USULS

The system of meters used in Turkish folk music is more complex than that of Turkish classical music. From a worldwide perspective, Turkish folk music is rhythmically one of the most complex types of music. The meters can be considered in three main categories:

1) Basic meters and their tripled
2) Compound meters
3) Mixed meters.

The internal meters of Turkish meters are as follows:

1) Main meters and their compound forms
Double meters
Triple meters
Quadruple meters

Compound Forms

Double meters (3+3=6)
Triple meters (3+3+3=9)
Quadruple meters (3+3+3+3=12)

2) Compound Meters
5-count meters (3+2)-(2+3)
6-count meters (3+3)-(4+2)-(2+4)
7-count meters (3+2+2)-(2+3+2)-(2+2+3)
8 -count meters (2+3+3)-(3+2+3)-(3+3+2)
9 -count meters (3+2+2+2)-(2+3+2+2)-(2+2+3+2)-(2+2+2+3)

3) Mixed Meters
10-count meters (2+3+2+3)-(3+2+3+2)-(3+2+2+3)-(3+3+2+2)-(2+2+3+3)-(2+3+3+2)
11-count meters [(2+2+3)+(2+2)]-[(3+2)+(2+2+2)]-[(3+2)+(3+3)]
12-count meters [(2+3)+(3+2+2)]-[(2+3+2+2)+3]-[(2+3)+(3+2+2)]
13-count meters [(3+3+3)+(2+2)]-[(3+3)+(2+2+3)]
14 -count meters [4+6+4]
15-count meters [(3+3+2)+(3+2+2)]-[(3+2+2)+(3+2+3)]-[3+4+4+4]-[(2+3+3)+(2+2+3)]-[(2+3+2)+(3+2+3)]

Meters with greater than 15 counts contain an irregular internal rhythmic structure. Such meters have been determined with up to 32 counts.