An Alternative Approach for Notation of Turkish Music Taksim Form

Abstract

The practice of transcribing taqsims onto paper has been ongoing since the late 19th century, beginning in the early 20th century and continuing to the present day. Improvised performances play a crucial role as valuable data for understanding the techniques and styles of leading instrumentalists in Turkish music. The inclusion of taqsim notations by famous performers, such as Tanburî Cemil Bey, in musical publications is important for recognizing the historical value attributed to taqsim notation. While writing taqsim notations is intriguing, there has been limited research on the preferences to be made in notation. There are two fundamental dimensions of notations: the writing and the performance. Performers, in order to practice the written taqsim, internalize the sound recording of the taqsim or follow the written notation by listening to it. In this sense, notation serves as a mnemonic graph for the performer. Although taqseems may sometimes have a distinct internal rhythm, their free-form rhythmic nature poses a challenge when transcribing them into notation. Rhythmic values such as eighth notes, sixteenth notes, 32nd notes, etc., used in notation are written with consideration for intervals that closely resemble or evoke the time intervals of improvisation. However, these rhythmic values are inadequate for notating freely improvised music. Different patterns are needed for the notation of taqseems using the European notation system we use today. To address this issue, we propose using time intervals like 64th, 128th (including dotted values) in the notation, as equal time values cannot accurately represent the time intervals of improvisation. When these small pieces are scattered among the main notes, notes of different lengths will be obtained. When small additional notes with lesser values are used as "es/sus" values, they can be easily distinguished from audible durations in the visual representation. The realization of notations through notation software and studio programs is inevitable. Written notations should be listened to using the play/read features of notation programs, and the most suitable time units for performance should be added. Slowing down and listening to the recording by following the sound wave using studio programs will provide a solution for detecting details that are difficult to hear since each corner of the recording can be dictated. The writing of taqseems will vary from person to person in terms of perception, musical knowledge, and experience accumulation. While achieving precision in the notation of rhythmic compositions, it is not possible in the notation of improvised works. The system we propose does not claim to contribute to standardization in notation in this regard. The details of the application can be clearly seen in the two sample taqsim notations provided in the annex.