Traditional / experimental practice
Makam · Ussak
The Ussak scale (8-5-9-9-4-9-9 commas) in 53-comma tuning: a drone on dugah (A) with a slow melodic motif above, dominant neva. The effect of makams on mood is a historical account, not a scientific claim.
A traditional or spiritual practice, not a scientific claim.
How is it made?
- Drone · A2 (440 Hz tuning), 110 Hz
Sound is generated on this device in real time; no files are downloaded from a server. There is a 8 s fade-in at the start and a 1 min fade-out at the end.
Evidence
T · Traditional/spiritual practiceNo scientific claim is made; it is offered as a cultural or personal practice.
A makam is a melodic system of Turkish music; its effect on mood is a historical account, not a scientific claim.
Evidence level T: Traditional/spiritual practice- What do we know?
- Safi al-Din al-Urmawi's twelve modes were matched to the zodiac signs and his four branches to the four elements. Ottoman physicians such as Şuuri Hasan Efendi and Gevrekzade Hasan Efendi wrote about the effects of makams on emotions. At the Bayezid II Darüşşifa in Edirne, music is mentioned as an experimental practice alongside the traditional medicine of the period.
- What don't we know?
- These mappings are historical accounts: with no research showing their validity and reliability, they have no clinical value today. No specific effect of listening to a makam has been shown scientifically.
A session's level is the weakest of its linked claims; it is never raised by a strong but unrelated claim.
Keep your device volume comfortable, preferably below 60%. You can also use your device's headphone-safety settings.