S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S

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Despite significant overlap with Darbari, Adana favours a ‘lighter, flittering’ treatment: often summoned via skipping ga in aroha, limiting ornaments on komal dha, and focusing more on madhya and taar saptak (exemplified in Buddhadev Dasgupta‘s concise rendition: gat transcribed below). Komal ga is introduced via the mgmRS Kanada signature in avroh, and the weak dha brings uttarang chayas of Nayaki Kanada (nmP; mPnP) – while some artists, such as Dagarvani vocalist Wasifuddin Dagar, choose to assign a markedly higher sruti to the komal ni, especially in faster passages. The raga turns up in numerous ragmala paintings, often depicted with imagery of ascetics lost in meditation – and Joep Bor’s Raga Guide notes that “the Sahasarasa, an anthology of 1004 Dhrupad song-texts attributed to early 16th-century composer Nayak Bakshu…contains no less than 35 songs in Raag Adana”. See melodic summary below, as well as a rundown of jhaptal compositions by Kovid Rathee (who casts it as “a raga for the brave and valorous“) – and compare to the related Sughrai, Gunji Kanada, & Mudriki Kanada.

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• Raga Masterlist (1000+) •

राग अडाना

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• Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: e.g. SRmR, mPnP, mPS

Avroh: e.g. RSnS; SdnP, mPnmP, mgmRS

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Pakad: e.g. RmP; nmP; mPSdnP

Chalan: e.g. PnmP; PSdnP; nmPgmRS; nSRmPnP; mPnSRS; RnSdnP; mPS (Bor/Dasgupta)

• Many ‘core Kanada’ phrases are shared with Darbari, especially in descent (SdnP; mgmRS) – although komal ga and dha are characteristically weak or omitted in aroha (SRmR; RmP; mPn) and generally rendered with less oscillation

• Typically rendered in a less ‘grave’ manner than Darbari – with faster, more agile ornament patterns and a greater focus on the uttarang space around high Sa (e.g. mPS; mPnSRS; RnSdnP)

• The weakening of dha brings chayas of Nayaki Kanada (nmP; mPnP; RSnSnP), and other motions may hint at Sarang (RmR; SRmPnP) – while traditional renditions tend to render komal ni with a higher sruti than usual (n.b. Dhrupadyas often omit dha altogether)

• Compositions •

—Buddhadev DasGupta (Senia-Shahjahanpur sarod):

• [tintal] S n\dn, PmP, ggmP gmRS, nSm\R mP(nd) nS(g)R nS(g)R nnS Pn mP (hear me play this gat on electric guitar!)

—Wasifuddin Dagar (Dhrupad vocal):

• [chautal] Shiva Shiva Shiva: RS nS (P)nPn | (m)gm g(mg) g mR (n.b. read this interview with Wasifuddin covering A.R. Rahman’s controversial borrowing of this composition)

—Buddhadev Dasgupta (1999)—

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[gat, e.g. 1:27] Sn\dn, PmP, ggmP, gmRS, nSm\R, mPS\n, ngR, SgR, nSPnmP, Sn\dn, P…

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• Ragmalas •

Historic miniature paintings (learn more)

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“Adana: watercolour and ink” (date unknown)

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• Guitaragas •

My attempts to capture the raga on electric guitar (see more on my Insta)

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—Adana on electric guitar (gat)—

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A quick cover of Buddhadev Dasgupta’s lively gat above…

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• Classifiers •

Explore hidden inter-raga connections: swara geometries, melodic features, murchana sets, ragangas, & more (also see the Full Tag List):

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Swaras: -4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10+

Sapta: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Poorvang: SRGM | SRG | SRM | SGM

Uttarang: PDNS | PDS | PNS | DNS

Varjit: Re | Ga | Ma | Pa | Dha | Ni

Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact

Chal: All-shuddha | All-komal | Ma-tivra

Gaps: Anh. | Hemi. | 3-row | 4-row | 5-row

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Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Jati: Equal | Balanced | Av.+1 | Av.+2

Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night

Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball

Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern

Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang

Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.

• Prakriti: Asavari thaat, Asavari shuddha Re, Kaunsi Kanada, Darbari, Jaunpuri, Kaushiki, Sampurna Malkauns

Also compare to other members of the Kanada raganga

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–R–g–m–P–d–n–S

• Reverse: SRGmPDnS (=Khamaj)

• Complement: SrGMDNS (=Marwa)

• Imperfect: 1 (Re)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: mirror (m—N)

• Murchanas: Bilawal set

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• Quirks: ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’)

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–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: ~Natabhairavi (mela #20)

S-R₂-G₂-M₁-P-D₁-N₂-S

• Jazz: Natural Minor / Aeolian

1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-2-3-5-7-8-10-0

(2–1–2–2–1–2–2)

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o • o o • o • o o • o • o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+Pa)

• Names: Adana (Kanada), Adaana, Adhana

• Transliterations: Hindi (अडाना); Bengali (আড়ানা); Sindhi (اڙانا); Odia (ଅଡ଼ାଣା); Kannada (ಅಡಾನ)

—Wasifuddin Dagar (2000s)—

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“Wasifuddin Dagar says his life’s motto is defined by his guru’s words: ‘Shup ki sabse upar tak jaati hai’ [‘Silence reaches the ears of the Almighty first’]. But silence is no longer an option for the Ustad: in late April, he found that the chartbusting title track of Mani Ratnam’s blockbuster Chola Dynasty saga Ponniyin Selvan 2 – Veera Raja Veera – was distinctly similar to a prized Dagar family composition in Adana [Shiva Shiva Shiva: above]: “I am a small man, but my music is huge…In this city, everyone knows that we don’t run after celebrity or money. We keep a low profile. But the acknowledgement of another artist’s work is important. In our music, when we name the greats, we touch our ears. That is acknowledgment of their knowledge, wisdom and effort that we are freely dipping into…” (Malini Nair)

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