Qenet

Qenet (Amharic: ቅኝት) is a term used for a single pentatonic musical scale developed in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. A qiñit consists of a set of intervals defining the mode of a musical piece or the tuning scale of the instrument playing the piece. There are four main qiñit scales: Tizita (ትዝታ), Bati (ባቲ), Ambassel (አምባሳል), and Anchihoye (አንቺሆዬ). Three additional modes are variations on the above: Tizita minor, Bati major, and Bati minor. Some songs take the name of their qiñit, such as Tizita, a song of reminiscence.

History

Ashenafi Kebede was one of the early scholars to standardize the kignits of northern and central Ethiopia.^{[citation needed]} His work contributed to the documentation and study of Ethiopian musical traditions.

References

↑ "Tizita - Melodigging". www.melodigging.com. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
↑ Sinshaw, Girmaw (2020). "The analysis of Ethiopian traditional music instrument through indigenous knowledge". Jsrm.net.
↑ Weisser, Stéphanie; Falceto, Francis (2013). "Investigating qәñәt in Amhara secular music: An acoustic and historical study". Annales d'Ethiopie. 28: 299–322. doi:10.3406/ethio.2013.1539.
↑ Kaufmann, Walter. Selected Musical Terms of Non-Western Cultures.
1 2 Shelemay, Kay Kaufman (2001). "Ethiopia". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. viii (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan. p. 356. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.
↑ Abatte Barihun, liner notes of the album Ras Deshen, 200.

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[1] "Tizita - Melodigging". www.melodigging.com. Retrieved 2026-09-05.

[2] Sinshaw, Girmaw (2020). "The analysis of Ethiopian traditional music instrument through indigenous knowledge". Jsrm.net.

[3] Weisser, Stéphanie; Falceto, Francis (2013). "Investigating qәñәt in Amhara secular music: An acoustic and historical study". Annales d'Ethiopie. 28: 299–322. doi:10.3406/ethio.2013.1539.

[4] Kaufmann, Walter. Selected Musical Terms of Non-Western Cultures.

[Grove356-5] 1 2 Shelemay, Kay Kaufman (2001). "Ethiopia". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. viii (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan. p. 356. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.

[Barihun-6] Abatte Barihun, liner notes of the album Ras Deshen, 200.