Ney Lessons

Ney Lessons - 13 -

Usûls Used in Turkish Music up to the Present Day

 Dear Ney players, in this lesson we will share information about Usûls and become familiar with the principal usûls that we should know.

 What is an Usûl?

 A fixed metrical pattern formed from specific sequences is called an Usûl.

 Usûls are divided into two groups: small usûls and large usûls.

What Is a Small Usûl?

 Usûls ranging from two unit beats up to fifteen unit beats are called Small Usûls.

 I would like you to learn the small usûls listed below.

 There are 33 small usûls. You can see them below:

 SMALL USÛLS USED IN TURKISH MUSIC UP TO THE PRESENT DAY

 1 - Nim Sofyan : Has 2 unit beats.

 2 - Semai (Waltz) : Has 3 unit beats.

 3 - Sofyan : Has 4 unit beats.

 4 - Türk Aksağı : Has 5 unit beats.

 5 - Yürük Semai : Has 6 unit beats.

 6 - Darb-ı Usûl : Has 6 unit beats.

 7 - Devr-i Hindi : Has 7 unit beats.

 8 - Devr-i Turan : Has 7 unit beats.

 9 - Düyek : Has 8 unit beats.

 10 - Müsemmen : Has 8 unit beats.

 11 - Darb-ı Bulgar : Has 8 unit beats.

 12 - Aksak : Has 9 unit beats.

 13 - Evfer : Has 9 unit beats.

 14 - Raks Aksağı : Has 9 unit beats.

 15 - Oynak : Has 9 unit beats.

 16 - Üçleme : Has 9 unit beats.

 17 - Aksak Semai : Has 10 unit beats.

 18 - Aksak Semai Evferi : Has 10 unit beats.

 19 - Lenk Fahte : Has 10 unit beats.

 20 - Ceng-i Harbi : Has 10 unit beats.

 21 - Tek Vuruş : Has 11 unit beats.

 22 - Frenkçin : Has 12 unit beats.

 23 - Nim Çember : Has 12 unit beats.

 24 - İkiz Aksak : Has 12 unit beats.

 25 - Mazmuri : Has 12 unit beats.

 26 - Nim Evsat : Has 13 unit beats.

 27 - Şark-ı Devr-i Revanı : Has 13 unit beats.

 28 - Bektaşi Devr-i Revanı : Has 13 unit beats.

 29 - Devr-i Revan : Has 14 unit beats.

 30 - Devr-i Turki : Has 14 unit beats.

 31 - Musabba : Has 14 unit beats.

 32 - Raksan : Has 15 unit beats.

 33 - Bektaşi Raksanı : Has 15 unit beats.

What Is a Large Usûl?

 Usûls ranging from sixteen unit beats

up to one hundred and twenty unit beats are called Large Usûls.

 There are 29 large usûls. You can see them below:

 LARGE USÛLS USED IN TURKISH MUSIC UP TO THE PRESENT DAY

 1 - Bektaşi Raksı : Has 16 unit beats.

 2 - Çifte Düyek : Has 16 unit beats.

 3 - Fer : Has 16 unit beats.

 4 - Nim Berefşan : Has 16 unit beats.

 5 - Nim Hafif : Has 16 unit beats.

 6 - Darb-ı Turki : Has 18 unit beats.

 7 - Nim Devir : Has 18 unit beats.

 8 - Fahte : Has 20 unit beats.

 9 - Durak Evferi : Has 21 unit beats.

 10 - Hezec : Has 22 unit beats.

 11 - Şirin : Has 22 unit beats.

 12 - Çenber : Has 24 unit beats.

 13 - Nim Sakil : Has 24 unit beats.

 14 - Evsat : Has 26 unit beats.

 15 - Beste Devr-i Revanı : Has 26 unit beats.

 16 - Şark-ı Devr-i Revanı : Has 26 unit beats.

 17 - Devr-i Kebir : Has 28 unit beats.

 18 - Frengifer : Has 28 unit beats.

 19 - Remel : Has 28 unit beats.

 20 - Devr-i Sagir : Has 30 unit beats.

 21 - Hafif : Has 32 unit beats.

 22 - Berefşan : Has 32 unit beats.

 23 - Muhammes : Has 32 unit beats.

 24 - Darb-ı Hüner : Has 38 unit beats.

 25 - Sakil : Has 48 unit beats.

 26 - Nim Zincir : Has 60 unit beats.

 27 - Hâvi : Has 64 unit beats.

 28 - Darb-ı Fetih : Has 88 unit beats.

 29 - Zincir : Has 120 unit beats.

 Today, many of these usûls are no longer used.

 Recent instrumental and vocal works do not exceed usûls of 15 unit beats.

 In order to perform a piece in the best possible way, we must know its usûl.

 We attach importance to usûls so that we can perform any vocal or instrumental work in accordance with its rhythm and nuances.

 This is why music has a relationship with mathematics.

 Knowing the usûl or rhythm of a piece will be especially helpful when sight-reading.

 To sight-read means to read and perform the notation of a musical piece at first sight.

 Below, we present information about the usûls that we should know:

 NİM SOFYAN USÛL :

 The name of the smallest and simplest usûl in Turkish music is Nim Sofyan Usûl.

 It has two levels: 2/8 and 2/4.

 It is an usûl with two unit beats and two ضربs (strokes).

 Its pattern is: DÜM 1, TEK 1.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the most commonly used second level of the Nim Sofyan usûl:

Sample notation:

 Video:

 SEMAİ USÛL :

 An usûl with three unit beats and three strokes in the form Düm 1, Tek 1, Tek 1 is called Semai Usûl.

 It has 3/8, 3/4, and 3/2 levels.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the most commonly used second level of the Semai usûl:

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 SOFYAN USÛL :

 An usûl with 4 unit beats and 3 strokes is called Sofyan Usûl.

 It has 4/8, 4/4, and 4/2 levels.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 2, TE 1, KE 1.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the most commonly used second level of the Sofyan usûl:

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 TÜRK AKSAĞI USÛL :

 An usûl with 5 unit beats and 3 strokes is called Türk Aksağı Usûl.

 It has a 5/8 level.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 2, TEK 2, TEK 1.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the Türk Aksağı usûl:

 Türk Aksağı was first created by Hacı Arif Bey.

Later, İsmail Hakkı Bey arranged it as you see above and gave it the name of his daughter, Süreyya.

Today, this usûl is still known by the name Türk Aksağı.

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 YÜRÜK SEMAİ USÛL :

 An usûl with six unit beats and five strokes is called Yürük Semai Usûl.

 It has three levels: 6/8, 6/4, and 6/2.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 1, TEK 1, TEK 1, DÜM 1, TEK 2.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the most commonly used second level of the Yürük Semai usûl:

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 DEVR-İ HİNDİ USÛL :

 The small and compound usûl with seven unit beats and five strokes in the pattern Düm 1, Tek 1, Tek 1, Düm 2, Tek 2

is called the Devr-i Hindi Usûl.

 It has two levels: 7/8 and 7/4.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the most commonly used second level of the Devr-i Hindi usûl:

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 DÜYEK USÛL :

 An usûl with eight unit beats and five strokes is called Düyek Usûl.

 It has two levels: 8/8 and 8/4.

 This usûl is syncopated.

(Syncopation: the displacement of a strong beat and a weak beat.)

 Its most commonly used form is the first level, 8/8.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 1, TEK 2, TEK 1, DÜM 2, TEK 2.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the most commonly used first level of the Düyek usûl:

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

You can enlarge the notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 This usûl is one of the most commonly used usûls today.

 AKSAK USÛL :

 An usûl with nine unit beats and six strokes is called Aksak Usûl.

 It has three levels: 9/16, 9/8, and 9/4.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 2, TE 1, KE 1, DÜM 2, TEK 2, TEK 1.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the most commonly used second level of the aksak usûl:

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 The first level of the aksak usûl is called Yürük Aksak or Çifte Sofyan.

The more slowly performed version is called Aydın. The name of its second level is Aksak.

 AĞIR AKSAK USÛL :

 The 9/4 usûl, which is the third level of the aksak usûl, is called Ağır Aksak.

The most important feature of this usûl is that the entire Düm at the beginning of the usûl and half of the following Te are marked with a rest sign (Es / Rest).

We call this Anacrusis.

 Anacrusis : entering a piece from any point other than the exact beginning of the usûl.

 Vocal works in Ağır Aksak usûl begin with anacrusis.

 In the piece below, you see a notation sample of an Ağır Aksak piece.

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 EVFER USÛL :

 An usûl with nine unit beats and six strokes is called Evfer Usûl.

 It has two levels: 9/8 and 9/4.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 2, TE 1, KE 1, DÜM 2, TEK 1, TEK 2.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the most commonly used second level of the evfer usûl:

 The second level of this usûl is called Ağır Evfer Usûl.

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 RAKS AKSAĞI USÛL :

 A small and compound usûl with nine unit beats and four strokes is called Raks Aksağı Usûl.

 It has 9/8 and 9/4 levels.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 2, TEK 3, DÜM 2, TEK 2.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the most commonly used second level of the Raks Aksağı usûl:

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 AKSAK SEMAİ USÛL :

 An usûl with ten unit beats and six strokes is called Aksak Semai Usûl.

 It has 10/16, 10/8, and 10/4 levels.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 2, TE 1, KÂ 2, DÜM 2, TEK 2, TEK 1.

 In the image below, you see the most commonly used second level of the Aksak Semai usûl:

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 It has frequently been used in many instrumental Semai form works in Turkish Music, in Nakış Semais,

Köçekçes, dance tunes, and songs.

 The first 10/16 level of this usûl is called Curcuna.

 The third 10/4 level is called Ağır Aksak Semai.

 AKSAK SEMAİ EVFERİ USÛL :

 An usûl with ten unit beats and six strokes is called Aksak Semai Evferi Usûl.

 It has 10/8 and 10/4 levels.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 2, TE 1, KÂ 2, DÜM 2, TEK 1, TEK 2.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the most commonly used second level of the Aksak Semai Evferi usûl:

 DEVR-İ REVAN USÛL :

 An usûl with fourteen unit beats and six strokes is called Devr-i Revan Usûl.

 It has 14/8 and 14/4 levels.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 3, DÜM 2, TEK 2, DÜM 3, TEK 2, TEK 2.

 In the image below, you see the most commonly used first level of the Devr-i Revan usûl:

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 RAKSAN USÛL :

 This small usûl with fifteen unit beats and ten strokes is called Raksan Usûl.

 It has 15/8 and 15/4 levels.

 The Arabs call this usûl Lema.

 Its pattern is: DÜM 3, DÜM 2, TEK 2, DÜM 3, TEK 2, TEK 2.

 In the rhythm notation below, you see the first level of the Raksan usûl that has been used up to the present day:

 This usûl has been used in works such as “Bir Güzele Bakıp Gönlümü Verdim” and “Söğüdün Yaprağı Narindir Narin.”

 It is not a very frequently used usûl.

You can enlarge the sample notation by clicking on it.

Video:

 OUR GOALS AT THE END OF THIS LESSON:

- Memorize the usûls from 2 unit beats up to 10 unit beats.

- Memorize the sample works.

- Complete the short exercises.

- After completing these goals, you may move on to the next lesson.

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