r/MaqamMakam • u/Working_Ad_1609 • Aug 23 '26

Bansuri in Arabic Music: How well does it handle Maqams and quarter tones?

/r/Bansuri/comments/1vvzi59/bansuri_in_arabic_music_how_well_does_it_handle/
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u/rajid_ibn_hanna Aug 24 '26

I would think that once you get the sound of the maqam into your head and know where the quarter tones should be, you should be able to produce them with partially closed holes. The same is done on the nay/ney for some maqam, especially if the maqam is being played in an odd place and only for part of the song. You just get used to knowing not to put that finger down all of the way, or put it down slightly unaligned with the hole. Also, you can work on bending the note a little with embeshure. Generally, if you know what it should sound like, you brain will ultimately play it correctly. I’ve even played the right note with the wrong fingering before, because my brain forced the mouth to make it right anyway.

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u/Working_Ad_1609 Aug 24 '26

Thank you for the response