Abd al-QādirMarāghī's statements concerning fretting the string instruments

Fretting the string instruments typically constitutes one of the major issues of Islamic-Iranian old music treatises. In the Systematist School which pays special attention to mathematics, this subject has been so meticulously discussed and addressed. ‘Abd al-QādirMarāghī (d. 838 A.H. /1434 A.D.) who is one of the most outstanding and prominent musicians of this school expounding the opinions of Safī al-DīnUrmawī (d. 693 A.H./1294 A.D.), has explained string insatruments’ fretting in the second chapters of the books, Jāmi‘ al-alḥān, Maqāsid al-alḥān and Sharḥ-i adwār that are all his important compilations dealing with music. Marāghī has mentioned various methods, which are mainly based on Safī al-Dīn’s views, for determining the ratio between the notes, yet he has also contributed several novel points himself, the most important of which is the different ways of calculating the ratio of the 17th note. In this paper, attempt has been made to express and analyze Marāghī’s ideas through his own treatises, mainly autographs.