Turkish Music_part 2

MORE ON TURKISH MUSIC ORIGINS
Turkish classical music refers quite specifically to the music cultivated by the Ottoman Empire. That empire included substantial territory which had been under Byzantine or Arabic control, and the substratum of traditional music in Turkey was conditioned by that history. Moreover, the music of the Arab Empires had already been strongly conditioned by Persian culture. The Ottoman Empire eventually became very cosmopolitan.

Conclusion: So, in short, Turkish music has an influence on Persian culture?

Turkish music has a large & varied system of modes, overlapping the Arabic system of maqam.

MAQAM
Arabic maqām is the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or rank. The Arabic maqam is a melody type. Each maqam is built on a scale, and carries a tradition that defines its habitual phrases, important notes, melodic development and modulation. Arabic maqams are based on a musical scale of 7 notes that repeats at the octave. Some maqams have 2 or more alternative scales (e.g. Rast, Nahawand and Hijaz)

Conclusion: So maqam can be considered a scale like a chromatic scale that our modern days used in concert bands. Hmmmm...not something that I want to further elabourate on.

Ok now lets go into the different types of instruments. First of all, one of the more significant musical instrument in Turkish, the NEY.



In the Sufi tradition, the reed flute ney is the most important instrument. The ney is used in one or more forms throughout the region, and whereas the Iranian technique features alternation between two positions (including the more shrill sound of holding the mouthpiece with the teeth), Turkish technique relies only on the airier sound achieved by positioning the instrument against the bottom of the lower lip. The ney is specifically connected to Ottoman court music through the ceremonies of the Mevlevis (whirling dervishes), which were supported by many Ottoman rulers.

FYI, SUFI is derived from SUFISM which is an inner mythical of Islam.

One of the best player of the Turkish Ney is Kudsi Erguner, a Turkish musician. More information on this musician can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudsi_Erguner

Now here is a picture of him. Awww doesnt he look cuuutteee!


This is one of his work from one of his many albums which featured mainly Islamic songs which is praises to God.


MORE INFORMATION ON NEY
An end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian, Turkish and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found in the excavations at Ur. This indicates that the ney has been played continuously for 4,500–5,000 years, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use. It is a forerunner of the modern flute.

An interesting fact indeed!

Lets take a look at how a NEY is being played.




The ney consists of a piece of hollow cane or reed with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole. However, modern neys may be made of metal or plastic tubing instead.

There are also other types of flutes: Kargı Düdük (a long reed flute) and Tsuur (an end blown flute that is found in western Mongolia). But I'm not gonna concentrate on these two.

I found this very very very useful websites that provides all one need on the insights of a Turkish Music.
http://www.turkishmusicportal.org/index.php