Taqsīm Quality
Building a coherent improvised maqām taqsīm that develops the sayr, builds tension to the octave, and closes convincingly.
The five levels
Each anchor describes what separates one level from the next — not a general description of quality. This is the text the evaluator itself reads.
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Level 1 Below Standard
Random notes with no maqām coherence.
Example Improvisation straying from the maqām unintentionally.
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Level 2 Approaching
A taqsīm within the maqām but without development or a close.
Example Lingering on one degree without building.
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Level 3 At Standard
A coherent taqsīm within one maqām with a clear sayr.
Example A build that rises and returns to the tonic.
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Level 4 Above Standard
A taqsīm developing the sayr, building tension to the octave, and closing convincingly.
Example A climax on the octave followed by a satisfying close.
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Level 5 Excellence
A taqsīm telling a full maqām journey with intentional modulation and a convincing, ṭarab-stirring close.
Example A journey from Rāst coloured with Nahawand, returning to close with ṭarab.
Where does your own work sit on these levels?
Submit one work to be read against this criterion alone: your position across the five levels, why you are not higher and why not lower, three literal quotes from your own work, and one exercise with its success check. Your first card is free.
Price: 7 SAR · Included in Pro & Artist Plus · First one free — Pricing details
Read my work by this criterionOther criteria in the same art
Maintaining a consistent and continuous tempo throughout the performance
The five levels →Hitting the Arabic neutral note (quarter-tone) precisely in cents, not rounding it to the nearest Western semitone.
The five levels →Accuracy in playing notes and avoiding deviation from correct pitches
The five levels →Conveying a feeling or meaning to the listener through musical performance
The five levels →Constructing performance with cohesive structure: intro, development, climax, outro
The five levels →Musician's complete presence in the moment during performance
The five levels →Musician's ability to create genuine dialogue with their listeners
The five levels →Executing the Arabic rhythmic cycle's structure (dum/tak) at its correct time positions (Maqsūm, Maṣmūdī…).
The five levels →