Taksim practice in Turkish music qanun education: An example of Hicaz Taksim by Hasan Ferid Alnar

This study aims to produce written material for use in qanun education, focusing on taksim performances, which represent a form of improvised instrumental performance within the tradition of Turkish makam music. While the concept of improvisation generally suggests a free and unconstrained approach to musical creation, the taksim—though improvisatory in nature—is actually shaped by certain rules and structural limitations within the framework of Turkish makam music. Additionally, performers tend to reflect their individual styles during taksim, making each performance unique. The fact that taksim requires instantaneous creativity, and that the rhythmic groupings and makam-based melodic patterns existing in the performer’s mind are generally structured unmeasured and extemporaneously in the moment, is considered one of the main challenges encountered when studying such improvised musical performances on an individual basis. In this context, the use of recording technology to preserve the audio recordings of master performers’ taksims and to transcribe them into musical notation holds significant importance. In order to contribute to this field, the population of this study is defined as qanun taksim performances, while its sample consists of the Hicaz Taksim by qanun player Hasan Ferid Alnar, which, to the best of our findings, has not been previously transcribed into musical notation. The recording of the Hicaz Taksim was obtained through the radio program Semt-i Nihâvend, prepared by kemençe player Fikret Karakaya for Açık Radyo. First, Hasan Ferid Alnar’s Hicaz Taksim was transcribed into musical notation through dictation. The sections of the taksim were identified, and in each section, the ornamentation elements, two-hand performance styles, and playing techniques were determined. While identifying the playing techniques, the audio recordings and written works of Ferid Alnar’s other performances were used as references in order to determine the possible playing methods. In this study, which employs document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, the rhythmic and melodic structures of the taksim were transcribed into musical notation. The ornamentation elements and possible playing techniques were analyzed, and it is believed that these qanun taksim performances will contribute to taksim practice within instrumental education.