Resources / Makams / Makam catalog

Makam catalog

Ordered by learning sequence, not alphabetically. Each entry gives the çeşni construction, functional pitches, and whether it is playable on a keyboard.

Conventional karars: rast = G, dügâh = A, segâh = neutral B.

Tier 1 — playable in 12-TET

Start here. These need no microtonal accuracy, so you can check yourself against a piano while intonation settles. Then stop using the piano.

Nihâvend

• Construction: Bûselik beşli on rast (G) + Kürdî dörtlü on nevâ (D)
• Karar: rast (G) · Güçlü: nevâ (D) · Seyir: inici-çıkıcı
• Scale: G A B♭ C D E♭ F G — natural minor
• 12-TET: yes
• Why start here: an enormous amount of Turkish pop, arabesk and film music sits in Nihâvend. Immediate repertoire access.

Kürdî

• Construction: Kürdî dörtlü on dügâh (A) + Bûselik beşli on nevâ (D)
• Karar: dügâh (A) · Güçlü: nevâ (D) · Seyir: çıkıcı
• Scale: A B♭ C D E F G A — Phrygian
• 12-TET: yes
• Note: the flat second is the whole identity. Related family: Kürdilihicazkâr, which is far more common in practice than plain Kürdî.

Hicaz

• Construction: Hicaz dörtlü on dügâh (A) + Rast beşli on nevâ (D)
• Karar: dügâh (A) · Güçlü: nevâ (D) · Seyir: inici-çıkıcı
• Intervals: S A S = 5 + 12 + 5 commas
• Scale (approx): A B♭ C♯ D E F G A
• 12-TET: approximately — the augmented second is the character and it survives equal temperament, though Turkish practice raises the 2nd and lowers the 3rd slightly relative to 12-TET
• The archetype. This is what most people mean by "Middle Eastern sound."

Hicazkâr

• Construction: Zirgüleli Hicaz on rast, descending
• Karar: rast (G) · Seyir: inici
• Scale: G A♭ B C D E♭ F♯ G — augmented second in both tetrachords
• 12-TET: yes
• Also known as: double harmonic, "Byzantine scale," Arabic Hijaz Kar

Nikriz

• Construction: Nikriz beşli on rast (G) + Rast dörtlü on nevâ (D)
• Intervals of the beşli: T S A S = 9 + 5 + 12 + 5
• Karar: rast (G) · Güçlü: nevâ (D) · Seyir: çıkıcı
• Scale: G A B♭ C♯ D E F G
• 12-TET: the lower pentachord yes; the upper Rast tetrachord introduces a neutral degree
• Note: raised 4th over a minor-ish base. Common in Roman dance repertoire.

Çârgâh

• Construction: Çârgâh beşli + Çârgâh dörtlü on çârgâh (C)
• Scale: the major scale
• 12-TET: yes
• Note: theoretically foundational in AEU, rare in actual repertoire. Its character comes entirely from melodic behaviour, not pitch content.

Bûselik

• Construction: Bûselik beşli on dügâh (A) + Kürdî dörtlü on hüseynî (E)
• Karar: dügâh (A) · Güçlü: hüseynî (E) · Yeden: nim zirgüle · Seyir: çıkıcı
• Scale: A B C D E F G A — natural minor / Aeolian
• 12-TET: yes
• Note: same interval pattern as Nihâvend but karar on dügâh. One of the 13 basic makams in Turkish theory.

Kürdilihicazkâr

• Construction: Kürdî dörtlü on rast (G) + Bûselik beşli on çârgâh (C)
• Karar: rast (G) · Güçlü: gerdaniye · Yeden: acem aşiran · Seyir: inici
• Scale: G A♭ B♭ C D E♭ F G — Phrygian
• 12-TET: yes
• Note: transposition of Kürdî to rast. Created by Hacı Arif Bey (1831–1885). Far more common in practice than plain Kürdî.

Acemaşiran

• Construction: Çârgâh beşli on acem aşiran (F) + Çârgâh dörtlü on çârgâh (C)
• Karar: acem aşiran (F) · Güçlü: acem · Yeden: hüseynî aşiran · Seyir: inici
• Scale: F G A B♭ C D E F — equivalent to F major
• 12-TET: yes
• Note: sed (transposition) of Çârgâh makam to the acem aşiran pitch. Descending seyir — melody typically starts from the upper register.

Sultanîyegâh

• Construction: Bûselik beşli on yegâh + Kürdî dörtlü on dügâh (A)
• Karar: yegâh · Güçlü: nevâ · Seyir: inici
• 12-TET: yes
• Note: sed (transposition) of Bûselik makam to the yegâh pitch. Descending seyir.

Ferahfezâ

• Construction: compound — Bûselik beşli on yegâh + Kürdî dörtlü on dügâh (one-octave dizi same as Sultanîyegâh), but the upper register follows Çârgâh/Acemaşiran melodic behaviour Attested
• Karar: yegâh · Güçlü: acem · Seyir: inici
• 12-TET: yes
• Note: the compound nature manifests in the seyir, not the scale. Lower-register cadences follow Bûselik, upper-register phrases follow Çârgâh.

Tier 2 — requires microtones

This is where the fretless instrument becomes necessary.

Uşşak

• Construction: Uşşak dörtlü on dügâh (A) + Bûselik beşli on nevâ (D)
• Intervals: S K T = 5 + 8 + 9 commas
• Karar: dügâh (A) · Güçlü: nevâ (D) · Seyir: çıkıcı
• 12-TET: no. The second degree (segâh perde relative to dügâh) is the defining pitch and has no keyboard equivalent.
• Theory vs practice: AEU places the 2nd at 8 commas (~181 ¢); measured practice is substantially lower. See 03-theory/pitch-systems.md. This makam is the standard example of the theory/practice gap.
• Arabic cousin: Bayati — related but tuned differently.

Hüseynî

• Construction: Hüseynî beşli on dügâh (A) + Uşşak dörtlü on hüseynî (E)
• Intervals of the beşli: S K T T = 5 + 8 + 9 + 9
• Karar: dügâh (A) · Güçlü: hüseynî (E) · Seyir: inici-çıkıcı
• 12-TET: no
• Note: same lowered second as Uşşak, natural sixth. Extremely common in türkü (folk song) repertoire — if you're learning songs, you'll meet this constantly.

Rast

• Construction: Rast beşli on rast (G) + Rast dörtlü on nevâ (D)
• Intervals: T K S T = 9 + 8 + 5 + 9
• Karar: rast (G) · Güçlü: nevâ (D) · Seyir: çıkıcı
• 12-TET: no. Third (segâh, 17 commas ≈ 385 ¢) and seventh (eviç, 48 commas ≈ 1087 ¢) are both neutral.
• Direction-dependent: the seventh is eviç ascending, frequently acem (natural F) descending. Store ascending and descending scales separately.
• Status: the reference makam of the whole system. Everything is measured from it.

Segâh

• Karar: the segâh perde itself — a neutral pitch
• 12-TET: no, and not even approximately
• Difficulty: conceptually the hardest for Western-trained players, because the tonic is a pitch that doesn't exist on a keyboard. There's nothing to anchor to except your ear.
• Arabic cousin: Sikah

Hüzzam

• Karar: segâh perde
• Construction: Hüzzam üçlü + Hicaz dörtlü Attested
• 12-TET: no
• Note: one of the most beloved makams in Ottoman repertoire. Melancholic register. Learn after Segâh.

Saba

Established Arabic-tradition makam with no clean Turkish equivalent in the tetrachord scheme.

• Distinguishing feature: the fourth degree is lowered, so the jins does not span a perfect fourth
• 12-TET: no
• Character: destabilised, unresolved, strongly associated with lament
• Note: deserves its own study module. The absence of a stable fourth breaks the assumptions every other makam relies on.

Karcığar

Established One of the 13 basic Turkish makams, extremely common in Roman and folk repertoire.

• Construction: Uşşak dörtlü on dügâh (A) + Hicaz beşli on nevâ (D)
• Intervals: S K T + S A S T = 5 + 8 + 9 + 5 + 12 + 5 + 9
• Karar: dügâh (A) · Güçlü: nevâ (D) · Yeden: rast · Seyir: inici-çıkıcı
• 12-TET: no — the lower Uşşak dörtlü carries the neutral second
• Note: the upper Hicaz beşli gives a distinctive augmented second above the güçlü, contrasting with the neutral interval below. Learn early if Roman or folk repertoire is a priority.

Muhayyer

• Construction: Hüseynî beşli on dügâh (A) + Uşşak dörtlü on hüseynî (E)
• Karar: dügâh (A) · Güçlü: muhayyer · Yeden: rast · Seyir: inici
• 12-TET: no
• Note: scale identical to Hüseynî — the difference is entirely seyir. Muhayyer is inici (descending): the melody starts from the muhayyer perde (upper octave) and works downward. A clear demonstration that makam is more than scale.

Sûzinâk

• Construction: Rast beşli on rast (G) + Hicaz dörtlü on nevâ (D)
• Karar: rast (G) · Güçlü: nevâ (D) · Yeden: ırak · Seyir: inici-çıkıcı
• 12-TET: no — shares Rast's neutral third
• Note: the lower Rast beşli gives neutral intervals while the upper Hicaz dörtlü adds an augmented second. A makam of considerable beauty in classical repertoire.

Nişâburek

• Construction: Rast beşli on dügâh (A) + Rast dörtlü on hüseynî (E)
• Karar: dügâh (A) · Güçlü: hüseynî (E) · Yeden: nim zirgüle · Seyir: inici-çıkıcı
• 12-TET: no — same neutral intervals as Rast
• Note: sed (transposition) of Rast makam to the dügâh pitch. Same ascending interval pattern as Rast but centred on dügâh.

Evcârâ

• Construction: Hicaz beşli on ırak + Hicaz dörtlü on nim hicaz Attested
• Karar: ırak · Güçlü: nim hicaz · Yeden: acem aşiran · Seyir: inici
• 12-TET: no
• Note: theoretically a sed of Zirgüleli Hicaz to the ırak pitch. The ırak karar is unusual — most makams sit on rast or dügâh. Rare in modern performance.

Şehnaz

• Construction: Hicaz beşli on dügâh (A) + Hicaz dörtlü on hüseynî (E) Attested
• Karar: dügâh (A) · Güçlü: hüseynî (E) · Seyir: inici
• 12-TET: no
• Note: compound makam combining Hicaz-family elements. Same interval pattern as Hicazkâr / Zirgüleli Hicaz but from dügâh. The compound nature lies in the seyir: multiple modulations through Hicaz, Uzzâl, and Hümâyun colourings at various cadence points.

Bestenigâr

Uncertain Extremely rare compound makam — no surviving compositional examples are known.

• Construction: Uşşak dörtlü on dügâh (A) + Rast beşli on nevâ (D)
• Karar: dügâh (A) · Güçlü: nevâ (D) · Seyir: inici-çıkıcı
• 12-TET: no
• Caution: the construction above is a best-effort reconstruction from limited sources (Turkish Music Portal). Multiple conflicting descriptions exist; some sources place the karar on ırak instead. Do not treat this entry as authoritative.

The Hicaz family — a worked example

Four makams sharing a lower çeşni. This demonstrates why çeşni matter more than scales.

Outside the tradition these are all called "the Hicaz scale." Inside it they're four different pieces of music.

Suggested study order

1. Nihâvend / Bûselik — natural minor, immediate repertoire, no microtones
2. Kürdî / Kürdilihicazkâr — Phrygian family
3. Hicaz / Hicazkâr — the archetypal sound, augmented seconds
4. Nikriz — introduces a neutral degree gently
5. Çârgâh / Acemaşiran — major-scale family
6. Sultanîyegâh / Ferahfezâ — 12-TET transpositions, descending seyir
7. Hüseynî / Muhayyer — first real microtonal commitment; same scale, different seyir demonstrates makam-as-more-than-scale
8. Karcığar — extremely common in Roman and folk repertoire
9. Uşşak / Nişâburek — the theory/practice gap made audible, plus Rast transposed
10. Rast / Sûzinâk — the reference makam, two neutral degrees, direction-dependent
11. Segâh / Hüzzam — neutral karar
12. Evcârâ / Şehnaz — compound Hicaz-family relatives
13. Saba — the outlier
14. Bestenigâr — historical curiosity, uncertain construction

Coverage and future additions

This catalog now covers 24 makams across two tiers. Turkish theory names several hundred, of which perhaps 50–80 are in active use. Notable makams not yet included: Uzzâl, Hümâyun, Zirgüleli Hicaz, Beyâtî Arabân, Tahir, Sabâ Zemzeme, Yegâh, Isfahan, Arazbar, and others from the compound and transposition families.

Sources

• Murat Aydemir, Turkish Music Makam Guide (Istanbul: Pan Yayıncılık, 2010) — makam-by-makam construction, karar/güçlü, and seyir; primary reference for Kürdilihicazkâr, Sultanîyegâh, Muhayyer, Sûzinâk, Nişâburek, and several of the original twelve
• Karl Signell, Makam: Modal Practice in Turkish Art Music (Seattle: Asian Music Publications, 1977; repr. Da Capo Press) — individual makam descriptions and AEU theoretical grounding; primary reference for Bûselik, Acemaşiran, Karcığar
• Johnny Farraj and Sami Abu Shumays, Inside Arabic Music: Arabic Maqam Performance and Theory in the 20th Century (Oxford University Press, 2019) — Saba and the Arabic-tradition cousins referenced throughout (Bayati/Uşşak, Sikah/Segâh)
• TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi (online, islamansiklopedisi.org.tr) — encyclopaedic entries on Şehnaz, Ferahfezâ, and cross-references for compound makams
• İTÜ TMDK / Turkish conservatory materials — Evcârâ construction and perdeler verification
• Turkish Music Portal (turkishmusicportal.org) — Bestenigâr entry (limited data; the sole available source for this near-extinct makam)