+Snippets:
+@rlsr{World music},
+@rlsr{Pitches}.
+
+
+@node Arabic time signatures
+@unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic time signatures
+
+@cindex Arabic time signatures
+@cindex Semai form
+@cindex taqasim
+
+Some Arabic and Turkish music classical forms such as
+@notation{Semai} use unusual time signatures such as 10/8. This
+may lead to an automatic grouping of notes that is quite different
+from existing typeset music, where notes may not be grouped on the
+beat, but in a manner that is difficult to match by adjusting
+automatic beaming. You can override this by switching off
+automatic beaming and beaming the notes manually. Where matching
+existing typeset music is not an issue, you may still want to
+adjust the beaming behaviour and/or use compound time signatures.
+
+@snippets
+
+@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,texidoc,doctitle]
+{compound-time-signatures.ly}
+
+@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,texidoc,doctitle]
+{arabic-improvisation.ly}
+
+@seealso
+
+Notation Reference:
+@ref{Manual beams},
+@ref{Automatic beams},
+@ref{Unmetered music},
+@ref{Automatic accidentals},
+@ref{Setting automatic beam behavior},
+@ref{Time signature}.
+
+Snippets:
+@rlsr{World music}.
+
+
+@node Arabic music example
+@unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic music example
+
+@cindex Arabic music example
+@cindex Arabic music template
+@cindex Template Arabic music
+
+Here is a template that also uses the start of a Turkish Semai
+that is familiar in Arabic music education in order to illustrate
+some of the peculiarities of Arabic music notation, such as medium
+intervals and unusual modes that are discussed in this section.
+
+@lilypond[quote,verbatim]
+\include "arabic.ly"
+\score {
+ \relative re' {
+ \set Staff.extraNatural = ##f
+ \set Staff.autoBeaming = ##f
+ \key re \bayati
+ \time 10/8
+
+ re4 re'8 re16 [misb re do] sisb [la sisb do] re4 r8
+ re16 [misb do re] sisb [do] la [sisb sol8] la [sisb] do [re] misb
+ fa4 fa16 [misb] misb8. [re16] re8 [misb] re [do] sisb
+ do4 sisb8 misb16 [re do sisb] la [do sisb la] la4 r8
+ }
+ \header {
+ title = "Semai Muhayer"
+ composer = "Jamil Bek"
+ }
+}
+@end lilypond
+
+@seealso
+
+Snippets:
+@rlsr{World music}
+
+
+
+@node Further reading
+@unnumberedsubsubsec Further reading
+
+@enumerate
+
+@item
+The music of the Arabs by Habib Hassan Touma [Amadeus Press, 1996],
+contains a discussion of maqams and their method of groupings.
+
+There are also various web sites that explain maqams and some
+provide audio examples such as :
+
+@itemize @bullet
+@item
+@uref{http://www.maqamworld.com/}
+@item
+@uref{http://www.turath.org/}
+@end itemize
+
+There are some variations in the details of how maqams are grouped,
+despite agreement on the criteria of grouping maqams that are
+related through common lower tetra chords, or through modulation.
+
+@item
+There is not a complete consistency, sometimes even in the same
+text on how key signatures for particular maqams should be
+specified. It is common, however, to use a key signature per
+group, rather than a different key signature for each different
+maqam.