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The Maqam and Taqsim, continued Page 1   Page 2   Page 3 NEWS! There is a great new website about maqam theory and other aspects of Arabic music. The site is www.maqamworld.com. If you're looking for more extensive information, particularly details about various transpositions, this is the site to check out. It also has sound samples of people playing the scales, and of compositions in each maqam. Below are some common maqamat, drawn from various sources. Note the analysis of each maqam according to its constituent ajnas. A couple of notes: Husseini seems more commonly to start on A, I'm not sure if this is considered essential. Many of the maqamat have a variety of notes available; some depend on the motion of the line (ascending or descending), the taste of the performer, or both. Bayati frequently has a B½b when ascending to C. If you have a suggestion, please email me at oud@brianprunka.com. The above images are low resolution so they display correctly on the screen. To download for printing, right-click the following links: page 1 and page 2 (Adobe Acrobat .pdf files)