Mike's Oud Forums

Help identifying Maqam(s) from the Orient

ZachFuzzy - 5-31-2014 at 08:10 PM

Hi everybody, I play in an Chinese Orchestra in the bowed strings section. Playing Erhu (Chinese 2-stringed fiddle) and the likes. While searching the net on related music I stumbled upon these 3 great works which seems to me written with influences from the Middle East. I hope to know the Maqam names if there is any for the 2 links below. They might be of the same Maqam. It picking up trend in Chinese music composition. :airguitar:

Gaohu (Chinese Soprano Fiddle) - by Ngai Kwun Wa

Yangqin Solo - Chinese Dulcimer

This last link is a mix.

Glimpse of Taklamagan

Lysander - 6-1-2014 at 03:04 AM

Second one sounds like it's hicaz on G. Bear in mind that a makam is not just a scale but a way of playing that scale [some people will also dispute the use of the word 'scale'].

The Dulcimer solo only borrows hicaz influences and a lot of the time strays outside of it into other areas.

Not sure about the first clip.

Jack_Campin - 6-2-2014 at 01:09 PM

Doesn't the first one start in Hungarian minor?

Lysander - 6-2-2014 at 01:21 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Jack_Campin  
Doesn't the first one start in Hungarian minor?


Which is Nawa Athar, I think, or Turkish neveser makam.

ZachFuzzy - 6-2-2014 at 05:02 PM

Im only familiar with Nahawand and Rast because all the years playing guitar, Chinese fiddles and their lutes. Other than their fiddles, the other lute and the guitar only allows for semitones. Just recently got an actual oud to play with. Recent years the Chinese orchestra scene slowly favours the above style of composition with is very unconventional to any Chinese styles. Much Uyghur taste I guesd.

Jody Stecher - 6-2-2014 at 07:38 PM

Quote: Originally posted by ZachFuzzy  
Im only familiar with Nahawand and Rast because all the years playing guitar, Chinese fiddles and their lutes. Other than their fiddles, the other lute and the guitar only allows for semitones. Just recently got an actual oud to play with. Recent years the Chinese orchestra scene slowly favours the above style of composition with is very unconventional to any Chinese styles. Much Uyghur taste I guesd.


A normally fretted guitar won't play Rast from any position unless the frets are moved so that at least one pair of frets are 3/4 of a step apart from each other….more or less. The varieties of Arabic Rast all contain pitches well between the guitar frets. Turkish Rast may seem to be major when listening casually — I thought so myself at first — but try playing along with a recording of Turkish Rast and you'll quickly find that what seemed to be a major third is lower than the guitar fret "wants it to be".

You can almost get by playing Nahawand with guitar but you'll still be a bit off. Play along with a recording. You'll see.

Anyway Xinjiang and Uygher music has its own modal maqam systems , more aligned with Tajik and Uzbek music than with the middle east, but not identical to any of these. The systems vary according to locale and context and some seem to have connections with early Persian pre-Radif music as well.

ZachFuzzy - 6-22-2014 at 05:32 AM

Here is something for those who plays Duduk, again from the Orient view :airguitar:

Guanzi - cousin to the Duduk