Makamlar: The Modal Scales of Turkish Art Music

Thomas Mikosch is an ethnomusicologist and fretless guitar player with over 30 years of experience exploring musical traditions around the world. His work engages deeply with Romani, Jewish, Arabic, Turkish, and Indian music, and is complemented by rigorous study of ancient musical systems, including those of Greece and Babylonia.Having studied under master musicians, he combines practical insight with a strong historical and theoretical foundation. Beyond performance and analysis, he explores the philosophical dimensions of music—drawing on Sufi, Kabbalistic, and Indian mystical traditions—and its role in shaping human culture and meaning.His work reflects a lifelong quest to uncover the interrelations between sound, culture, and expression, guided by the belief that music can articulate what words often cannot. Through his writing, he invites students and readers alike on a journey into the universal language of music.