A dastgah is a Persian modal system: a set of scale-like pitch relationships, characteristic melodic phrases and a mood, rather than just a scale. The five best known for beginners are Shur, Mahur, Segah, Chahargah and Homayun. Their signature sound comes from quarter-tone intervals, which sit about 50 cents away from a piano key, so you need software that can tune notes in cents.
Last reviewed: October 2026
A note before we start: this is a composer's primer written by an outsider to the tradition, not a substitute for study with a master. Persian classical music is a deep oral tradition. Treat the numbers below as starting points and listen to real performers.
What is a dastgah?
The Persian classical repertoire, the radif, is organised into seven main dastgahs plus several related avaz (sung modes). Each dastgah is a family of modes with its own tonic, characteristic intervals, important resting notes and stock melodic gestures called gushe. In Western terms it sits somewhere between a scale and a collection of themes. Moving between gushes inside a dastgah is how a performance develops, which is close to how an adaptive score moves between states.
For a game composer the useful parts are the pitch collection, the melodic centre of gravity, and the emotional colour. A scale on its own will not sound authentic, but a good scale with the right ornaments and resting notes gets you most of the way to a respectful, evocative sketch.
What are sori and koron?
Western keyboards divide the octave into 12 semitones of 100 cents each. Persian music also uses intervals in between:
- Koron is a note lowered by roughly a quarter tone, about 50 cents flat.
- Sori is a note raised by roughly a quarter tone, about 50 cents sharp.
So 50 cents is a quarter tone, and 100 cents is a semitone. These are conventions for notation. Real performers vary the exact size of the neutral intervals by dastgah, region, instrument and player, often by 10 to 20 cents or more. Treat -50 as a good default and adjust by ear.
How do the five common dastgahs differ?
| Dastgah | Character | Signature pitch idea | Game use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shur | Wistful, lyrical, the "home" mode | Minor-like, with a quarter-flat second degree | Towns, ruins, quiet exploration |
| Mahur | Bright, open, confident | Close to the Western major scale | Heroic moments, caravans, victory |
| Segah | Longing, tender, a little unsettled | A quarter-flat third degree | Romantic or mysterious scenes |
| Chahargah | Dramatic, proud, intense | Augmented-second gaps, a "double harmonic" shape | Battles, bazaar chases, boss intros |
| Homayun | Rich, melancholy, heavy | Shur-like with a major-sounding third | Sorrow, deserts at dusk, storytelling |
Treat the "signature pitch idea" column as a mnemonic only. Each dastgah has its own rules for which notes to stress, how to start, and how to cadence.
How do you spell a dastgah in cents?
Here are two sketches starting on D, using note names plus a cent offset applied to the written note. They are simplified teaching versions.
Shur on D
| Degree | Note | Cents offset |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | 0 |
| 2 | E | -50 |
| 3 | F | 0 |
| 4 | G | 0 |
| 5 | A | 0 |
| 6 | B-flat | 0 |
| 7 | C | 0 |
Homayun on D (same as above except the third)
| Degree | Note | Cents offset |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | E | -50 |
| 3 | F-sharp | 0 |
Everything else matches the Shur sketch. Notice how much of the "Persian" sound hangs on a single note. Replace the E-koron with a plain E and the colour collapses into ordinary Western minor.
Which Persian instruments should you know?
- Setar: a small four-string lute, plucked, with a quiet, intimate tone. Great for solo introspection.
- Tar: a larger double-bowled lute with a brighter, more projecting sound, used for virtuosic lines.
- Santur: a hammered dulcimer, struck with light mallets. Shimmering, spacious, and ideal for arpeggiated figures.
- Ney: an end-blown reed flute with a breathy, haunting voice.
- Kamancheh: a spike fiddle played with a bow, expressive and vocal.
- Daf: a large frame drum with metal rings that jingle.
- Tombak: a goblet drum, played with fingers, that carries the rhythmic language of the tradition.
A small ensemble, such as setar plus ney plus daf, sounds convincing without needing a large arrangement. Give the melody to one instrument at a time and let ornaments (quick grace notes, slides, trills) carry the expression.
How do you write this in a game score?
- Choose the mood and the dastgah. Pick Shur for general longing, Mahur for something heroic, and Chahargah for tension.
- Set the key and the tonic. D or A are common comfortable centres. Keep it in a range the target instrument can play.
- Write the melody on a Western grid first, using the plain notes of the mode.
- Apply microtones. Mark the koron and sori notes with the correct cents offset.
- Add ornaments. Quick pitch slides into important notes, and small bends, bring the lines to life.
- Choose the rhythm. 6/8 is very common, and so are patterns that are hard to notate in 4/4. See odd time signatures in game music.
- Add a drone on the tonic or fifth, a long note under the melody.
- Loop and transition. Make each state the same bar length, so exploration and combat can crossfade. The structure is described in adaptive music 101.
What does Mowjera support for this?
Mowjera supports per-note microtones in cents (up to plus or minus 200) and pitch-bend curves, so a koron or sori is just a note with -50 or +50. Bends sound on the default synth voices and single-sample instruments; the synthesized world instruments play the static cents offset. Its world palette includes setar, tar, saz, oud, santur, ney, clarinet, duduk, zurna, kamancheh, daf, tombak and darbuka. These are synthesized, not recordings: physical-modelling and additive voices, with no sample library behind them. They are good for sketches and for many releases, but they are not a substitute for a live player when authenticity is critical.
When you export, MIDI spreads microtonal notes across channels with pitch bends, and MusicXML rounds to quarter tones, so keep that in mind if you hand the score to a performer. For more on how minor and modal colours work in games, see RPG music theory and minor keys and minor key and classical modes.
FAQ
What is a dastgah in Persian music?
A dastgah is a modal system in Persian classical music, made up of a pitch collection, a set of melodic phrases called gushe, and a characteristic mood. There are seven main dastgahs in the radif repertoire. It is closer to a family of related modes than to a single scale.
What is a quarter tone in cents?
A quarter tone is 50 cents, half of a 100-cent semitone. In Persian music, a note lowered by about 50 cents is called koron and a note raised by about 50 cents is called sori. Performers vary the exact size by context, so treat 50 cents as a starting point.
Which dastgah is best for game music?
It depends on the scene. Shur suits quiet, wistful areas, Mahur sounds bright and heroic, Segah is tender and mysterious, Chahargah is dramatic for battles, and Homayun is heavy and melancholy. Start with Shur or Mahur, because their pitch collections are easiest to hear and write.
Can I write Persian music with a standard piano roll?
You can sketch the melody, but a standard piano roll cannot represent quarter tones. You need per-note cents offsets or pitch bend. Without them, a koron note collapses to the nearest semitone and the character disappears. Check that your DAW or exporter keeps microtones, as many formats round them.
Are synthesized setar and santur sounds good enough for a game?
For sketching, prototyping and many indie releases, yes, particularly in a mix with drums and atmosphere. Synthesized instruments lack the nuance of a skilled live player, especially in ornaments. If your game's identity depends on Persian music, budget for a recorded performer on the lead line.