Modulation

In Arabic music, the act of moving to a new jinsJins (pl. ajnas): a scale fragment of 3, 4, or 5 notes with a specific mood and melodic vocabulary.Visit the link to learn more or maqamMaqam (pl. maqamat) is the modal melodic system used in the Arab worldVisit the link to learn more. This typically takes two forms: 1. changing the intervals around a particular tonicThe tonic is the "home note" of a scale or of a piece of music that's in a key, or a note of resolution in modal music.Visit the link to learn more - so that the tonic stays the same but the jins changes, or 2. moving to a new tonal center. These two forms of modulation are analogous to modulation in Western music (i.e. 1. changing from Major to Minor on the same key, and 2. changing the key), but the number of options available for type 1 is much greater in Arabic music, and the movement of tonal center (type 2) is typically limited to specific culturally-expected moves within and among particular maqamat.

Context

A Guide to the Maqam Tuning Presets for Ableton Live 12