• Raag Bhupali Todi •

S-r-g-P-d-S


A captivating audav raga said to symbolise spiritual purity, which essentially runs along the lines of ‘what if all Bhupali‘s chal swaras (Re, Ga, Dha) were komal rather than shuddha?’ (SRGPDS > SrgPdS). Most renditions are poorvang-dominant, drawing from the Todi-ang as well as reshaping phrases from Bhupali, Bilaskhani Todi, and other forms (given the uniqueness of its swara set, there is little danger of over-trespass). The only hemitones on offer are Sr and Pd – strengthening both the latter swara of each pair (see melodic overview). Refer to a demo by Moumita Mitra, and listen to renditions by Jayateerth Mevundi (vocal), Ravi Shankar (sitar), Ali Akbar Khan (sarod), Hariprasad Chaurasia (bansuri), and Harjinderpal Matharu (santoor) – as well as a curious ‘self-jugalbandi‘ by Dulal Roy, who simultaneously plays santoor with one hand and jaltarang with the other. Compare to Bairagi Todi (the same scale with komal ni instead of dha).


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Aroha: dSrgPdS
Avroh: SdPgrS

Pakad: variable, e.g. grSdS; PdSrg
Chalan: e.g. dSgrgrS; SgrgP; gPdP; gPdS; SdSgrgP; grS; SdP; gPdPgrS (Bor/Chaurasia)

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• Takes the same generic swaras as Bhupali, but flips re, ga, and dha to their komal (or ati-komal) variants – allowing for Todi-ang conclusions (rgrS) and chayas of Bilaskhani Todi (SrgPdP)
• As a unique audav form, melodic treatments can vary within the bounds of the swara set – although aroha motions tend to begin on low Pa or komal dha (e.g. PdS; dSrg), and many renditions avoid undue pause on komal re (e.g. dSgrgP; grgPd)
Komal ga stands apart as the only swara with no immediate neighbour, and the congruent gPd and dSr clusters (both comprising intervals ‘4-1’) allow for ‘paired’ phrasings (e.g. gPdPdP; dSrSrS) – amidst an angular scale form which permits only two ‘basic triads’ (major: dSg; minor: SgP)
• Connected, as a Todi family raga, with the early morning hours – a trait shared with the congruent Carnatic Bhupalam, which is of presumed historical overlap

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• Compositions •

Harjinderpal Matharu (Shivkumari santoor):

  • [tintal] grS, dS, PdSr (P)g\rS | Srg, PS d, Pd gPdSgrSdS dPgr

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—Harjinderpal Matharu (2014)—


[theme, e.g. 0:25] grS, dS, PdSrgrS, grS, dS

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Raag Jog: exploring different ways the electric guitar can support a Dhrupad-ang nomtom (syllabic improvisation)...

(From ‘Around the World in Eight Ragas’: my show with Ashwin Baliga & Marc Clayton at Mehfil Space on 11 Jun 2026) @ashwinbaligaofficial @marc_plays_tabla @mehfilspace

#dhrupad #raga #indianmusic #icm #worldmusic
Raag Kafi: Electric guitar improv around the adha bandish ‘Aaj Khel Shaam Sang Hori’

(From ‘Around the World in Eight Ragas’: my show with Ashwin Baliga & Marc Clayton at Mehfil Space on 11 Jun 2026) @ashwinbaligaofficial @marc_plays_tabla @mehfilspace

#raga #indianmusic #icm #worldmusic #ragaguitar
Raag Jog: some sawal-jawab (‘question-answer’) fun with Marc Clayton on tabla

(From ‘Around the World in Eight Ragas’: my show with Ashwin Baliga & Marc Clayton at Mehfil Space on 11 Jun 2026) @ashwinbaligaofficial @marc_plays_tabla @mehfilspace 

#raga #indianmusic #icm #worldmusic #ragaguitar
Some tintal improv around a wonderful Durga bandish I’ll be playing at @mehfilspace @the_rose_hill in Brighton on Thu 11th June! with vocalist @ashwinbaligaofficial and @marc_plays_tabla

https://therosehill.co.uk/event/the-mehfil-space-presents-around-the-world-in-8-ragas/

‘Around the World in 8 Ragas’: exploring cross-cultural melodic forms (e.g. scales that turn up independently in Japan, India, Mali, etc)

#indianmusic #raga #icm #brightonmusic #ragaguitar

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• Classifiers •

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


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 | 32Enclosed | Inexact

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

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


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.

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• Prakriti: (none found)
Also see other ragas with the generic swarasSa-Re-Ga-Pa-Dha – and compare to the rest of the Todi raganga

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–Swara Geometries–

Core form: SrgPdS
Reverse: SGmDNS (=Kaushik Dhwani)
Complement: SRGmMDnNS
Imperfect: 2 (ga, Pa)
Detached: none
Symmetries: none
Murchanas: (none found)

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–Global Translations–

Carnatic: Bhupalam
S-R1-G2-P-D1-S
Jazz: Phrygian (no 4th/7th)
1-b2-b3-5-b6-8
Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-1-3-7-8-0
(1–2–4–1–4)

o o • o • • • o o • • • o


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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Bhupali Todi, Bhupal Todi, Bhoopali Thodi, Bhoopala
• Transliterations: Hindi (भूपाल तोडी); Bengali (ভূপালি তোড়ি); Kannada (ಭೂಪಾಲ್ ತೋಡಿ)

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—Jayateerth Mevundi (2021)—

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George Howlett is a London-based musician, writer, and teacher (guitars, sitar, tabla, & santoor). Above all I seek to enthuse fellow sonic searchers, interconnecting fresh vibrations with the voices, cultures, and passions behind them. See Homepage for more, and hit me up for Lessons!

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