• Raag Hem Bihag •

S-R-G-m-P-D-N-S


Often cited as an invention of Ravi Shankar, Hem Bihag was in fact devised by his teacher Allauddin Khan – as noted by Shankar & Ali Akbar Khan when they chose it to open a tribute concert just a few weeks on from their guru’s 1972 death, at the reputed age of 110 (below: “we begin with a creation of his, a night raga…”). Allauddin himself never recorded it (although you can hear him exploring both its parents on the violin: Hem & Bihag) – meaning that modern renditions instead follow after Shankar, Ali Akbar, and Nikhil Banerjee‘s various takes, which tend to exhibit a weak Dha, strong Ni, and the avoidance of Re in aroha. The ‘Hem’ in the name refers to Hemant – another Khansaab invention which builds from a Bhinna Shadja base – rather than Khem Kalyan (although I’ve heard occasional mention of another, older species of ‘Hem Bihag’, which does draw from the latter raga).


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—Ravi Shankar & Ali Akbar Khan (1972)—


[alap phrases, e.g. 16:22] GmP(N) N N, N N\D D(P) (G)m m, (m)P (m)P m(PDPm), m(GmG) G, (DmP)N N, NSN N(PN) (PS)S, (N)S S, (NR)S S, (NR)S S(NS)N N, NS/GG, G(m)m P\G G, GmG\R RS, S(NS) G\R…

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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

Double: rR | gG | mM | dD | nN

Thaat: 10 | 32Enclosed | Inexact

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

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

Symmetries: Mirror | Rotation | Palindr.


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.

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–Swara Geometries–

Core form: S-R-G-m-P-D-N-S
Reverse: SrgmPdnS (=Bhairavi)
Inverse: ni; SgmdnS (=Malkauns)
Imperfect: 1 (Ni)
Detached: none
Symmetries: mirror (R—d)
Murchanas: Bilawal set

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–Global Translations–

Carnatic: Sankarabharanam
S-R2-G3-M1-P-D2-N3-S
Jazz: Major / Ionian
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8
Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-2-4-5-7-9-11-0
(2–2–1–2–2–2–1)

o • o • o o • o • o • o o


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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+Ni)
• Names: Hem Bihag, Hemant Bihag

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—Nikhil Banerjee (1960)—

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An open-ended project seeking to bring North Indian raga closer to all who approach with open ears. Combines direct input from dozens of leading Hindustani artists with in-depth insights from music history, global theory, performance practice, cognitive science, and much more! [out 2023]

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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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