I am curious why the 'quarter tones' are used in nouba's like sika and maya in Tunisia, but the same nouba's are played without 'quarter tones' in
Algeria and Morocco?
I am wondering if the music in Algeria and Morocco was changed to fit with western music and instruments?
As far as i know the nouba sika comes from the Persian mode segah, and has a neutral third as the tonic.
Ziryab was probably Persian as well.
The book 'Malouf', by Ruth Davis shows the Tunisian nouba's with 'quarter tones'.
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