Motivation & Aims
Coming from a Western classical background, I have long been drawn to the intricate expressive systems of makam music, yet found its microtonal and aesthetic subtleties challenging to internalize and reproduce on the saxophone. This research represents a practice-based exploration developed through several years of studying, imitating, and adapting the aesthetics of makam music on my instrument.
In this context, the term adaptation refers to the practical and artistic process of translating the microtonal systems, ornamentations, and phrasing characteristic of makam music into the idiomatic possibilities of the saxophone. The focus lies not only on reproducing pitch accuracy, but also on embodying the expressive and aesthetic principles that define this musical language.
Within the diverse stylistic landscape of makam-related traditions, wind instruments occupy a central role. Among the most prominent are the ney, zurna, kaval, gajda, tulum, duduk, mey, clarinet, and sipsi. Owing to its expressive range, technical flexibility, and its timbral affinity with many of these instruments, the saxophone offers fertile ground for exploring the adaptation of makam aesthetics within a contemporary instrumental context.
Research Framework
When I speak about the stylistic macrocategory of Makam-music, I am referring to a set of varied regional musical styles that are present in a vast territory stretching from the Balkan peninsula to Istanbul, to the Anatolian peninsula, to the Arab world, the Persian world and North Africa. Within this macrocategory there are numerous styles that are also very different from each other. Among the various styles, we can mention the classical Ottoman style, the various folk styles of the Balkan peninsula (Macedonian music, Serbian music, Albanian music, Bulgarian music...), the various folk music styles present in Greece (rebetika, epirotika, nisiotika, thrakiotika, etc.), the various folk styles present in the Anatolian peninsula (zeybek, oyun havasi, horon, gurbet, halay, etc.) and many others. All these styles, while retaining their distinctive characteristics, share some general aspects such as modality, microtonality and certain aspects of phrasing. In addition, all these styles refer to a theoretical system that is represented by the Makam-system of classical Ottoman music. The Ottoman Makam-system has many similarities with the Arabic Maqam-system and the Persian Dastgah-system. From this perspective, we can also see kinship with the musical styles of the Arab world, North Africa, the Caucasus and the Persian world, which makes the quadro even more multifaceted and complex.
In this research work, I will use mainly the Ottoman Makam theoretical system and the Arabic Maqam theoretical system, as these are the most widely used.
For concepts related to the Turkish Makam system, on which I am most knowledgeable, I will use the terminology and symbolism used by M. Aydemir in "Makam Guide" [Aydemir, 2010.], which is one of the reference texts for this music. For concepts related to the Arabic Maqam system, I will instead use the terminology and symbolism used in the website "Maqam World" [Maqam World, Website.].
The term “Makam” can be translated as “Musical Mode” and each specific Makam is composed of a set of notes, a “Seyir” (path between tonal centres), and distinctive intonation and phrasing characteristics [Aydemir, 2010].
A concept of primary importance, which I will use in all parts of this work, is the concept of “Perde” (from the Turkish: Curtain). The theoretical system of makam-music is a system of relative pitches. In fact, all notes written on the staff are not to be conceived as absolute pitch sounds (as is the case in the European system), but as sounds defined by a relative pitch with respect to a reference system, which can then be transposed to various notes. In the reference system of Turkish music, the first degree is the note written as G4. This note is called “Rast”. All other notes are conceived as relative pitches with respect to this reference note. In the Arabic system the situation is similar, only transposed a fifth below, so “Rast” is written as C4. All notes, conceived as relative pitches with respect to “Rast” take on proper names (Dügâh, Segâh, Çargâh, etc…), please refer to the "Makam Guide" [Aydemir, 2010, 18] for the complete list of names. The term “Perde” refers to a sound conceived with a relative pitch to the fundamental position of "Rast" and the various “Perde-s” take on their own characteristic names. On the other hand, the term “Note” refers to a sound with an absolute pitch (associated with a certain frequency in Hz), and the various “Notes” take on their classical Western names (A, B, C, D, etc…).
Expert Network and Collaborative Feedback
Throughout this research, I engaged with several musicians whose expertise in makam performance has significantly informed my process. Their feedback has contributed to refining both my technical and aesthetic understanding of microtonality on the saxophone.
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Kudsi Ergüner (TR) – Ney player and internationally recognized figure in Ottoman art-music, whose perspective on intonation and ornamentation clarified several aspects of pitch nuance in makam performance.
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Alex Simu (RO) – Clarinetist and saxophonist, my mentor for four years, who provided continuous feedback on adapting microtonal approaches to the saxophone.
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Ünsal Çeliksu (TR) – Turkish clarinetist and professor at Istanbul Technical University, with whom I studied clarinet; his guidance deepened my understanding of Ottoman classical music.
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Fausto Sierakowski (FR) – Saxophonist active in Greek, Balkan and Arabic repertoires, whose practical advice on saxophone technique within makam contexts directly influenced my adaptations.
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Caner Malkoç (TR) – Multi-instrumentalist (sax, clarinet, zurna, duduk); our collaboration helped me explore the expressive potential of saxophone timbre within Turkish performance aesthetics.
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Cem Ekmen (TR) – Multi-instrumentalist (zurna, mey, duduk) and teacher at ITÜ Conservatory; his insight into Anatolian folk styles provided a valuable comparative perspective on microtonal inflection.
The interaction with these experts was both pedagogical and collaborative, shaping the artistic and technical direction of this research.
Research Overview
In Chapter 2 I will focus mainly on obtaining microtones on the saxophone and analyse the two approaches predominantly used: alternative positions and bending technique. To outline the various possibilities, I will analyse the approach of various musicians I have met personally in recent years.
In Chapter 3 I will show some improvisation that I recorded as Practical Outcome of this research work.
In Chapter 4 I will analyze the work done in the previeous part of the work and I will mention the feedbacks received by the experts.
In the Appendix I will analyse some technical aspects that helped me in approaching the aesthetics of makam-music on the saxophone such as materials, mouth and finger position, new ways to obtain specific ornaments.