Segâh | 181.1¢ | Nearest fret; the real pitch is 19¢ lower |
| 3 | C | Çargâh | 294.3¢ | On the fret |
| 4 | D | Neva | 498.1¢ | On the fret |
| 5 | E Güçlü | Hüseynî | 701.9¢ | On the fret |
| 6 | F# −17¢ | Eviç | 883.0¢ | Nearest fret; the real pitch is 17¢ lower |
| 7 | G | Gerdaniye | 996.2¢ | On the fret |
Çeşniler
A makam is built from small units of three to five notes, each with its own colour. These are the units of Makam Hüseynî.
-
Hüseynî beşlisi
On Dügâh (A), 5 notes
A · B −19¢ · C · D · E
-
Uşşak dörtlüsü
On Hüseynî (E), 4 notes
E · F# −17¢ · G · A
Second form: İnici: Acemli Hüseynî
On the way down Acem replaces Eviç, so a Kürdî tetrachord sits on Hüseynî instead of the Uşşak one.
A · B −19¢ · C · D · E · F · G
- Hüseynî beşlisi: A · B −19¢ · C · D · E
- Kürdî dörtlüsü: E · F · G · A
Seyir
Descending-ascending (inici-çıkıcı): it starts around the güçlü, Hüseynî.
- Begins around the güçlü, Hüseynî.
- Makes a half cadence on Hüseynî with the Uşşak flavour.
- Coming down with Acem, rests on Çargâh, the most characteristic suspended cadence of the makam.
- After the other suspended cadences, closes on Dügâh with the Hüseynî flavour.
Asma kararlar
- Çargâh: Çargâh, reached from above through Acem
- Segâh: Segâh or Ferahnâk
- Neva: Rast or Buselik
Example phrase
Starts on the güçlü, Hüseynî, shows the Uşşak flavour above it, comes down through Acem to rest on Çargâh, and closes on Dügâh from Rast, the leading tone below.
A short outline written for Fretwise that follows the seyir above. It is not a quotation from the repertoire. Press “Play the phrase” on the neck to hear it.
Sources
- Hüseynî (TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 19) · İsmail Hakkı Özkan · 1999
Tuning convention: Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek. Intervals are written as in the source; practice varies by region and player.
How to play maqam on a standard guitar: when to bend, when to use the nearest fret
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise Makam Hüseynî anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
