Meursault - 7-9-2007 at 10:43 AM
Are there passing tones in maqams, or are you supposed to stick to the notes in the maqam? I'm assuming there are passing tones in taksims, right?
Excuse my ignorance.
damascene_oud - 7-9-2007 at 01:34 PM
I'm not sure i understood what you are trying to say.
Did you mean by Passing Tones notes that can shift you from one maqam to another without making a huge gap?
If that's what you mean, then yes there is in Arabic Music what is known as "tasweer" which is a note on which you can change from one maqam to a
completely different one without creating an acoustic gap or a shocking drastic change to the hearer.
Those notes differ from one maqam to the other, depending on the nature of maqam and scale you play in on and it's integration with other maqams.
I'm not sure if i was of any help to you, but i hope i was 
adamgood - 7-9-2007 at 02:55 PM
I think you mean like, passing tones as in Jazz? chromatic passing notes or notes outside of the basic scale?
Sure you can find this in taksims or composed pieces.
Meursault - 7-9-2007 at 03:52 PM
By passing tones I mean notes not in the scale (or maqam) - usually a chromatic note that takes you from one note in the scale to another.
MatthewW - 7-10-2007 at 12:07 AM
From what I understand, there are no passing notes in maqams the same way they are found in jazz or rock or blues, but they are found in taqsims, if
this is what you mean by passing tones. maqams are sort of 'fixed' sets of notes, and each maqam can be then broken down into two smaller units,
'upper' and 'lower' jins, or sets of 3, 4 or 5 notes ( tri/tetra/pentachords)which make up the particular 'flavour' of that maqam. if you start
bringing in random 'passing' notes which are not actually part of that particular maqam, then it's not that particular maqam anymore, what it would be
I'm not sure! What you do find in Arabic music theory, as in western music, is the concept of modulation, but again modulation in maqams I think
adheres to certain principles which an experienced and accomplished Arabic musician would understand and be able to use. Modulation in Arabic music
is knowing how to go from one maqam, (or upper or lower jin of that maqam) to another maqam ( or upper or lower jin of the new maqam). This requires a
very good working knowledge and understanding of the whole maqam system, and is what damascene_oud is referring to by the term 'tasweer', which is the
'correct' note in any maqam used to modulate from into a new maqam. does this sound correct to you guys with more understanding? 
adamgood - 7-10-2007 at 12:27 AM
Check out Hane 4 of this Eviç Saz Semaisi by Sedat Öztoprak (1890-1942). There's all kinds of chromatic lines:
http://www.adamgood.com/turkish_nota/piece.php?id=358&size=394
and here already in bar 2 of the Rast Peşrev by Benli Hasan Ağa (1607-1664) you get a fully flat B. It's not coming from a B 1 koma flat but
it's in the ballpark of what you're looking for methinks.
http://www.adamgood.com/turkish_nota/piece.php?id=1673&size=394
In my opinion, for taksim and composition, you're not limited to just playing the notes of the makam. You are however limited by the seyir that that
makam requires. So, be chromatic all you want but keep to the seyir and to the tastes of the makams.