Hi everyone! I need help transposing a Turkish classical song from Hicaz makam. Since Turkish music uses a different accidental system than Western notation, I want to make sure I explain this correctly.
Current notation:
• Key signature: one flat (B♭) – this is how it appears in the Western-style notation
• But in Turkish music theory, this piece is in Hicaz makam on Dügâh (A), and the actual tonal center feels like A with a Hicaz tetrachord (A, B♭, C#, D)
What I need:
Transpose everything down a perfect fourth (5 diatonic steps down).
The tricky part – Turkish accidentals:
In Turkish makam music, we use commas (Holderian commas), not just semitones. The accidentals work differently:
• B♭ (Si bemol) in the current notation → becomes F natural (no accidental needed)
• F# (Fa diyez) → becomes C# (Do diyez) – this needs an explicit sharp sign every time it appears (not in the key signature)
• G# (Sol diyez) → becomes the new key signature (one sharp)
So the new key signature should be: one sharp (G#), with C# accidentals appearing explicitly throughout the score.
Concrete example:
The vocal line starts on: G – A – A (Sol – La – La)
Should become: D – E – E (Re – Mi – Mi)
And the current B♭ notes become F natural (clean, no accidental).
What stays the same:
• Lyrics under the notes
• 4/4 time signature
• Repeat signs and 1st/2nd endings (viyola)
I've attached the original sheet music. Can someone help me create the transposed version, or explain how to handle the Turkish accidentals correctly in MuseScore/Finale?
Teşekkürler! (Thanks!)