Saba (music)

This article covers both the Arabic jins and Queen and maqam called "Saba" as well as the similar Turkish makam of the same name.

[2]: 45  It is possible the connection with the Turkish word for morning is simply folk etymology and the name of the scale comes from Arabic.

Jins Saba is traditionally defined as a tetrachord spanning an interval significantly less than a perfect fourth.

[1]: 223 Saba is not playable on equal-tempered Western instruments because of the second degree, which is conceptually a "quarter tone" and not sufficiently well approximated by either a minor second or a major second above the tonic.

Jins 'Ajam may make more sense to Western ears because its third note is the same as the octave of the Saba tonic.

[3]: 196 [2]: 45 Multiple sources agree that the fourth degree, the pitch called Hicaz, is in practice played somewhat sharper than notated.

Jins Saba on D. Flat-with-slash means approximately half of a normal flat . The white notes are the tonic (D) and two candidates for the role of ghammaz : the pitch of secondary melodic emphasis (F) and the most common modulation point to other ajnas (B♭).
Maqam Saba on D. Both ways to continue the scale above B♭ — jins 'Ajam and jins Nikriz — are shown.
Makam Saba on A. Reversed flat lowers the pitch by 1 koma and flat-with-slash lowers the pitch by 4 komas. In Turkish music theory a whole tone is equivalent to 9 komas. [ 2 ] : 9 White notes indicate tonic ( durak ) and dominant ( güçlü ).