An Interactive Software Model For Turkish Music Maqam Education: The Makamlab Prototype

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to design a web-based educational software that enables learners to visually and aurally experience how tetrachords and pentachords — the fundamental building blocks of maqams — are transposed on different pitches and how they combine to form maqam scales. The research focuses on the question of how the difficulties encountered by students new to maqam music theory in perceiving and transposing basic jins (melodic cells) across different pitches can be addressed through an interactive digital tool.

Conducted within a Design-Based Research (DBR) framework, this study identifies the educational shortcomings of existing maqam music and notation software, and accordingly develops a visually and aurally oriented software prototype called “MakamLab.” The most prevalent jins in the Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek system — Rast, Uşşak/Hüseyni, Çargâh, Buselik, Kürdi, and Hicaz — were selected as the sample. Theoretical music data collected through document analysis, including comma intervals and positional values, were transformed into mathematical algorithms using HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript technologies.

The findings reveal that the 53-comma structure of the Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek system is mathematically modeled, the SVG-based visualization algorithm generates consistent notation for any combination of maqam tetrachords and pentachords on any given finalis, and microtonal frequencies can be directly transmitted as audio via the Web Audio API. Thanks to its unique block architecture, students can decompose maqam scales into their constituent components and experience them aurally and visually on different pitches. In conclusion, by transforming abstract maqam theory into an interactive experience, MakamLab offers an original and applicable model for the use of technology in Turkish music education.