Mike's Oud Forums

Maqam Mastery Program

majnuunNavid - 3-14-2014 at 09:10 PM

I just wanted to share our new concept for a new program we are hoping you launch in June. If we have enough support, then we will continue developing it. Please find all the details here.

http://www.oudforguitarists.com/maqam-mastery/

best regards to all Oud music lovers!

Lysander - 3-15-2014 at 04:19 AM

This is exactly what I've been looking for. Two main points ring true from the description video:

“I am not familiar with the musical culture and tradition, not growing up with the music, to interpret and play authentically” but especially “it's hard to hear what’s happening in a taqsim.” This last point is very important since so often I hear a taqsim but I can't work out how the hell the player is structuring it. Seeing as I start my ethnomusicology degree in September, I'm hoping this will give me a good headstart.

I'm in, early bird package purchased.

Question: would you be looking at both the Turkish and Arabic styles?

majnuunNavid - 3-15-2014 at 08:53 PM

Thanks Lysander! We will work very hard on this program.

I will focus more on Arabic, and give what I hope will be a comprehensive list and general synopses of Turkish Maqamlar in a reference guide.

Please let me know if there is anything you're interested in and I'll take that into account as much as possible.

Lysander - 3-16-2014 at 04:01 PM

Quote: Originally posted by majnuunNavid  
Please let me know if there is anything you're interested in and I'll take that into account as much as possible.


I play Turkish but I know there is a lot to learn from a course like this. It is very important theory. Maybe take into account that there will be Turkish players and spend a little time focusing on what are the main differences between the Arabic and Turkish theories and styles for maq/kam construction. So you could take Rast, for instance, and say how it is split into different compounds through Arabic and Turkish eyes [seeing as the 'gammaz' is different for each], and how one might begin seeing the differences between the taksim styles.

Brian Prunka - 3-16-2014 at 08:09 PM

Is the ghammaz considered different in Turkish Rast? Don't the Turkish musicians call it güçlü or something like that? This is the first I've heard that suggested . . . the intonation is different, of course, but my understanding was that the dominant was the same.

Lysander - 3-17-2014 at 01:55 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Brian Prunka  
Is the ghammaz considered different in Turkish Rast? Don't the Turkish musicians call it güçlü or something like that? This is the first I've heard that suggested . . . the intonation is different, of course, but my understanding was that the dominant was the same.


Well, I am an amateur still so I do make mistakes! I was looking for the Turkish word for it but wasn't sure. Sometimes the Turkish sees differences between whether it uses tetras or penta [eg Hicaz uses Rast penta rather than Rast tetra for the second chord because Turkish makamlar always split a makam into one tetra and one penta, so there are no 'orphan' notes] and things like this made me think that the gammaz was different. But maybe the dominant is the same for each and the length of the chords threw me off.

Brian Prunka - 3-17-2014 at 06:40 AM

I see, not everyone agrees on the size of the jins. But everyone agrees that the second jins starts on the 5th, which is the ghammaz.

Making Hijaz a pentachord, other than over-complicating things (how is Karjighar explained then?) is unnecessary since the ghammaz of Hijaz is the fourth and the the ajnas would be conjunct anyway.

There are some variants of hijaz where the ghammaz is the 5th, which shows that the size of the jins is arbitrary and not indicative of the position of the ghammaz.