The following selection introduces some of the most representative instruments in a Near East music ensemble; cellos and double basses are also often used. Included are short taqâsîm (improvisations). During a taqsîm (singular of taqâsîm), the instrumentalist improvises according to a complex set of preestablished rules and conventions. Individual taqâsîm commonly last from three to five minutes but their length may vary depending on the amount of time alotted to the performer, as well as on the performer's mood.
A taqsîm is multi-sectional, with phrases separated by moments of silence. The entire taqsîm is a gradual unfolding of the unique characteristics of a specific mode. Generally, such unfolding follows an ascending progression, with the musician often beginning at the bottom of a modal scale and slowly working up to the higher notes. Modulating to other maqâmât (modes) in a single taqsîm is very common as is the eventual and obligatory return to the maqâm with which the taqsîm began.
The various sections of a taqsîm generally end with stylized cadential phrases called qaflât, a source of particular enjoyment for the audience. The taqâsîm genre gives instrumentalists the opportunity to show their abilities and sensitivities both as performers and composers. Listeners appreciate and judge the overall structure of a taqsîm, the performers' ability to bring the improvisations to effective resolutions, their use of silence and modulation, their knowledge of the various maqâmât, and their technical mastery of their instrument. Inspired performances may evoke a profound feeling of ecstasy within the listeners.
(The term taqâsîm is not used to describe improvised rhythmic variations performed on percussion instruments)