What makes a raga?
A raga is more than a scale. Its lakshana (identity card) includes:
- the swaras it uses (5, 6 or 7 notes);
- arohana (ascent) and avarohana (descent), which may be straight or zig-zag (vakra);
- important notes: the note it rests on (nyasa), the strongest note (vadi in Hindustani; jiva swara in Carnatic);
- gamakas: the shakes and slides that colour each note;
- pakad / sanchara: short phrases that tell listeners which raga it is;
- its mood (rasa) and, in Hindustani music, a usual time.
Ragas are grouped by note count: 5 = audava, 6 = shadava, 7 = sampurna.
Melakarta and janya ragas (Carnatic)
A melakarta is a parent raga: all seven notes, in order, up and down. Changing the forms of Ri-Ga, Ma and Dha-Ni gives exactly 72 melakartas (36 with Ma1, 36 with Ma2).
- Mayamalavagowla (15): S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N3 S. First raga for beginners.
- Shankarabharanam (29): S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S, close to the Western major scale.
- Kalyani (65): same as above but with the sharp Ma (M2).
A janya raga is born from a melakarta by dropping notes, zig-zagging or adding a foreign note. Mohanam (S R2 G3 P D2 S) comes from Harikambhoji; Hindolam (S G2 M1 D1 N2 S) comes from Natabhairavi.
Hindustani ragas: Bihag, Bhimpalasi, Bhairavi
Hindustani ragas are grouped into ten parent scales called thaats.
Bihag (Bilawal thaat)
Ascent N S G M P N S' (Re and Dha skipped going up); descent S' N D P, M♯ P G M G R S. Vadi Ga, samvadi Ni. Sung late at night. Key phrase: P M♯ G M G.
Bhimpalasi (Kafi thaat)
Ascent n S g M P n S'; descent S' n D P M g R S (g, n are komal, soft). Vadi Ma, samvadi Sa. Afternoon raga, gentle and longing. Key phrase: M g R S, n S M.
Bhairavi (Bhairavi thaat)
Uses komal r, g, d, n: S r g M P d n S'. Vadi Ma, samvadi Sa (many teachers also give Sa–Pa). Traditionally morning, but often sung to close a concert.
To recognise a raga, listen for its skipped notes and its key phrase. To write a composition, use the notation (sargam) with tala marks above each beat.
Talas used with ragas
A tala is the repeating time cycle, kept with claps, finger counts and waves.
- Adi tala: 8 beats = laghu (clap + 3 fingers) + drutam (clap + wave) + drutam (clap + wave). Most kritis and varnams are in Adi.
- Rupaka tala: drutam + laghu = 6 beats (often counted as 3 slow beats).
- Misra chapu: 7 beats, felt as 3 + 2 + 2.
- Khanda chapu: 5 beats, felt as 2 + 3.
The first beat is called sam (Hindustani) or samam; phrases are built to land on it.
Manodharma and varnam notation
Manodharma sangitam means music made up on the spot, inside the rules of the raga and tala:
- Alapana: slow, free exploration of the raga with no tala.
- Tanam: rhythmic syllables (ta-nam) without fixed tala.
- Niraval: one line of the song sung again and again with new melodies.
- Kalpana swaram: new sol-fa note patterns ending back on the song line.
A varnam is a concert opener and practice piece that shows the raga's phrases. It has two halves: purvanga (pallavi, anupallavi, muktayi swaram) and uttaranga (charanam and chittaswarams). In notation, each avartanam of Adi tala is written as | 4 beats | 2 | 2 ||, with notes in two speeds.
Key formulas and definitions
- Raga = chosen swaras + arohana–avarohana + key phrases + gamakas + mood
- 72 melakartas = 2 Ma × 6 Ri–Ga combinations × 6 Dha–Ni combinations
- Audava = 5 notes, shadava = 6, sampurna = 7
- Adi tala = 4 + 2 + 2 = 8 beats
- Rupaka = 2 + 4 = 6; Misra chapu = 7 (3 + 2 + 2); Khanda chapu = 5 (2 + 3)
- Vadi = most important note; samvadi = second most important
Worked examples
1. Mohanam: S R2 G3 P D2 S. How many notes and what type?
Five different notes in both directions → audava–audava (5–5) raga.
2. Why is Mayamalavagowla a melakarta and Mohanam not?
Mayamalavagowla uses all seven notes in straight order up and down. Mohanam drops Ma and Ni, so it is a janya raga.
3. Bihag: which notes are skipped going up?
Re and Dha are left out in the ascent (N S G M P N S'), but both appear while coming down.
4. Work out why there are 72 melakartas.
Ri–Ga can be combined in 6 valid ways, Dha–Ni in 6 ways, and Ma has 2 forms: 6 × 6 × 2 = 72.
5. How many beats are in 3 cycles (avartanams) of Adi tala?
8 × 3 = 24 beats.
6. You hear a phrase M g R S and a soft komal Ni in the afternoon concert. Which prescribed raga is likely?
Bhimpalasi: komal Ga and Ni, key phrase M g R S, afternoon time, Ma as vadi.
Common mistakes
- Calling a raga "just a scale". Two ragas can share notes (e.g. Bhoopali and Deshkar) but differ in phrases and important notes.
- Forgetting that some ragas skip notes only in the ascent (Bihag).
- Mixing vadi and samvadi: vadi is the most important note; samvadi is the second.
- Counting Rupaka as 8 beats. Adi is 8; Rupaka is 6 (2 + 4).