How to play maqam on a standard guitar
Maqam and makam use notes that sit between a guitar's frets. You do not need a special guitar to play them: most of those notes are either close enough to a fret to play as they are, or a small bend away from the fret below.
Why the notes fall between the frets
A guitar divides the octave into 12 equal frets of 100 cents. Arabic maqam is usually written in quarter tones of 50 cents, so a note like E half-flat lands exactly halfway between two frets. Turkish makam is written in Holdrian commas of about 22.6 cents, 53 to the octave, so its notes can sit anywhere from a few cents to most of a fret away from the nearest fret.
Both numbers come from written theory. Steps are counted in equal quarter tones of 50 cents, the usual written convention for Arabic maqam. Real intonation shifts with region, maqam and player. Intervals are counted in Holdrian commas, 53 to the octave (about 22.6 cents each), as in Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek theory. Performance practice differs from the theory in places.
When to play the fret and when to bend
- A note within 8 cents of a fret is that fret. Play it normally.
- A note within 20 cents of a fret is played on that fret. The gap is small enough that a bend would add more error than it removes.
- Anything further away is bent up from the fret below it, by up to 100 cents. A quarter tone is a bend of half a fret, about half the push of a normal semitone bend.
These are the rules Fretwise uses on every maqam page and in the app.
Example: Maqam Bayati
One note falls between the frets.
| Note | On a standard guitar |
|---|---|
| D | On the fret |
| E half-flat | Fret E♭, bend up 50¢ |
| F | On the fret |
| G | On the fret |
| A | On the fret |
| B♭ | On the fret |
| C | On the fret |
Example: Maqam Rast
2 notes fall between the frets.
| Note | On a standard guitar |
|---|---|
| C | On the fret |
| D | On the fret |
| E half-flat | Fret E♭, bend up 50¢ |
| F | On the fret |
| G | On the fret |
| A | On the fret |
| B half-flat | Fret B♭, bend up 50¢ |
Example: Makam Hicaz
3 notes fall between the frets.
| Note | On a standard guitar |
|---|---|
| Dügâh (A) | On the fret |
| Dik Kürdî (B♭ +13¢) | Nearest fret; the real pitch is 13¢ higher |
| Nim Hicaz (C# −15¢) | Nearest fret; the real pitch is 15¢ lower |
| Neva (D) | On the fret |
| Hüseynî (E) | On the fret |
| Eviç (F# −17¢) | Nearest fret; the real pitch is 17¢ lower |
| Gerdaniye (G) | On the fret |
Where to start
No bends
- Maqam Hijaz
- Maqam Nahawand
- Maqam Kurd
- Maqam Ajam
- Makam Rast
- Makam Uşşak
- Makam Hicaz
- Makam Nihavent
- Makam Kürdî
- Makam Hüseynî
- Makam Segâh
- Makam Hümâyun
One bend
Two or more bends
- Maqam Rast (2)
- Maqam Sikah (2)
How to practise the bends
- Play the tonic as a drone, on an open string or a looper, and bend each note against it until it settles.
- Check the bent note with a tuner that shows cents. A quarter tone above E♭ reads as E, 50 cents flat.
- Tap the note on the maqam page to hear its exact pitch, then match it on the guitar.
- Learn one unit (jins or çeşni) at a time. Most maqamat share units, so the same bends come back.
Questions
- Can you play quarter tones on a normal guitar?
- Yes, approximately. A fret is 100 cents wide and a quarter tone is 50 cents, so a quarter-tone note sits halfway between two frets. On a standard guitar you reach it by bending the string up from the fret below. Fretless guitars and guitars with extra quarter-tone frets play these pitches directly.
- What is the difference between maqam and makam?
- Both are modal systems built from small scale units. Arabic maqam is usually written in 24-tone equal temperament (24 equal steps of 50 cents). Turkish makam is usually written in Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek theory, with 53 Holdrian commas to the octave, about 22.6 cents each. The names overlap (Hijaz and Hicaz, Rast and Rast) but the exact pitches differ.
- Which maqamat can I play without bending?
- 12 of the 17 maqamat and makamlar on Fretwise need no bend on a standard guitar, because every note is on a fret or within 20 cents of one: Maqam Hijaz, Maqam Nahawand, Maqam Kurd, Maqam Ajam, Makam Rast, Makam Uşşak, Makam Hicaz, Makam Nihavent, Makam Kürdî, Makam Hüseynî, Makam Segâh, Makam Hümâyun.
- Is a bend accurate enough?
- A bend is played by ear, so it is only as accurate as your ear. Practise each bent note against a drone on the tonic or a tuner that shows cents, then check it against the pitch Fretwise plays when you tap the note.
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise maqam and makam anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
