Usul (music)

{{refimprove, date=January 2011
In Ottoman classical music, ''usul'' is an underlying rhythmic cycle that complements the melodic rhythm and sometimes helps shape the overall structure of a composition. An usul can be as short as two beats or as long as 128 beats. Usul is often translated as "meter", but usul and meter are not exactly the same. Both are repeating rhythmic patterns with more or less complex inner structures of beats of differing duration and weight. But a student learning Turkish music in the traditional ''meşk'' system first memorizes the usul kinetically by striking the knees with the hands. The student then sings the vocal or instrumental composition while performing the underlying usul. This pedagogical system helps the student memorize the composition while internalizing the underlying rhythmic structure.

Usul patterns have standard pronounceable vocables built from combinations of the syllables ''düm'', ''dü-üm'', ''tek'', ''tekkyaa'', ''teke'', ''te-ek'', where düm, dü-üm indicate a strong low beat of single or double duration, and tek, tekkya, teke, te-ek indicate various combinations of light beats of half, single or double duration. Long ''usul''s (e.g., 28/4, 32/4, 120/4) are compound metric structures that underlie longer sections of entire compositions.

In Ottoman times, the usul was realized by drummers. Drums are generally omitted in modern performances except for Mevlevi. When performing music for the Mevlevi ceremony, drummers traditionally play embellished (''velveleli'') versions of the usuls.

Instrumental improvisations (''taksim'') and vocal improvisations (''gazel'', '' mersiye'', etc.) are generally performed in "free" rhythm, with no usul.

The melodic counterpart to usul rhythmic mode is ''makam'' melodic mode. The parallel system to usul in Indian music is '' tala''.

Usul

Usuls based on number of beats per bar

*2-) Nimsofyan
*3-) Semâî
*4-) Sofyan
*5-) Zafer, Türk Aksağı (Süreyya)
*6-) Yürüksemâî, Sengin Semaî , Ağır Semai
*7-) Devr-i Hindî, Devr-i Turan (Mandra), Devr-i Aryân
*8-) Düyek, Ağırdüyek, Katakofti (Müsemmen)
*9-) Aksak, Ağır Aksak, Oynak, Evfer, Ağır Evfer, Bulgar Darbı (Darbıbulgar), Çiftesofyan (Raksaksağı)
*10-) Aksaksemaî, Ağır Aksaksemaî
*12-) Frenkçin
*13-) Nimevsat
*14-) Devrirevan
*16-) Nimhafîf
*32-) Hafîf, Muhammes
*88-) Darbıfetih

Additional usuls

# Gülşen
# Arabesk
# Alaturka
# Özgün
# Semah
# Vahde
# Sebare
# Sufi
# Azəri
# Baqu havaları
# Şeyhin Samil
# Qaşgay
# Artık Aksaksemaî
# Türk Aksaksemaîsi
# Arab Aksaksemaîsi
# Aksak Sofyan
# Kadîm Evfer
# Romanlı8/9
# Rumeli8/9
# Nimevfer
# Çiftetelli
# Misket
# Ankara havaları
# Kaşık
# Halay
# Ağrı
# Deliloy
# Durakevferi
# Firengi Fer'
# Fer'
# Türk Darbı (1. Şekil)
# Türk Darbı (2. Şekil)
# Türk Darbı (3. Şekil)
# Türk sanat müziği 2/4
# Türk sanat müziği 4/4
# Türk sanat müziği 4/6
# Türk sanat müziği 6/8
# Türk Halk müziği 4/4
# Türk Halk müziği 5/8
# Türk Halk müziği 8/9
# Türk Halk müziği 9/10
# Uzun havaları
# Oyun havaları
# Düğün havaları
# Hünerdarb
# Tekvuruş
# Karadeniz
# Ormancı
# Trabzon
# Horon
# Laz
# Raksan
# Arap Oryantal
# Türk Oryantal
# Aksak Semaî Evferi
# Hefta
# Nimdevir
# Mevlevi Devrirevani
# Dolap
# Devritürkî
# Darbıarabî
# Nazlı Devrihindî
# Devrikebîr
# Evsat
# Dilruba
# Yörük Ali
# Fahte
# Lenkfahte (Nimfahte)
# Şirin
# Hezeç
# Harzem
# Çenber
# Ağır Çenber
# Nimberefşan
# Berefşan
# Nimsakîl
# Sakîl
# Remel
# Havî
# Zencîr
# Zeybek
# Darbeyn
# Karşılama
# Harmandalı
# Bektaşîraksı
# Darbıkürdî

See also

*Rhythm in Arabian music
*Rhythm in Persian music

External links

Rhythmic layers in Turkish art music

Asian rhythm
Turkish music
Turkish words and phrases
Ottoman classical music
Turkish makam music