• 1. H₆^1c
• 2. T₂^3a
• 3. T₂^3b
• 4. T₂^3c
• 5. T₂^4b
• 6. T₂^4c
• 7. T₂^5c
• 8. C₆^1b
• 9. C₆^3b
• 10. C₆^3f
• 11. X₂^3b
• 12. R₇^1b
• 13. O₇^1a
• 14. O₇^1b
• 15. O₇^1c
• 16. O₇^2a
• 17. O₇^2b
• 18. O₇^3b
• 19. O₇^3c
• 20. O₇^4b
• 21. O₇^4c
• 22. O₇^5c
• 23. Q₄^1a
• 24. Q₄^1b
• 25. Q₄^1c
• 26. Q₄^2a
• 27. Q₄^2b
• 28. Q₄^3b
• 29. Q₄^4b
• 30. O₄^1a
• 31. O₄^1c
• 32. O₄^3a
• 33. O₄^4b
• 34. O₄^4c
• 35. O₄^5b
• 36. O₄^5c
• 37. S₅^2b
• 38. S₅^4b
• 39. H₄^1b
• 40. H₄^3c
• 41. C₄^3b
• 42. B₄^3b
• 43. R₄^1a
• 44. R₄^1c
• 45. R₄^2b
• 46. R₄^3b
• 47. R₄^3c
• 48. R₄^4b
• 49. R₄^4c
• 50. R₄^5c

This section provides a sample inventory of modal notations for approximately 100 of the roughly 220 amorphous melodic figures identified within the Radif. These figures are essential for the modular architecture of larger structures, namely gušeh within the overarching modal system 'dastgāh'. The list is organized in a manner commonly described as 'light to dark' in jazz theory when discussing the presentation of modes, exemplified by the spectrum from 'Lydian to Locrian'. An earlier appearance of a modal cycle on the list indicates that larger intervals are positioned lower. Beside each modal notation, an audio example is provided. In every audio example, the note 'C' is initially established as the anchor tone, followed by the introduction of the respective 'māyeh', which illustrates the 'šāhed' in relation to the corresponding trichord. Subsequently, the 'maqām' (the tone pool) is demonstrated through a scale-like presentation of the relevant tone assignment for the particular modal cycle.

3-1. Compendium of Modal Notations for Identified Melodic Figures

• 51. Q₁^1c
• 52. Q₁^2b
• 53. Q₁^3a
• 54. Q₁^3b
• 55. Q₁^3c
• 56. Q₁^3e
• 57. Q₁^4b
• 58. Q₁^4c
• 59. Q₁^5b
• 60. Q₁^5c
• 61. K₆^1c
• 62. K₆^3a
• 63. K₆^3b
• 64. R₁^1a
• 65. R₁^1c
• 66. R₁^2a
• 67. R₁^2b
• 68. R₁^3b
• 69. R₁^4b
• 70. R₁^4c
• 71. R₁^5a
• 72. R₁^5b
• 73. S₁^1a
• 74. S₁^1b
• 75. S₁^2b
• 76. O₁^1a
• 77. O₁^1b
• 78. O₁^2b
• 79. O₁^2c
• 80. O₁^3b
• 81. O₁^3c
• 82. T₄^1a
• 83. T₄^1b
• 84. T₄^1c
• 85. T₄^1f
• 86. T₄^2a
• 87. T₄^2b
• 88. T₄^2c
• 89. B₆^1a
• 90. B₆^1b
• 91. B₆^2a
• 92. Q₅^1a
• 93. Q₅^1b
• 94. Q₅^1c
• 95. Q₅^2b
• 96. Q₅^3c
• 97. O₅^1a
• 98. O₅^1b
• 99. O₅^2a
• 100. O₅^2b

3. Depiction of the Radif Repertoire as Case Study

In Persian music, distinct modal entities known as 'gušeh' emerge from individual melodic figures or their modular compositions, which vary in māyeh, maqām, or both. Each gušeh possesses unique characteristics, whether modal, rhythmic, or both, and together, they constitute the larger modal categories known as 'dastgāh's, the overarching framework of the Persian musical tradition. A certain manifestation of all dastgāhs and gušehs, which serves as a model for the presentation of Persian music and as a roadmap for improvisation, is called Radif. This study draws upon Nur-Ali Borumand's rendition of the Radif (Talai 2015) as the primary reference for the corpus of melodic structures in Persian music under investigation.

A visual comparison video between two melodic figures of the same 'māyeh' (namely 4b), each referring to a different modal circle.

3-2. Constructing Composite Modal Frameworks

This section delineates the composition of amorphous figures as modal blocks for constructing larger modal structures, specifying the intervals between their anchor tones. These intervals are precisely denoted through the use of Roman numerals, applied chromatically exact, and are referenced in relation to the anchor tone of the primary gušeh within the respective dastgāh, known as 'darāmad'. In this paper, we refer to this primary anchor tone as 'finalis' and denote it with the Roman numeral 'I'1. The notation '^bIII-R₄^2b' indicates, for example, that the building block 'R₄^2b' is constructed a 'minor third' (denoted by '^bIII') above the finalis in darāmad. Numerals without accidentals signify major or perfect intervals, while the inclusion of accidentals modifies these intervals, either enlarging or diminishing them as required. Notations marked with the same color represent blocks that share the same maqām (tone pool).

The corresponding audio recording of Nur-ali Borumand's original interpretation of Mirza Abdollah's Radif.

To the last section

The diamond-shaped note head represents the anchor tone of the respective block. The plus symbol indicates the šāhed-note, and trichords are depicted by eighth-note beams.