Traditions

Turkish Makam

Cesni, perde, seyir, and the modal framework of Ottoman court and modern Turkish music.

01Acemaşiran Makamı: The Çârgâh Scale in the Low RegisterA guide to Acemaşiran, one of the oldest continuously performed makams — a transposition of Çârgâh to the acemaşiran perde, sharing the intervals of the Western major scale yet sounding nothing like its parent.
02Rast Makamı: Structure, Seyir, and PracticeA guide to Rast, the foundational Turkish makam — its interval structure in Holdrian commas, characteristic seyir, and role in the makam system.
03Segâh Makamı: The Makam of the Neutral ThirdA guide to Segâh, a Turkish makam whose karar rests on a neutral pitch — its microtonal structure in Holdrian commas, Sufi associations, and relationship to Persian Dastgâh-e Segâh.
04Çârgâh Makamı: The Major Scale of Turkish TheoryA guide to Çârgâh, the foundational scale of the Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek system — its Pythagorean interval structure, pedagogical role, and the gap between its theoretical prominence and its scarcity in the classical repertoire.
05Çeşni and Ajnas: The Building Blocks of MakamTurkish çeşni and Arabic ajnas — the tetrachords and pentachords makams are built from, not the scales themselves. How they combine, and why it matters.
06Hüzzam Makamı: The Makam of Profound MelancholyA guide to Hüzzam, a Turkish makam of searing emotional intensity — its twin augmented seconds, predominantly descending seyir, and deep roots in Ottoman devotional and court music.
07Simple, Transposed, and Compound MakamsHow Turkish makam theory classifies its hundreds of makams into three structural categories — basit, şed, and bileşik — and why the distinction matters for learning the system.
08Uşşak Makamı: Structure, Seyir, and the Theory/Practice GapA guide to Uşşak, the second foundational Turkish makam — its neutral second degree, functional pitches, seyir, and the documented gap between AEU theory and measured performance.
09Büselik Makamı: The Ascending Minor on DügahA guide to Büselik, the Turkish makam that shares Nihavend's interval pattern but rests on Dügah — same natural minor intervals, ascending seyir, and why it matters despite a small dedicated repertoire.
10Turkish Classical Forms: Peşrev, Saz Semaisi, Beste, and ŞarkıThe named composition forms of Ottoman/Turkish classical music — their structure, usul associations, and place within the fasıl suite — from the instrumental peşrev to the strophic şarkı that dominates the modern repertoire.
11Hicaz Makamı: The Augmented Second and the Sound of the Eastern MediterraneanA guide to Hicaz, the archetypal 'Middle Eastern' makam — its characteristic augmented second, cesni construction, seyir, the four-makam Hicaz family, and its relationship to Arabic Maqam Hijaz.
12Hüseyni Makamı: Structure, Seyir, and Why Makam Is Not ScaleA guide to Hüseyni, the makam that shares its scale with Muhayyer yet sounds entirely different — demonstrating why seyir, not scale, defines a makam.
13Kurdi Makami: The Flat Second and the Cesni It BuiltA guide to Kurdi, the Turkish makam built on the Kurdi cesni — its ascending seyir, its mirror relationship with Nihavend, its Phrygian resemblance, and why the flat second degree defines an entire family of makams.
14Nihavend Makamı: Structure, Seyir, and the Western Minor QuestionA guide to Nihavend, the Turkish makam most often compared to Western minor — its cesni construction, seyir, functional pitches, and why the resemblance is both real and misleading.
15Perde: The Named Pitch Positions of Turkish MakamThe complete perde system — the named pitch positions that define Turkish makam music, their Holdrian comma values, Persian-derived names, and the gap between theoretical positions and performed intonation.
16Saba Makamı: The Mode That Breaks the SystemA guide to Saba, the Turkish makam whose lower tetrachord spans less than a perfect fourth — its unique interval structure, mutable pitches, seyir, and the classification debate it provokes.
17Seyir: Melodic Direction and Pitch Hierarchy in Turkish MakamWhat makes a makam more than a scale — the concept of seyir (melodic path), its three directional types, the functional pitch hierarchy that governs it, and how to hear it in practice.
18Hicazkâr Makamı: The Double Harmonic Scale of Ottoman Classical MusicA guide to Hicazkâr — the makam of two augmented seconds, its çeşni construction from paired Hicaz intervals, relationship to the Byzantine/double harmonic major scale, and the dominant Kürdîlihicazkâr variant created by Hacı Arif Bey.
19Karcığar Makamı: Where Uşşak Meets HicazA guide to Karcığar, the makam that pairs Uşşak's neutral lower register with a Hicaz augmented second above — its construction, seyir, functional pitches, and deep roots in Turkish folk and Romani music traditions.
20Geçki: Modulation Between MakamsHow Turkish classical musicians move between makams — the concept of geçki (modulation), shared çeşni as pivot points, the difference between coloring and full modulation, common modulation paths, and how to hear geçki in performance.
21Muhayyer Makamı: Same Scale as Hüseyni, Different Musical WorldA guide to Muhayyer, the descending makam that shares every pitch with Hüseyni yet creates an entirely different sound — the ultimate proof that Turkish makam is defined by seyir, not scale.
22Sultanîyegâh Makamı: Büselik in the Deepest RegisterA guide to Sultanîyegâh, the şed (transposition) of Büselik to the lowest standard perde — its deep-register character, descending seyir, çeşni construction, and place in the Büselik transposition family.
23Uzzal Makamı: The Hicaz Family's Warm InteriorA guide to Uzzal, the Hicaz family makam that pairs the augmented second with Uşşak's neutral warmth — its çeşni construction, seyir, what distinguishes it from Hicaz, Hümâyûn, and Zirgüleli Hicaz, and its place in the Ottoman repertoire.
24Kurdilihicazkar Makami: The Compound Mode That Defined Ottoman SongA guide to Kurdilihicazkar, the compound makam created by Haci Arif Bey from a Kurdi dortlu and Buselik besli on rast. Its descending seyir, relationship to both Kurdi and Hicazkar, and its dominance in the late Ottoman sarki repertoire.
25Suzinak Makami: Where Rast Meets the Augmented SecondA guide to Suzinak, the makam that pairs Rast's neutral warmth with Hicaz's augmented tension -- its cesni construction, rich asma kadars, relationship to Rast, the basit and zirguleli varieties, and key repertoire.
26Şed and Göçürme: Transposition in Turkish MakamHow transposition works in the makam system — why moving a makam to a different tonic is not the same as Western transposition, the 15 şed makams, and what changes (and what does not) when intervals shift to new perdeler.
27Nikriz Makamı: The Augmented Second in the MiddleA guide to Nikriz makamı — its mid-pentachord augmented second, the structural relationship to Hicaz, çeşni construction, seyir, and the commonly confused comparison with the double harmonic minor scale.
28Makam FerahfezâA compound makam combining Buselik and Hicaz elements with a characteristically expansive, joyful seyir — one of the most celebrated makams of the late Ottoman repertoire.
29Makam NişabürekA rare compound makam combining Rast and Uşşak elements on a Rast karar — historically documented but seldom performed, representing the theoretical depth of the makam system beyond its common repertoire.
30Makam EvcârâA compound makam built on a Rast karar with Segâh and Hicaz elements — rare in modern performance but theoretically significant as an example of the makam system's combinatorial depth.
31Fasıl: The Suite Form of Turkish Classical MusicAn introduction to the fasıl, the multi-movement suite that is the central performance format of Ottoman and Turkish classical music — its standard movement order from taksim to saz semaisi, the role of usul in each section, the ensemble, historical practice versus modern adaptations, and the fasıl's relationship to Arabic wasla and North African nuba.
32Makam ŞehnazA compound makam combining Buselik and Hicaz elements on a Buselik karar — characterized by its dramatic seyir and prominent augmented second, closely related to Hicazkâr.
33Makam Zirgüleli HicazA compound makam featuring two augmented seconds — one in the lower Zirgüle tetrachord and one in the upper Hicaz — creating a distinctive, intensely chromatic character rare among Turkish makams.
34Makam HümâyunA compound makam combining Hicaz and Buselik elements with an inici seyir — one of the most emotionally complex makams, moving from the dramatic tension of Hicaz to the gentle resolution of Buselik.
35Makam MahurThe şed (transposed) makam that brings Çargâh's major-scale character to the Rast register — functionally the closest thing Turkish music has to a Western major key, yet distinct in seyir and ornamentation.
36Makam IsfahanA compound makam combining Uşşak and Buselik elements with an inici-çıkıcı seyir — named for the Persian city and characterized by a gentle, contemplative quality.
37Makam Acem KürdîA transposed makam that places Kürdî's minor character at the Acem perde — combining the familiar Kürdî tetrachord with a lower-register starting point that deepens its melancholic quality.
38Makam Bayatî ArabanA compound makam combining Uşşak and Hicaz elements on an Aşiran karar — the deepest-register common makam, with a character of solemn gravity.
39Makam PencgâhA compound makam combining Çargâh and Rast elements on a Rast karar — bright, celebratory, and structurally transparent, with a character that draws on both major-mode clarity and Rast warmth.