Behind all of the major modal musical idioms of the world are various theoretical models which directly refer to the practice of the musical tradition in question. Most of these musical idioms share a considerable amount of common material which is clearly reflected in their theoretical systems.

The study of these various traditions would therefore not be complete without a clear understanding of the theory which supports and, to a large degree, defines them. Depending on the tradition in question, modes are referred to as makam (maqam or mugam ), dastgah, ichos, ayak, naghma, raga etc. Each of these systems refers to an entire self contained realm of modal musical practice, but a knowledge of more than one such system greatly enhances our overall understanding of modality in general.

The core of the weekly seminars at Labyrinth Musical Workshop is related to various modal music traditions. In the upcoming summer season (July-August-September), we are introducing four seminars that focus on the theory of Modal Systems. These seminars offer a great opportunity to explore the theory behind Modal Systems and gain a deeper understanding of how they are used in music from different cultures.

11-15 July -Araz Salek- Iranian Tar & Radif

17-22 July-Ross Daly- Composition in Makams

7-12 August-Evgenios Voulgaris- Ottoman Music & Makam

14-19 August-Peppe Frana- A Modal Perspective