Nihavend Maqam
Nihavend is the Turkish maqam closest to the Western minor — the colour of countless folk, arabesk, pop and classical Turkish songs. Pick the tonic, see the scale on the neck and its chords on cards, and hear common progressions with one tap.
Guide
How to use the Nihavend Maqam
Tonic and scale
The tonic (karar) is the maqam's resting note; your choice becomes the centre of the scale and every chord. The Nihavend scale is a Buselik pentachord on the tonic plus a tetrachord on the dominant (5th degree). Ascending, it uses the Hicaz tetrachord: the augmented second (A2) between the 6th and 7th degrees is the maqam's signature and matches the Western harmonic minor. Descending, it uses the Kürdi tetrachord; the 7th drops a half step and the scale becomes the natural minor.
The scale on the neck
On the neck the tonic has a white outline, the dominant is teal, and the 7th is purple in the Hicaz form (leading tone) or blue in the Kürdi form. Tap a note to hear it; Play the scale plays the selected form from the tonic to its octave.
Chords
The cards show the chords most used in Nihavend with their degree numbers. Chords tagged Shared are the same in both forms; Hicaz chords (V7 and vii°7) pull strongly from the dominant to the tonic; Kürdi chords (v, III, VII) give a soft, modal colour. Tap a card to hear the chord and see its notes on the neck while the rest of the scale fades back.
Progressions
The basic cadence, the Andalusian descent, the pop loop, the circle-of-fifths chain and the Hicaz touch are the progressions you'll meet most in Nihavend. Play steps through a progression chord by chord, highlighting the current chord in the list, on the cards and on the neck. Changing the tonic transposes every progression.
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