A maqam (plural: maqamat) is a melodic mode in Arabic music theory — a scale plus a set of characteristic phrases, ornaments, and a customary path through related maqamat. Unlike a Western movable scale, a maqam is conventionally anchored to a fixed pitch within a shared absolute-pitch gamut, so two Arabic musicians can say a maqam's name and both reach for the same note without discussing it.

Why do Arabic maqamat have a fixed tonal center when Western scales don't?

Arabic music theory is built on a fixed gamut of absolute-pitch degree names — Rast, Dukah, Sikah, Jaharkah, Nawa, Husayni, Awj and others — each corresponding to a specific pitch, the way a piano's white keys are fixed. Each maqam conventionally sits on one of these fixed degrees. Western movable-do solfège has no equivalent: a major scale can start on any pitch and keeps its name.

What is a quarter tone in Arabic music?

Many maqamat include scale degrees that sit halfway between two Western semitones — commonly called neutral seconds or thirds, notated with a half-flat or half-sharp. These are not an ornament or an approximation; they are structural notes of the maqam, essential to its identity and sound.

What is the ghammaz of a maqam?

The ghammaz is a maqam's secondary important degree — traditionally the point where a melody modulates to a related maqam. It functions somewhat like a dominant in Western harmony, though the underlying system is melodic and modal rather than chordal.

Can these maqamat be practiced on a saxophone, trumpet, or other Western instrument?

Yes. The Whole Horn plays all 22 of these maqamat, correctly transposed, on any of its supported wind and brass instruments, with the quarter tones rendered as real pitches, not approximated to the nearest semitone.

The Whole Horn← The app

Prof. Thomas Hornig

Henri Selmer Paris Artist · Professor of Saxophone, Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music (32 years)

Arabic maqam theory, sourced.

22 maqamat — each with its traditional tonal center, its degree names in English and Arabic, its quarter-tone structure, and where it bridges to a Western chord-scale you may already know. Interval structures normalized from documented historical tuning data and cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqam Archive (Music Intelligence Lab, American University of Beirut).

► Practice these maqamat

This page is theory and reference — the app plays them, at tempo, on your instrument.

Why a fixed tonal center matters

Arabic music uses a fixed gamut, not a movable scale. Where Western solfège is movable — "do" can start anywhere and the scale keeps its name — Arabic theory names specific pitches (Rast, Dukah, Sikah, Jaharkah, Nawa, Husayni, Awj, Kirdan) the way a piano names its white keys. Every maqam conventionally sits on one of these fixed degrees. That's why two Arabic musicians can say "Bayati" and both reach for D without discussing it.

The ghammaz is where a melody typically modulates — a maqam's secondary important degree, functioning loosely like a dominant, though the system underneath is melodic and modal, not chordal.

Quarter tones are structural, not ornamental. A neutral third or second isn't a smear between two "real" notes — it's the note the maqam is built on. This page and the app notate them as real, distinct pitches.

Tonal-center reference chart — all 22 maqamat

Maqam	Tonal center	Ghammaz
Rast مقام راست	C — Rast (راست)	V
Suznak مقام سوزناك	C — Rast (راست)	V
Jiharkah مقام جهاركاه	F — Chahargah (جهاركاه)	V
Mahur مقام ماهور	C — Rast (راست)	V
Nairuz مقام نيروز	C — Rast (راست)	V
Bayati مقام بيات	D — Dugah (دكاه)	IV
Bayati Shuri مقام بياتي شوري	D — Dugah (دكاه)	IV
Sikah مقام سيكاه	E𝄲 — Segah (سيكاه)	III
Huzam مقام هزام	E𝄲 — Segah (سيكاه)	III
'Iraq مقام عراق	B𝄲 — Iraq (عراق)	VI
Rahat al-Arwah مقام راحة الأرواح	B𝄲 — Awj (أوج)	III
Sikah Baladi مقام سيكاه بلدي	G — Nawa (نوى)	V
Hijaz مقام حجاز	D — Dugah (دكاه)	IV
Hijazkar مقام حجازكار	C — Rast (راست)	V
Saba مقام صبا	D — Dugah (دكاه)	V
Saba Zamzam مقام صبا زمزم	D — Dugah (دكاه)	III
Kurd مقام كرد	C — Dugah (دكاه)	IV
Nahawand مقام نهاوند	C — Rast (راست)	V
Nahawand Kabir مقام نهاوند كبير	C — Rast (راست)	V
Farahfaza مقام فرحفزا	G — Nawa (نوى)	V
'Ajam 'Ushayran مقام عجم عشيران	B♭ — Ajam Ushayran	V
Nawa Athar مقام نوى أثر	C — Rast (راست)	V

Every maqam, in full

Rast مقام راست

Traditional tonal center: C — Rast (راست) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

C D E𝄲 F G A B𝄲 C

Mixolydian frame with half-flat 3rd & 7th — the mother maqam; neutral thirds are its signature

1Rast · راست0 st (0¢)

2Dugah · دكاه2 st (200¢)

3Segah · سيكاه3.5 st (350¢) ◐ quarter-tone

4Chahargah · جهاركاه5 st (500¢)

5Nawa · نوى7 st (700¢)

6Husayni · حسيني9 st (900¢)

7Awj · أوج10.5 st (1050¢) ◐ quarter-tone

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.42 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice Rast in the app →

Suznak مقام سوزناك

Traditional tonal center: C — Rast (راست) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

C D E𝄲 F G A♭ B C

Rast lower + Hijaz upper on G — neutral 3rd AND harmonic-minor drama; the ultimate jazz-crossover maqam

1Rast · راست0 st (0¢)

2Dugah · دكاه2 st (200¢)

3Segah · سيكاه3.5 st (350¢) ◐ quarter-tone

4Chahargah · جهاركاه5 st (500¢)

5Nawa · نوى7 st (700¢)

6Hisar · حصار8 st (800¢)

7Nim Mahur · نيم ماهور11 st (1100¢)

8Kurdan · كردان12 st (1200¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.44 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice Suznak in the app →

Jiharkah مقام جهاركاه

Traditional tonal center: F — Chahargah (جهاركاه) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

F G A B♭ C D E𝄲 F

Rast transposed to F — standard Beirut/Aleppo muwashshah repertoire

1Chahargah · جهاركاه0 st (0¢)

2Nawa · نوى2 st (200¢)

3Husayni · حسيني4 st (400¢)

4Ajam · عجم5 st (500¢)

5Rast · راست7 st (700¢)

6Dugah · دكاه9 st (900¢)

7Segah · سيكاه10.5 st (1050¢) ◐ quarter-tone

Practice Jiharkah in the app →

Mahur مقام ماهور

Traditional tonal center: C — Rast (راست) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

C D E𝄲 F G A B C (B♭ common descending)

Rast with a natural 7th — the ascending-major-leaning face of the Rast family

1Rast · راست0 st (0¢)

2Dugah · دكاه2 st (200¢)

3Segah · سيكاه3.5 st (350¢) ◐ quarter-tone

4Chahargah · جهاركاه5 st (500¢)

5Nawa · نوى7 st (700¢)

6Husayni · حسيني9 st (900¢)

7Nim Mahur · نيم ماهور11 st (1100¢)

Practice Mahur in the app →

Nairuz مقام نيروز

Traditional tonal center: C — Rast (راست) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

C D E𝄲 F G A𝄲 B♭ C

Rast with a half-flat 6th — the A half-flat is its signature, and one of the few places that degree is written

1Rast · راست0 st (0¢)

2Dugah · دكاه2 st (200¢)

3Segah · سيكاه3.5 st (350¢) ◐ quarter-tone

4Chahargah · جهاركاه5 st (500¢)

5Nawa · نوى7 st (700¢)

6A𝄲8.5 st (850¢) ◐ quarter-tone

7Ajam · عجم10 st (1000¢)

Practice Nairuz in the app →

Bayati مقام بيات

Traditional tonal center: D — Dugah (دكاه) · ghammaz (modulation degree): IV

D E𝄲 F G A B♭ C D

Dorian with half-flat 2nd (upper jins Nahawand on G); the most common maqam in the Levant, home base of taqsim

1Dugah · دكاه0 st (0¢)

2Segah · سيكاه1.5 st (150¢) ◐ quarter-tone

3Chahargah · جهاركاه3 st (300¢)

4Nawa · نوى5 st (500¢)

5Husayni · حسيني7 st (700¢)

6Ajam · عجم8 st (800¢)

7Kurdan · كردان10 st (1000¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.59 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice Bayati in the app →

Bayati Shuri مقام بياتي شوري

Traditional tonal center: D — Dugah (دكاه) · ghammaz (modulation degree): IV

D E𝄲 F G A♭ B C D

Bayati lower jins with Hijaz on the 4th — a staple of the wasla

1Dugah · دكاه0 st (0¢)

2Segah · سيكاه1.5 st (150¢) ◐ quarter-tone

3Chahargah · جهاركاه3 st (300¢)

4Nawa · نوى5 st (500¢)

5Hisar · حصار6 st (600¢)

6Nim Mahur · نيم ماهور9 st (900¢)

7Rast · راست10 st (1000¢)

Practice Bayati Shuri in the app →

Sikah مقام سيكاه

Traditional tonal center: E𝄲 — Segah (سيكاه) · ghammaz (modulation degree): III

E𝄲 F G A B𝄲 C D E𝄲

The PRINCIPAL of the sikah family — the app already shipped two of its children ('irāq, huzām) without it. Tonic is itself a quarter-tone (E half-flat).

1Segah · سيكاه0 st (0¢) ◐ quarter-tone

2Chahargah · جهاركاه1.5 st (150¢)

3Nawa · نوى3.5 st (350¢)

4Husayni · حسيني5.5 st (550¢)

5Awj · أوج7 st (700¢) ◐ quarter-tone

6Kurdan · كردان8.5 st (850¢)

7Muhayyar · محيّر10.5 st (1050¢)

Practice Sikah in the app →

Huzam مقام هزام

Traditional tonal center: E𝄲 — Segah (سيكاه) · ghammaz (modulation degree): III

E𝄲 F G A♭ B C D E𝄲

Sikah lower tetrachord + Hijaz upper on G — the most common Sikah-family maqam in Lebanese tarab

1Segah · سيكاه0 st (0¢) ◐ quarter-tone

2Chahargah · جهاركاه1.5 st (150¢)

3Nawa · نوى3.5 st (350¢)

4Hisar · حصار4.5 st (450¢)

5Nim Mahur · نيم ماهور7.5 st (750¢)

6Kurdan · كردان8.5 st (850¢)

7Muhayyar · محيّر10.5 st (1050¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.85 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice Huzam in the app →

'Iraq مقام عراق

Traditional tonal center: B𝄲 — Iraq (عراق) · ghammaz (modulation degree): VI

B𝄲 C D E𝄲 F G A B𝄲

Bayyat-flavored Sikah-family maqam whose TONIC is a quarter-tone note (B half-flat) — the proof-of-concept maqam

1Iraq · عراق0 st (0¢) ◐ quarter-tone

2Rast · راست1.5 st (150¢)

3Dugah · دكاه3.5 st (350¢)

4Segah · سيكاه5 st (500¢) ◐ quarter-tone

5Chahargah · جهاركاه6.5 st (650¢)

6Nawa · نوى8.5 st (850¢)

7Husayni · حسيني10.5 st (1050¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.33 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice 'Iraq in the app →

Rahat al-Arwah مقام راحة الأرواح

Traditional tonal center: B𝄲 — Awj (أوج) · ghammaz (modulation degree): III

B𝄲 C D E♭ F♯ G A B𝄲

Sikah-family maqam on a quarter-tone tonic, with Hijaz colour — practised alongside Huzam

1Awj · أوج0 st (0¢)

2Rast · راست1.5 st (150¢) ◐ quarter-tone

3Dugah · دكاه3.5 st (350¢) ◐ quarter-tone

4Kurdi · كردي4.5 st (450¢) ◐ quarter-tone

5Hijaz · حجاز7.5 st (750¢) ◐ quarter-tone

6Nawa · نوى8.5 st (850¢) ◐ quarter-tone

7Husayni · حسيني10.5 st (1050¢) ◐ quarter-tone

Practice Rahat al-Arwah in the app →

Sikah Baladi مقام سيكاه بلدي

Traditional tonal center: G — Nawa (نوى) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

G A𝄲 B𝄲 C D E𝄲 F𝄰 G

The ONLY maqam in the repertoire whose notation uses a half-SHARP (F𝄰). maqamworld's own caption warns it is 'very difficult to accurately notate' — its true intonation sits outside 24-tone equal temperament, so read this as the closest written approximation, not an exact pitch map.

1Nawa · نوى0 st (0¢)

2A𝄲1.5 st (150¢) ◐ quarter-tone

3B𝄲3.5 st (350¢) ◐ quarter-tone

4C5 st (500¢)

5D7 st (700¢)

6E𝄲8.5 st (850¢) ◐ quarter-tone

7F𝄰10.5 st (1050¢) ◐ quarter-tone

Practice Sikah Baladi in the app →

Hijaz مقام حجاز

Traditional tonal center: D — Dugah (دكاه) · ghammaz (modulation degree): IV

D E♭ F♯ G A B♭ C D

Phrygian dominant = 5th mode of harmonic minor — ALREADY in the Western chord-scale system; the gateway maqam

1Dugah · دكاه0 st (0¢)

2Kurdi · كردي1 st (100¢)

3Hijaz · حجاز4 st (400¢)

4Nawa · نوى5 st (500¢)

5Husayni · حسيني7 st (700¢)

6Ajam · عجم8 st (800¢)

7Kurdan · كردان10 st (1000¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.65 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice Hijaz in the app →

Hijazkar مقام حجازكار

Traditional tonal center: C — Rast (راست) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

C D♭ E F G A♭ B C

Hijaz on the tonic AND on the 5th — the double-harmonic scale; dramatic, and no quarter tones at all

1Rast · راست0 st (0¢)

2Kurdi · كردي1 st (100¢)

3E4 st (400¢)

4Chahargah · جهاركاه5 st (500¢)

5Nawa · نوى7 st (700¢)

6Hisar · حصار8 st (800¢)

7Nim Mahur · نيم ماهور11 st (1100¢)

Practice Hijazkar in the app →

Saba مقام صبا

Traditional tonal center: D — Dugah (دكاه) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

D E𝄲 F G♭ A B♭ C D

No Western analog — the diminished 4th (G♭) is its tear; the signature maqam of longing

1Dugah · دكاه0 st (0¢)

2Segah · سيكاه1.5 st (150¢) ◐ quarter-tone

3Chahargah · جهاركاه3 st (300¢)

4Hijaz · حجاز4 st (400¢)

5Husayni · حسيني7 st (700¢)

6Ajam · عجم8 st (800¢)

7Kurdan · كردان10 st (1000¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.69 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice Saba in the app →

Saba Zamzam مقام صبا زمزم

Traditional tonal center: D — Dugah (دكاه) · ghammaz (modulation degree): III

D E♭ F G♭ A B♭ C D

Saba with a plain flat 2nd instead of the half-flat — no quarter tones

1Dugah · دكاه0 st (0¢)

2Kurdi · كردي1 st (100¢)

3Chahargah · جهاركاه3 st (300¢)

4Hijaz · حجاز4 st (400¢)

5Husayni · حسيني7 st (700¢)

6Ajam · عجم8 st (800¢)

7Rast · راست10 st (1000¢)

Practice Saba Zamzam in the app →

Kurd مقام كرد

Traditional tonal center: C — Dugah (دكاه) · ghammaz (modulation degree): IV

C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C

Phrygian mode — already Western-familiar

1Dugah · دكاه0 st (0¢)

2Kurdi · كردي1 st (100¢)

3Chahargah · جهاركاه3 st (300¢)

4Nawa · نوى5 st (500¢)

5Husayni · حسيني7 st (700¢)

6Ajam · عجم8 st (800¢)

7Kurdan · كردان10 st (1000¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.77 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice Kurd in the app →

Nahawand مقام نهاوند

Traditional tonal center: C — Rast (راست) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

C D E♭ F G A♭ B C (B♭ common descending)

Harmonic-minor pitch set like kabir; differs in sayr, ghammaz, and descending behavior

1Rast · راست0 st (0¢)

2Dugah · دكاه2 st (200¢)

3Kurdi · كردي3 st (300¢)

4Chahargah · جهاركاه5 st (500¢)

5Nawa · نوى7 st (700¢)

6Hisar · حصار8 st (800¢)

7Nim Mahur · نيم ماهور11 st (1100¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.49 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice Nahawand in the app →

Nahawand Kabir مقام نهاوند كبير

Traditional tonal center: C — Rast (راست) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

C D E♭ F G A B♭ C

Dorian mode — the same seven notes, one step brighter than natural minor

1Rast · راست0 st (0¢)

2Dugah · دكاه2 st (200¢)

3Kurdi · كردي3 st (300¢)

4Chahargah · جهاركاه5 st (500¢)

5Nawa · نوى7 st (700¢)

6Husayni · حسيني9 st (900¢)

7Ajam · عجم10 st (1000¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.50 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice Nahawand Kabir in the app →

Farahfaza مقام فرحفزا

Traditional tonal center: G — Nawa (نوى) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

G A B♭ C D E♭ F G

Nahawand on G — the longa repertoire; taught early in the Lebanese methods, no quarter tones

1Nawa · نوى0 st (0¢)

2Husayni · حسيني2 st (200¢)

3Ajam · عجم3 st (300¢)

4Rast · راست5 st (500¢)

5Dugah · دكاه7 st (700¢)

6Kurdi · كردي8 st (800¢)

7Chahargah · جهاركاه10 st (1000¢)

Practice Farahfaza in the app →

'Ajam 'Ushayran مقام عجم عشيران

Traditional tonal center: B♭ — Ajam Ushayran · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

B♭ C D E♭ F G A B♭

Major scale (Ionian) — zero-friction entry point; triumphant affect

1Ajam Ushayran0 st (0¢)

2Rast · راست2 st (200¢)

3Dugah · دكاه4 st (400¢)

4Kurdi · كردي5 st (500¢)

5Chahargah · جهاركاه7 st (700¢)

6Nawa · نوى9 st (900¢)

7Husayni · حسيني11 st (1100¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.30 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice 'Ajam 'Ushayran in the app →

Nawa Athar مقام نوى أثر

Traditional tonal center: C — Rast (راست) · ghammaz (modulation degree): V

C D E♭ F♯ G A♭ B C

Hungarian-minor-like (Hijaz lower + harmonic upper); dramatic, no quarter-tones

1Rast · راست0 st (0¢)

2Dugah · دكاه2 st (200¢)

3Kurdi · كردي3 st (300¢)

4Hijaz · حجاز6 st (600¢)

5Nawa · نوى7 st (700¢)

6Hisar · حصار8 st (800¢)

7Nim Mahur · نيم ماهور11 st (1100¢)

Sources: al-Shawwa, S. (1946), p.52 · cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqām Archive (AUB)

Practice Nawa Athar in the app →

Common questions

What is a maqam?: A maqam (plural: maqamat) is a melodic mode in Arabic music theory — a scale plus characteristic phrases, ornaments, and a customary path through related maqamat. Unlike a Western movable scale, it's conventionally anchored to a fixed pitch within a shared absolute-pitch gamut.
Why do Arabic maqamat have a fixed tonal center when Western scales don't?: Arabic theory is built on fixed-pitch degree names — Rast, Dukah, Sikah, Jaharkah, Nawa, Husayni, Awj and others. Each maqam conventionally sits on one of these fixed degrees, the way a piano's white keys are fixed pitches, not movable ones.
What is a quarter tone?: A scale degree sitting halfway between two Western semitones — a neutral second or third, notated with a half-flat or half-sharp. It's a structural note of the maqam, not an ornament or approximation.
What is the ghammaz?: A maqam's secondary important degree — traditionally where a melody modulates to a related maqam.
Can I practice these on saxophone, trumpet, or another Western instrument?: Yes — The Whole Horn plays all 22, correctly transposed, on any supported wind or brass instrument, with real quarter-tone pitches.

► Practice these maqamat

Interval data compiled from classical Arabic theory sources and cross-checked against the Digital Arabic Maqam Archive (Music Intelligence Lab, American University of Beirut) — visit their site for the full scholarly depth. Also see every instrument The Whole Horn supports — open the app.