Link to the Show / Show NotesThis is a lecture/demo on microtones.
I demonstrate the wide variety of microtones in use in Arabic music (by my count, at least 12 within a half step);
I explain:
1. the problems with describing the microtones used in arabic maqams as "quarter-tones"--since they are not exactly a quarter of anything.
2. the problems with the Comma system (the system of 54 divisions of the octave)
3. the problem with seeking too systematic an explanation of the microtones.
And I offer a different approach to understanding and learning intonation in arabic music: through relationships with other notes, and in particular through melodies and melodic phrases.
For those of you interested in a more thorough, academic treatment of the subject, I am working on a paper to flesh out some of the details, which I will link to this page. This podcast is intended for a general audience.
At the end, Johnny Farraj, of maqamworld fame, joins me for a few pieces.
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