Maqam Nahawand — The Arabic Natural Minor
Maqam Nahawand (مقام نهاوند) is the Arabic equivalent of the Western natural minor scale. Unlike most maqamat, it uses 12-tone intervals — making it instantly familiar to Western ears.
Scale Structure
History
Named after the Persian city of Nahavand, this maqam bridges Arabic and Western tonal worlds. It became prominent in 20th-century Arabic orchestral compositions.
Cultural Usage
Beloved by composers like Mohammed Abdel Wahab for its accessibility to Western audiences while retaining Arabic phrasing.
How MaqAmir Plays It
Identical to the Western natural minor in interval structure. Its Arabic character comes from ornamentation, modulation patterns, and rhythmic feel rather than microtonal pitches.
More from Arabic Maqam
Maqam Rast — The Foundation of Arabic Music
Maqam Rast (مقام راست) is the cornerstone of Arabic classical music — a seven-note scale defined by its signature half-flat third (E½♭) and half-flat seventh (B½♭). The name "Rast" means "straight" or "direct" in Persian, reflecting its central role across the maqam system.
Maqam Bayati — The Voice of Devotion
Maqam Bayati (مقام بياتي) is one of the most widely sung Arabic maqamat, instantly recognizable by its half-flat second degree (E½♭ from D). It carries a sense of tenderness, longing, and devotion.
Maqam Hijaz — The Sound of the Sacred
Maqam Hijaz (مقام حجاز) is named after the Hijaz region of the Arabian Peninsula. Its signature is the augmented second between the second and third degrees — a dramatic, exotic interval familiar to Western ears as the "Phrygian Dominant" sound.
Maqam Saba — The Scale of Sorrow
Maqam Saba (مقام صبا) carries the weight of grief and devotion. Its signature is the diminished fourth — a tense, unstable interval that resolves with intense emotional gravity.
Maqam Kurd — The Phrygian of the East
Maqam Kurd (مقام كرد) shares its interval structure with the Western Phrygian mode — a flat second creates its signature dark, mysterious character.
Maqam Sikah — The Quarter-Tone Root
Maqam Sikah (مقام سيكاه) is unique among the primary maqamat because its root note is a quarter-tone (E½♭). It has a very distinct, earthy, and unresolved feeling.
Maqam Hijaz Kar — Dramatic Double-Augmented Arabic Scale
Maqam Hijaz Kar (مقام حجاز كار) is one of the most dramatic and majestic scales in Arabic and Ottoman classical music, built by stacking two Hijaz tetrachords with two striking augmented-second intervals.
Maqam Nawa Athar — Mystical Harmonic Minor with Sharp Fourth
Maqam Nawa Athar (مقام نوى أثر) is an enchanting, dramatic scale that combines a minor third with a raised fourth (#4) and a Hijaz upper tetrachord — evoking mystery, yearning, and cinematic grandeur.
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