Makam: Modal Practice In Turkish Art Music

A full length treatment of the modal system used in Turkish art music including the music of the Whirling Dervishes. An invaluable aid to students of Turkish music and ethnomusicologists

Customer Reviews:

Tough to find, worth looking

By W. Brown "person" - October 16, 2009

I have two rare and valuable books in my shelf among the others. "Music and Song in Persia: the Art of Avaz," by Lloyd Miller, is considered by some to be the last word on Persian traditional music. Signell's "Makam: Modal Practice in Turkish Art Music" is the other one, and I can say this much: if you want to get an inside-out look at Turkish art music without going to Turkey or learning to speak Turkish, this is the book you want. Signell did the right thing: rather than merely go and study the natives, he "went native"--he learned to play the ney, and studied the music to learn it and not merely to study it. This approach, coupled with a familiarity with Western music and the theory behind it, enables Signell to root out the structure embedded in the traditions he studied. Whether you are trying to learn to play this music or just looking to understand how it all works, the information in this book will deepen your understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of traditional... read more

makam:modal practice.....

By ed a. - April 21, 2012

I have not read the whole book,but it is one of the best I have found so far....covers a great deal of material useful to a musician wishing to play this music,with many,many examples of written music and complete songs to illustrate.somewhat hard to understand at first for me,requires rereading and studying....great glossary,notes and references...I have used this to find where to place the frets on my saz.... read more

Very useful

By miha - March 2, 2012

This book is a wonderful opportunity for everyone interested in learning about makam musical system, dr. Signell explained it really to the very detail.
Also, in the second part of the book, there are examples and guide how to perform and play in the proper way.
I found it extremly helpful for broadening my knowledge about the complete makam system.