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Sample Track 1:
"El Meod Na'ala" from Teslim, self-titled
Sample Track 2:
"Petalouda" from Teslim, self-titled
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Instruments, Makam, Rhythms

Instruments
Oud  -
The oud is a descendant of the Persian barbat (an early lute). The 11 strings (including five courses of double strings and one bass string) are tied on the back of the instrument, as opposed to being tied at the bridge as they are on an Arabic or Turkish style oud.

Saz - Saz means instrument in Turkish. There are three sizes--from smallest to largest they are: cura (pronounced jura) saz, baglama (pronounced balama, stress on the last a) and divan (pronounced deevan) saz. The saz has moveable tied-on frets made of nylon string. The frets are moveable to accommodate the pitches that occur in the makam system. The saz is associated mainly with Turkish folk music (not Turkish classical music) and has its own specific makam system that is different than the classical Turkish makam system.

Lauoto - The laouto is a Greek lute. It has four pairs of metal strings tuned C, G, D, A. It's the main accompaniment instrument for music on the Greek mainland and on the islands.

Frame Drum - probably the oldest drum. It's made of a skin stretched over a circular, usually wooden, frame. Different names for this drum include def, tar, defi and bendir. Frame drums come in various sizes.

Darbuka (also called a dumbek) - a goblet-shaped drum made of clay or spun aluminum or copper. The head is made of skin or plastic. This drum is found all over the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa.

Makam
Much of Turkish, Greek (and Arabic music) utilizes the makam (makamlar plural in Turkish, maqamat plural in Arabic) system. In this system, there are many divisions (or 'komas') of the whole step, for example, between the notes D and E, there are nine divisions of sound that vary depending on the makam you're playing in. Each one of these divisions is like varying shades of particular color rather than unrelated colors. While makamlar can be thought of as modes, they are much more than that--there are certain guidelines that are used in employing these four and five note "scales" that define the pitches, patterns, and development of a piece of music, in terms of both composition and improvisation. If you're interested in looking into transcriptions of compositions of various makamlar, check out http://www.neyzen.com/nota _arsivi.htm.

Rhythm
One of the many things we love about music from this region of the world is its rhythmic aspect. Generally speaking, so-called "odd" meters are broken into groups of 2's and 3's. These rhythms are called by different names in different countries. I have listed one name for each of the rhythms below:

Ruchenitsa (in Bulgarian) 7/8, divided  2 + 2 + 3
Lesno (in Macedonian) 7/8, divided 3 + 2 + 2
Kopanitsa (in Bulgarian) 11/8, divided 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2
Karsilima (in Turkish) 9/8, divided 2 + 2 + 2 + 3
Cocek (pronounced chocheck) 4/4 a common Romani (Gypsy) dance rhythm.



Additional Info
The Melancholy and Mischief of Teslim: How a Ninja Luthier, a ...
Instruments, Makam, Rhythms
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