Talk:Maqam

message: Gentlemen,
Here's a proposed definition (I will use [] to mean hyperlink to another wikipedia article):
Maqam ([Arabic]: maqam spelled in Arabic, pl. maqamat or maqams) is the system of [melodic modes] used in classical (traditional?) [Arabic music]. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or position. The number of maqamat used today in Arabic music is about 30 to 40.
Is that enough ? optionally we can add another few sentences:
Each maqam is built on a [musical scale]. Maqam scales are usually made of 7 [notes] and repeat at the [octave]. Traditional Arabic music is mainly [melodic]. In addition to a scale, each maqam carries a tradition that dictates its habitual phrases and melodic development.
comments please ?
Johnny F99 23:34, 4 February 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Please Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages. Thanks. Hyacinth 01:49, 13 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  '''Proposed changes to the maqam entry''' 

message: This is truly a first-rate article. Many musical topics are stubs, lacking music theory content.  Fantastic work!
When were maqams created?  Dogru144 03:12, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: '''Salute to the author(s)/ when were the maqams made?'''

message: I believe more sources are needed. There are many excellent references in Arabic, but not so many in English. I would like to addd one source in English, it's the excellent Ph.D. dissertation by Prof. Scott Marcus (now teaching at UCLA) from 1989, called "Arab music theory in the modern period". He also has many papers on intonation, modulation, etc, that I may quote later.
Johnny F99 17:02, 31 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Sources 

message: As you all know, there is a link on your page to Turkish makams. The article is in poor shape, so please help us improve it. Moreover, we should not start with a generic page on "Arabic maqams", which of course you do not seem to intend to do, but the information you give about microtones is valid only for the analysis of Arabic maqams. In Turkish classical music, the exact frequencies of each "koma" dividing a full interval in nine parts are very well documented and the notational tools are richer. The constitutive parts of the makams are never tricord, but always tetracord and pentacord and they bear names different than mentioned on this page. I think we could teach each other many things by creating a joint project starting by the creation of a generic page which shall not do injustice to makams (and I am sure that Iranians would think the same about their dastgahs) and only later leading on to maqam, makam and dastgah, without priority given to any of the three.
I think it would be more proper to create an article linking to maqam, makam and dastgah for further information, which would avoid any x-centrism. By the way, the maqam article is really well-done. Chapeau.
This is what I wrote on the discussion page of Makam. Please take your time to read it. And consider taking a look at the List of Makams I entered. Here is the text in the Makam discussion page:
=== Problems ===
==== Organization ====
The article has a very poor organization. I added in the beginning an interior link to a list of makams and am intending to give information about each of them with lists of compositions and remarkable improvisations. Please bear it mind while reorganizing it.
==== Content ====
* All pictures are scanned from the same book (Türk Musikisi Nazariyatı ve Usulleri - Kudüm velveleleri), with captions in Turkish! I do not believe that this meets Wikipedia standards. Tables should be recreated with English notes when necessary. This information is INACCESSIBLE to English-speakers.
* This is NOT the proper place to give information about the Turkish sound system. A separate article should be created, here only suggesting the existence of such a system.
* Wikipedia in English is intended for international use. In this article, the relationship of the Turkish makam with the Arabic maqam, the Persian dastgah, Pythagorean Greek modes and Central Asian pentatonic music should be given. Many maqams and dastgah bear the same name as in Turkish or have a different name but the same structure. I propose a joint project with help of specialists in Balkan, Persian and Arabic music to give an accurate picture of where Turkish makams stand.
==== Conclusion ====
I propose a joint project with Maqam and Dastgah discussion pages where specialists of Turkish classical music may meet those of Arabic and Persian music for a start and that they take the responsibility of improving each other's makam/maqam/dastgah pages by inserting links and furnishing brief comparisons. The same goes for the List of Makams I created for Turkish classical music. I'd be happy to see there links to maqams and dastgahs bearing the same name. In the now-empty links to individual makams on the List of Makams page, I intend to give historical indications about each, where maqam and dastgah contributions would be very valuable.
Thank you. Ekindedeoglu 09:09, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Joint Project Proposition, Please read! 

message: ==== Organization ====
The article has a very poor organization. I added in the beginning an interior link to a list of makams and am intending to give information about each of them with lists of compositions and remarkable improvisations. Please bear it mind while reorganizing it.
==== Content ====
* All pictures are scanned from the same book (Türk Musikisi Nazariyatı ve Usulleri - Kudüm velveleleri), with captions in Turkish! I do not believe that this meets Wikipedia standards. Tables should be recreated with English notes when necessary. This information is INACCESSIBLE to English-speakers.
* This is NOT the proper place to give information about the Turkish sound system. A separate article should be created, here only suggesting the existence of such a system.
* Wikipedia in English is intended for international use. In this article, the relationship of the Turkish makam with the Arabic maqam, the Persian dastgah, Pythagorean Greek modes and Central Asian pentatonic music should be given. Many maqams and dastgah bear the same name as in Turkish or have a different name but the same structure. I propose a joint project with help of specialists in Balkan, Persian and Arabic music to give an accurate picture of where Turkish makams stand.
==== Conclusion ====
I propose a joint project with Maqam and Dastgah discussion pages where specialists of Turkish classical music may meet those of Arabic and Persian music for a start and that they take the responsibility of improving each other's makam/maqam/dastgah pages by inserting links and furnishing brief comparisons. The same goes for the List of Makams I created for Turkish classical music. I'd be happy to see there links to maqams and dastgahs bearing the same name. In the now-empty links to individual makams on the List of Makams page, I intend to give historical indications about each, where maqam and dastgah contributions would be very valuable.
Thank you. Ekindedeoglu 09:09, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Problems 

message: I propose a joint project with Maqam and Dastgah discussion pages where specialists of Turkish classical music may meet those of Arabic and Persian music for a start and that they take the responsibility of improving each other's makam/maqam/dastgah pages by inserting links and furnishing brief comparisons. The same goes for the List of Makams I created for Turkish classical music. I'd be happy to see there links to maqams and dastgahs bearing the same name. In the now-empty links to individual makams on the List of Makams page, I intend to give historical indications about each, where maqam and dastgah contributions would be very valuable.
Thank you. Ekindedeoglu 09:09, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Conclusion 

message: I eliminated entirely 
: *For Kurdish and Persian Awaaz or Maqamî Dêng, see Dastgah, Persian traditional music and Musical radif
bcz 
: Dastgah only mentions maqam as having been influenced by dastgah, Persian traditional music simply says that radif is their maqam, and  Musical radif makes no mention of maqam (BTW thereby contradicting Persian traditional music).
--Jerzy•t 06:08, 3 September 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Persian