Maqam (Arabic) · Majestic · central
Rast Scale
Rast is the central “mother” maqam of Arabic music: bright, dignified and resolved. Its signature comes from the quarter-flat 3rd and 7th degrees — microtones that do not exist on a Western piano and give Rast its unmistakable colour. It is the natural starting point for understanding the whole maqam system.
Open the interactive Rast scale →On the piano keyboard
Rast scale shown on C
Structure of Maqam Rast on C
Shown on root C — the same interval pattern applies in every key.
Ajnas — the building blocks
Each maqam is built from two overlapping tetrachords (ajnas). The lower jins defines the maqam's character; the upper jins provides resolution. Understanding ajnas reveals how maqams relate and modulate between each other.
The defining cell of the maqam. Its quarter-flat third (Sikah) is the unmistakable signature of Rast.
Mirrors the lower tetrachord exactly, giving Rast its symmetrical, balanced and resolved feel.
Rast scale on every key — keyboard diagrams
C
Db
D
Eb
E
F
F#
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
Rast scale in every key
Emotional character & uses
Rast conveys majesty, warmth and confident resolution. Known as the "mother maqam", it is stable, dignified and welcoming. Listeners feel uplifted without the full brightness of major or the weight of minor — a unique emotional middle ground.
- Classical Arabic and Turkish compositions
- Sufi devotional music
- Quranic recitation styles
- Opening movements (sama'i, longa, bashraf)
Variations & related maqams
Rast transposed to start on F — commonly used in Egyptian classical music and tarab.
Rast with a Hijaz colour in the upper tetrachord, creating a more dramatic second half.
A variant where the Sikah degree is raised to a natural third, blending Rast and Kurd colours.
‡ marks a quarter-flat (microtonal) note — a pitch between two piano keys that is characteristic of Arabic Maqam scales. Hear it in the interactive app.