A computational analysis on similarities and dissimilarities of Acem Kurdi, Kurdi and Muhayyer Kurdi makams in Turkish music

In Turkish music, it is possible to find different makams sharing the same core scale of notes. The subjects of this study are three such makams, namely Acem Küdri, Kürdi, Muhayyer Kürdi. We use computational analysis based on histograms, pattern search and dynamic time warping to reveal the similarities and dissimilarities of these three makams. On the one hand, our results show that a time independent histogram analysis is unable to properly highlight the differences between different makams. On the other hand, our study also reveals that a time dependent analysis is well suited for the identification of their distinguishing features. In particular, the application of a specialized dynamic time warping technique leads to the establishment of low correlation between these makams.