S-r-g-m-P-d-n-S
Unveiled by sitarist Niladri Kumar in a 2014 Taj Mahal tea commercial, launching a new Darjeeling-themed range described in marketing materials as “definitely our most premium offering” (Niladri: “I have composed [it] in honour of the superlative flavour”). Status as a ‘real raga’ (rather than just a Mishra Bhairavi) is highly dubious – and usually I’d just ignore anything emanating from a corporate marketing scheme: but I’ll make an exception here (…much as I intuitively hate almost all advertising, I’ve gotta give props to Taj Mahal for some real raga-infused gems over the years: ‘Wah Taj!’).
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राग दार्जिलिंग
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—Niladri Kumar (2020)—
[motifs, e.g. 0:01] grS(nSn) nS, r(g) r(gS), grn(dnd) dS, (r)m g(rgrS); SmmP m(gmg)mP P(dPdPmg), SmmP(dP) P(dP)nd Pmg(mnP) mg(mg) g, RgRg(mgRg) rS, gg rgrSrSnSndndP…
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Histories, melodies, mythologies, etc…
—Imagery: Taj Mahal’s Darjeeling—
“Darjeeling makes for some of the world’s most delicate-tasting tea. Home to the world’s third-highest mountain, its mellow sun and high-altitude weather result in the tea being exposed to gentle, mist-laden soil. This tea is savored for its intricate flavours…” (Taj Mahal)
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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 | 32 | Enclosed | 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.
• Prakriti: Bhairavi thaat, Bhairavi, Bilaskhani Todi, Kaunsi Bhairavi, Abhavati, (Darjeeling)
–Swara Geometries–
• Core form: S–r–g–m–P–d–n–S
• Reverse: SRGmPDNS (=Bilawal)
• Complement: SRGMDNS (=Maru)
• Imperfect: 1 (Pa)
• Detached: none
• Symmetries: mirror (G—n)
• Murchanas: Bilawal set
• Quirks: ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’) • ‘Pa-repeating‘ (poorvang and uttarang take the same ‘semitone shape’)
–Global Translations–
• Carnatic: ~Hanumatodi (mela #8)
S-R1-G2-M1-P-D1-N2-S
• Jazz: Phrygian
1-b2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-1-3-5-7-8-10-0
(1–2–2–2–1–2–2)
o o • o • o • o o • o • o
• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Darjeeling
• Transliterations: Hindi (दार्जिलिंग)
—Niladri Kumar (2014)—
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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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