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Quarter tones: what they are and how to play them on guitar
What is a quarter tone
A semitone is the smallest interval in the ordinary Western scale, and it equals 100 cents. A quarter tone is half of that: 50 cents. A system of 24 steps in the octave, where each step is a quarter tone, is commonly used to explain Arabic music. In practice the exact pitch of maqam notes varies between regions, instruments and players, and 50 cents is a convenient approximation for learning.
How it is written
The symbol ↓ marks a note lowered by a quarter tone (half-flat), for example E↓. On the site, quarter tones are marked in yellow on the fretboard, and the root in red.
Which maqamat use them
- Rast: the third and seventh degrees (½b3 and ½b7).
- Bayati: the second degree.
- Saba: the second degree.
- Sikah: five of its seven degrees.
Nahawand, Ajam, Kurd, Hijaz, Nikriz, Hijaz Kar and Nawa Athar have no quarter tones, so they are easier to start with.
How to play a quarter tone on guitar
On a guitar with regular frets every fret is a semitone, so there is no fret for a quarter tone. You get it by gently pushing the string sideways, which raises the pitch by about a quarter tone, or by a short slide. Fretless guitars, or guitars with special frets, allow more accurate quarter tones. On the bağlama the frets are unequal, and the quarter tones sit on the frets themselves.
How to practice
- Turn on the drone on the root of the maqam, to hear each note against the tonic.
- Play the note marked in yellow slowly, and listen to how it sounds against the drone.
- Check the pitch with the tuner in quarter-tone mode: the needle should be close to 0.
- Repeat for a few minutes a day. The ear learns the pitches gradually.