Qenet () 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.Abatte Barihun, liner notes of the album Ras Deshen, 200. 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. His work contributed to the documentation and study of Ethiopian musical traditions.
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