Taqsim (Arabic:تَقْسِيم /ALA-LC:taqsīm,Sorani Kurdish:تەقسیم,Greek:ταξίμι,romanized: taksimi,Turkish:taksim) is amelodicmusical improvisation that usually precedes the performance of a traditionalArabic,Kurdish,Greek,Middle Eastern,Iranian,Azerbaijani orTurkishmusical composition.
Taqsim traditionally follows a certain melodic progression. Starting from the tonic of a particularArabic maqam (or a Turkishmakam), the first fewmeasures of the improvisation remain in the lowerajnas of the maqam, thereby introducing the maqam to the listener. After this introduction, the performer is free to move anywhere in the maqam, and even to modulate to other maqams, as long as they return to the original one.[1]
Taqsim is either asolo instrument performance, or one that is backed by a percussionist or other instrumentalist playing adrone on thetonic of themaqam.
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