Intonaphobia: A Culturally Conditioned Deficiency in Microtonal Perception Among Malay Gambus Musicians in Maqam Traditions

Abstract

This article introduces the term Intonaphobia to describe a culturally conditioned perceptual deficiency observed among musicians unfamiliar with maqām-based musical traditions, particularly those trained exclusively within Western twelve-tone equal temperament systems. The study addresses a persistent challenge faced by these musicians: the difficulty of accurately identifying, internalising, and reproducing microtonal intervals, especially the quarter-tones that are fundamental to the identity of many maqāmāt. Drawing on the author’s ethnographic and pedagogical experience in teaching oud (gambus) performance, as well as empirical findings from performance analyses and interviews with informants; including archival audio material by the late Haji Fadzil Ahmad; this research highlights recurring instances of modal confusion, such as the conflation of Kurd with Bayati, and Ajam with Rast. The article argues that Intonaphobia is not a form of clinical tone-deafness but rather a perceptual limitation shaped by culturally ingrained tonal expectations and aural memory conditioned by tempered tuning systems. By defining and contextualising this phenomenon, the study offers new perspectives for cross-cultural music education, proposes a diagnostic framework for recognising tonal perception biases, and outlines remedial strategies for musicians engaging with non-Western modal traditions.

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