Makam Nihavent on guitar

The notes, one by one

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. Pitches are given in cents above the karar; a fretted semitone is 100 cents.

Çeşniler

A makam is built from small units of three to five notes, each with its own colour. These are the units of Makam Nihavent.

• Buselik beşlisi

  On Rast (G), 5 notes

  G · A · B♭ · C · D

• Kürdî dörtlüsü

  On Neva (D), 4 notes

  D · E♭ · F · G

Seyir

Descending-ascending (inici-çıkıcı): it starts around the karar or the güçlü.

1. Begins around the karar or around the güçlü, Neva.
2. Moves freely through the units of the scale and makes a half cadence on Neva, with whichever flavour is in use there.
3. If that half cadence was made with Kürdî, a suspended cadence with Hicaz can follow on the same pitch.
4. After the extended registers, returns to the main scale and closes on Rast with the Buselik flavour, usually approached from the leading tone below.

Asma kararlar

• Neva: Kürdî or Hicaz
• Nim Hisar: Çargâh
• Çargâh: Buselik
• Kürdî: Çargâh

Example phrase

Starts on the güçlü, Neva, and falls to the karar, climbs back to a half cadence on Neva, shows the Kürdî tetrachord above it, and closes on Rast from Irak, the leading tone below.

A short outline written for Fretwise that follows the seyir above. It is not a quotation from the repertoire. Press “Play the phrase” on the neck to hear it.

Sources

• Nihâvend (TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 33) · İsmail Hakkı Özkan · 2007

Tuning convention: Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek. Intervals are written as in the source; practice varies by region and player.