S-r-g-M-P-D-n-S

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Equivalent to ‘Todi’s poorvang + Kafi’s uttarang‘ (or ‘Ahiri tivra Ma’), the SrgMPDnS scale has barely been explored in Hindustani music – in fact, I couldn’t trace a single recording of it until late 2025, when vocalist Ashish Dha sent me his experiment in a new raga titled Chandni Todi (‘Moonlit Todi’). He describes it as “a Todi variety using the swaras of Shadvidamargini, the 46th Carnatic mela…I considered calling it ‘Shadvidamargini Todi’, but this felt very alien to Hindustani naming conventions”. His brief Dhrupad-infused recording – transcribed in full below – explores its strange geometric layout to superb effect, interspersing Todi’s rgrS pakad with winding uttarang ornaments such as MD(PD); D(PDn); nS(nS). 4 of the 7 swaras (r-P-D-n) are ‘imperfect’ (i.e. with no swara a perfect 5th above them), and the rare ‘tivra Ma + komal ni’ sangati leaves its stamp on the mood. Intriguingly, Subbha Rao’s 1966 Raga Nidhi Vol.4 mentions that “Shadvidamargini correspond[s] to a raga called ‘Khatma’ in Hindustani sangeet” – however I couldn’t trace anything else about this raga, which appears to have been lost to the winds of time. Compare to Salagavarali (the same scale minus Ma), especially the renditions of Jitendra Abhisheki, who includes subtle Ma shades to complete the scale – as well as to other ragas matching the ‘32 expanded thaat‘ (i.e. all 7-swara sampurna scales, which thus have exactly one specific variant of each generic swara).

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राग चाँदनी तोडी

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• Hindustani Raga Index •

—Ashish Dha (2025)—

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[alap, e.g. 0:01] (D)S, r(gr) g, g(rgr) g(r) r(S)S, S, nD, P(M) D S(nSn) S, r(gr) g(r) g(rS) S; g(rgr)g P(MPM) D(PDP) P(M) M(g)g, gM(PM) D(PD)n (D)n, n(D) D(P)P, M D(PD) n(Sn)S n n(D) D(P) P(Mgr)r, S(grg) r(S) S…

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• Carnatic Origins •

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—Ragam Shadvidmargini (mela #46)—

(Sita Krishnakumar)

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–All ragas of Carnatic origin–

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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

Double: rR | gG | mM | dD | nN

Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact

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

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

Symmetries: Mirror | Rotation | Palindr.

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Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

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

Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night

Murchana: Bhup. | Bihag | Bilaw. | Charu.

Raganga: Bhairav | Malhar | Kan. | Todi

Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball

Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern

Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang

Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.

• Prakriti: (thaat #14)

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–r–g–M–P–D–n–S

• Reverse: SRgmMDNS

• Negative: 3-3-1-2-3

• Imperfect: 4 (re, Pa, Dha, ni)

• Detached: 1 (Dha)

• Symmetries: none

• Murchanas: none

–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: Shadvidamargini (mela #46)

S-R₁-G₂-M₂-P-D₂-N₂-S

• Jazz: Dorian b2 #4

1-b2-b3-#4-5-6-b7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-1-3-6-7-9-10-0

(1–2–3–1–2–1–2)

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o o • o • • o o • o o • o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa

• Names: Chandni Todi, Chaandini Todee (n.b. Ashish Dha also considered the name ‘Shadvidamargini Todi’)

• Transliterations: Hindi (चाँदनी तोडी)