Section 3 - Different Kinds of Ragas

Our previous section illustrated a few simple

pentatonic ragas in an effort to show how you could
get different melodies from different sets of five
notes. In this and the following section, we will see
how many other ways there are to group notes to
form ragas. Here again, I have provided a small
description of each raga mainly based on the mood
(rasa / bhaava) traditionally assigned to the raga but
also going by my own understanding and
experience of it.

Let's begin with examples of six-note, seven-note

and eight-note ragas.

Raag Marwa (hexatonic)

Raag Marwa is sung during the late afternoon hours
up to sunset. It is one of the major ragas in
Hindustani classical music and is sung widely and
taken very seriously. One of the interesting things
about Raag Marwa is that it de-emphasizes the root
note "sa." Probably because of this, it is a somewhat
unsettling raga, and mainly evokes dark moods of
foreboding and anxiety. It can also portray
compassion or resignation in the face of some inner
struggle.
Welcome

Introduction

Click to hear: Definition of Raag Marwa Notes

(Ascent: S r G M D N S' /Descent: S' N D M G r S)

Scales
(raga)
Section:
1/2/3/4

Rhythms
(taal)

Ornamentation

Pundit Nikhil Banerjee on the sitar Notation

Raag Marwa
For
Listeners

For
Learners

Simple
songs

Credits/Contact
Vidhushi Malini Rajurkar
Raag Marwa

Raag Bhairav (heptatonic)

Bhairav is another very important raga in the
Hindustani classical tradition. It is a morning raga,
and solemn peacefulness is its ideal mood. It is very
easy, however, for this scale to deteriorate from
majestically peaceful to pathetically melodramatic,
and artists must watch out for that. I think it was
Pundit Vilayat Khan who once described Raag
Bhairav as the music in the mind of Lord Shiva as
he meditated in the Himalayas. That made an
impression on me. Picture Shiva-the-terrible,
absorbed in the deepest meditation in a dark cave in
the Himalayas. Everything is still, except for the
occasional dripping of a stalagtite. Then dawn
breaks and the first rays of sunlight penetrate into
the cave. Imagine the music in the mind of this man
of terrifying passions at that time in his state of
perfect peacefulness. And that, to me, is what Raag
Bhairav should be.

Click to hear: Definition of Raag Bhairav

(Ascent: S r G m P d N S' /Descent: S' N d P m G r S)
Uday Bhawalkar
Dhrupad in Raag Bhairav

Utsav Lal on fluid piano

Raag Bhairav

Raag Gaud-Sarang (oxatonic)

Gaud-Sarang is a sunshiny, lively early-afternoon
raga.

Click to hear: Definition of Raag Gaud-Sarang

(Ascent: S G R m G P M D P N D S' /Descent: S' D N P D M P G m R P R S)

Vidushi Malini Rajurkar

Raag Gaud-Sarang
And now, a couple of ragas that can get away with
using just about any note in the octave but still retain
distinct flavors all their own.

Raag Pahadi
Pahadi is an evening raga that combines both
playful and pensive aspects. It is characterized by a
very charming, folksy flavor. The notes S R G P D
form the backbone of Raag Pahadi, which makes it
a very close cousin of the pentatonic raga Bhupali.
The other notes of the octave are incorporated into
this framework judiciously. Here is a simple sol-fa
song to demonstrate a few typical note
combinations. In this example I have only combined
the nine most prominent notes used. The remaining
notes are used only rarely and have to be done with
the greatest care and expertise to retain the raga's
identity.

Click to hear: Simple sol-fa song in Raag Pahadi

('P 'G 'P 'D S, R m G R S 'N D, 'n 'D 'P, 'D 'P 'm 'G, 'P 'D S, G g G P G R S, R S 'N 'D 'P 'm 'G, 'G 'P 'D S R g R, G P G R
(Note: Raag Pahadi is typically sung using "m" as "S" because the pitches commonly used are in the lower octave)

Pundit Shivkumar Sharma on the santoor

Raag Pahadi (cropped)
Ustad Salamat Ali Khan demonstrates
Indo-Pakistani, Afghani and Western variations of Raag Pahadi

Raag Bhairavi
Raag Bhairavi is quite an important raga in the
Hindustani classical as well as semi-classical
tradition. As in the case of Raag Pahadi, just about
any note in the octave can be incorporated into
Raag Bhairavi, but its main structure comprises the
notes S, r, g, m, P, d, and n -- notice that all the
main notes are flat. This gives the raga a very gentle
and sweet quality. A small composition in Raag
Bhairavi is often sung at the end of a long
performance as a way of winding down.

Click to hear: Definition of Raag Bhairavi

(Ascent: S r g m P d n S' /Descent: S' n d P m g r S)

Pundit Venkatesh Kumar

Raag Bhairavi
Pundit Bhimsen Joshi
Raag Bhairavi

The vast majority of ragas, however, are not

symmetric in ascent and descent. They may use a
different set or number of notes on the way up than
they do on the way down. But what does this really
mean? Well, for instance, if a note is used only in
the descent, what this means is that it is always
followed by a note lower than itself in the octave. For
instance, in Raag Yaman, the note P is used only in
the descent. So, it may be immediately followed by
M, G, R or S, but not by D, N or S'. You may climb
up to P on the way up: 'N R G M P. But if you want
to climb further, you would have to climb down at
least one step first: 'N R G M P, M D N. Of course,
rules exist mainly to be broken, but only by those
who have mastered them first. Here are a few
examples of asymmetric ragas.

Raag Yaman
Yaman is an evening raga, sung from sunset to late
evening. It is full of grace and majesty, and the main
mood it creates is one of devotion and dedication. It
is a raga that suggests unconditional offering of
everything one has at the altar of whatever one's
calling may be, asking nothing in return.

Click to hear: Definition of Raag Yaman

(Ascent: 'N R G M D N S' /Descent: S' N D P M G R S)
Pundit Ravi Shankar teaches Anoushka Shankar (sitar)
Raag Yaman

Vidushi Malini Rajurkar

Raag Yaman

Raag Bhimpalasi
An afternoon raga, sung from late afternoon to
sunset, Bhimpalasi is poignant and passionate, filled
with yearning.

Click to hear: Definition of Raag Bhimpalasi

(Ascent: 'n S g m P n S' /Descent: S' n D P m g R S)

Ustad Sultan Khan on the sarangi

Raag Bhimpalasi
Dr. Ashwini Deshpande
Raag Bhimpalasi

Raag Kedar
Kedar is one of the most lovely ragas there can be.
It is sung from late evening to midnight and is said to
create a mood of peacefulness. I find, however, that
this raga and its playful note combinations are
beautifully suited also for creating moods of joy and
elation.

Click to hear: Definition of Raag Kedar

(Ascent: S m G P, M P D N S' /Descent: S' N D P M P D P m R S)

Pundita Malini Rajurkar (cropped),

Raag Kedar
Pundit Buddhadev Das Gupta on the sarod
Raag Kedar

Raag Jog
Raag Jog is sung in small hours of the morning, just
after midnight. It has a magical quality that lives up
to its name (jog indicates a state of enchantment). It
is quite a popular raga too, often adopted to lighter
forms of music.

Click to hear: Definition of Raag Jog

(Ascent: 'n S G m P n S' /Descent: S' n P m G, m g~ S)

Dr. Ashwini Deshpande

Raag Jog

61