Description
Composition & electric oud: Naochika Sogabe
Microtones are notes between standard semitones, most commonly referring to quarter tones.
Pay attention to the microtones between E and E♭ in this piece. You’ll likely pick them up easily because they sound unusual to our Western ears right away.
I play this microtone slightly lower than an exact quarter tone when letting the D root note (6th string) ring out. However, you’ll hear it slightly higher than a quarter tone when I play the G root note (5th string).
These subtle differences evoke distinct moods within any musical system—such as joyful, sensual, or melancholic.
In Arabic and Turkish musical traditions, various microtones are used, and their modal system is known as “Maqam.”
This is an extended version – Attention – large file!
The smaller, original version is also available.
