Üsküdara is a Turkish folk song that has achieved world-wide fame. No one knows who wrote the song, but it is many centuries old, and its catchy melody has been enjoyed by musicians across the globe. Üsküdar is the name of a neighborhood in Istanbul, and the song tells the story of a clerk and her secretary traveling to Üsküdar.

The song is in Maqam Nihavend, a Middle Eastern mode that is equivalent to a minor key. The notes of the scale are the same as a natural minor scale: E F# G A B C D E or the equivalent of harmonic minor scale: E F# G A B C D# E because both D natural and D sharp are present. It is not recommended to play D natural and D sharp in succession, as this would create chromaticism, which is not characteristic.

This style of music often incorporates improvisation known as taqsim. This arrangement offers opportunities for individual students to try their had at improvisation in the taqsim section. To create an authentic sound, it is suggested that they limit their improvisation to the notes of the Nihavend scale, and that they keep the improvisations to 20-30 seconds or so.

The percussion part is optional and can be performed on a variety of percussion instruments, depending on what’s available. The most important thing is to have distinctive low and high sounds, which replicate the low and high sounds of the Middle Eastern percussion instrument, the dumbek. At rehearsal letters D, E and G, the use of a cymbal is indicated by the “x”. If a cymbal is not available, it can be replaced by the high-sounding percussion.