Sabâ makam
A makam on Dügâh (A) whose first four notes span less than a fourth, and whose scale never reaches the octave: the eighth degree is Şehnaz, below the upper A. It makes half cadences on Çârgâh with the Zirgüleli Hicaz colour and comes back down to Dügâh with the Sabâ colour.
At a glance
- Karar (tonic)
- Dügâh (A)
- Güçlü (strong note)
- Çârgâh (C)
- Seyir (melodic direction)
- ascending, or ascending–descending (çıkıcı veya çıkıcı–inici)
- Key signature (donanım)
- B koma flat (1 koma), D bakiye flat (4 komas)
- Scale (dizi)
- a Sabâ tetrachord on Dügâh (a fourth short by a koma: 18 komas), with a Zirgüleli Hicaz scale on Çârgâh
The scale, note by note
As written in Turkish notation. Under each note: its koma accidental, if any, and the nearest clarinet note, with its Boehm fingering.
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1 A
On the clarinet: A4 · played as written
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2 B
B koma flat (1 koma)
On the clarinet: B4
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3 C
On the clarinet: C5 · played as written
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4 D
D bakiye flat (4 komas)
On the clarinet: D♭5
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5 E
E koma flat (1 koma)
On the clarinet: E5
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6 F
On the clarinet: F5 · played as written
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7 G
On the clarinet: G5 · played as written
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8 A
A bakiye flat (4 komas)
On the clarinet: A♭5
Playing koma notes on the clarinet
A Boehm clarinet has no keys for koma accidentals. Players take the fingering of the nearest note and bend the pitch with the embouchure or an alternative fingering, listening for the makam’s colour. The scale above shows which notes need it.
Sabâ in Dizek
When you scan a piece in Sabâ, pick “Sabâ — D♭ (koma flat rounded)” as the key on the scan screen. Dizek reads the koma accidentals as the nearest flats and sharps, writes the note names in Turkish if you like, and transposes for your clarinet, including the G clarinet.
Photograph a page in Sabâ, play it tonight
Get DizekSources
Makam theory after the Arel–Ezgi–Uzdilek system, as described by TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi and Klarnet Park.