S-r-m-P-d-S
Taking the swaras of ‘Bhairav no Ga & Ni’, Gunakri – described by AUTRIM as “serious and peaceful” – brings out the character of its parent raganga via an oscillating komal re, and movements patterns including Sd, dP and SdSr, rS (although Jairazbhoy prefers to analyse it via the geometries of Basant Mukhari). Bose gives a neat ‘rising-falling’ pakad of mPd, mrS, which is often handled with long slides (e.g. d/S; m\r), while Vidyadhar Vyas’ version seasons the raga’s audav core with slight touches of Ga and Ni (helping to avoid shades of Jogiya’s aroha, which takes the same swaras). Not the same as Gunkali (although the ragas are prakriti, and share significant melodic overlap…and renditions of each are sometimes mistitled as the other).
• Raga Masterlist (1000+) •
राग गुणक्री
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• Hindustani Raga Index •
Aroha: SrmPdS
Avroh: SdPmrS
Pakad: variable, e.g. mPd; mrS
Chalan: e.g. SdrS; rmPm; PmrP; mPd; dS; rSdP; mPdPmrS (Bor/Vyas)
—Vidyadhar Vyas (1997)—
[refrains, e.g. 1:04] P(d)mPdP, m m, (g)r r, S S, P; (m)P mm, g\r, n\d(nd) d/S, SS…
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Salaman (Toumani Diabaté & Ballaké Sissoko): I’ve loved this composition since ripping it from a Frome Library CD when I was 14… Originally performed by the legendary kora duet on their ‘New Ancient Strings’ album, Based on ‘Tita’, a love song from Western Mali (…the b6 has a ‘between minor and major’ tuning…handled here with a messy bend)
And if you like this stuff then check out Derek Gripper, the true master of arranging Toumani Diabaté for the guitar! @derek_gripper
#kora #worldmusic #mali #africanmusic #guitarsolo @toumanidiabatemusic @ballake.sissoko
Sep 2
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
Jun 28
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
Jun 22
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
Jun 15
• 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 | 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: Gunkali
Also see other ragas with the generic swaras ‘Sa-Re-Ma-Pa-Dha‘ – and compare to the rest of the Bhairav raganga
–Swara Geometries–
• Core form: S–r–m–P–d–S
• Reverse: SGmPNS
• Complement: SRgGMDnNS
• Imperfect: 2 (Pa, dha)
• Detached: none
• Symmetries: none
• Murchanas: Kaushik Dhwani set
• Quirks: ‘Pa-repeating‘ (poorvang and uttarang take the same ‘semitone shape’) • ‘jagged‘ (no ‘adjacent interval repetitions’)
–Global Translations–
• Carnatic: ~Salanganata
S-R1-M1-P-D1-S
• Jazz: Phrygian (no 3rd/7th)
1-b2-4-5-b6-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-1-5-7-8-0
(1–4–2–1–4)
o o • • • o • o o • • • o
• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Gunakri, Gunakree, Gunakriya, (not Gunkali)
• Transliterations: Hindi (गुणक्री)
—Viraj Amar (2008)—
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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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