S-R-g-P-d-S

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The SRgPdS swara set – equivalent to ‘Shivranjani komal dha’ or ‘Bhupali Todi shuddha Re’ – exists in several distinct Hindustani guises. Patiala vocalists title it ‘Lilavati’, however this name is also applied to a separate ‘Kalavati komal ga’ form by others. The same scale also appears under the intriguing title of ‘Japaneeya / Japaniya’: a recent import from Carnatic music with rumoured origins in filmi tunes of the 1980s (the Malayalam Music & Movie Encyclopedia lists four songs under the raga, with the earliest being 1983’s Ganamohana Mridu – although the only one of these I can find a recording for is 2000’s Thulasimaniyaniju). The name is presumably a reference to the scale’s status as a ubiquitous ‘Japan motif’ in international media, used in various rotations to summon an instant essence of traditional Japanese culture in TV, film, and beyond (e.g. The Simpsons; South Park). Indeed, the equivalent tone-collection in Japanese classical music – known as ‘Miyakobushi’ – has no inherent requirement for a fixed ‘root’, making it more like a murchana-set than a single scale (although many pieces feel anchored in Gunkali’s SrmPdS sequence, Japaniya’s ma-murchana: compare to other modes including SGmDNS/Kaushik Dhwani and SGMPNS/Amritvarshini – as far as I can tell, SrmMnS is untouched in raga). Abhirang’s intriguing Japaniya recording gives centre-stage to a fleetingly brief (gRg)P ornament, providing relief amidst the scale’s highly irregular geometries. For more Japan-raga connections, read essays by Aishik Bandyopadhyay and T.M. Hoffman, and listen to Ravi Shankar’s 1978 collaboration with koto master Hozan Yamamoto – and learn about cross-cultural explorers such as santooriya Mari Komuro, sarangiya Yuji Nakagawa, vocalist Tilak Bhattacharya, sitarists Amit Roy and Tadao Ishihama, and bassist & ‘sitarla’ pioneer Hideki Ishima.

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• Raga Megalist (365+) •

राग जापानिया

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• Hindustani Raga Index •

—Abhirang (2022)—

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[bandish, e.g. 6:27] (S)R (gRg)P, g(Rg), SgR(S)d, S(d), (S)R, R (gRg)P, g(Rg), Sr(gRgRD) d, PS(d) (S)R (gRg)P, g(Rg); SR(gRgR) dS, (dS)R, SRgd(P), PdSRgR (SdS)d P(g) gR(SR)S, R (PgP) g(Rg), SgR(S)d…

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• Carnatic Origins •

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—Ragam Japaniya—

(Anant NSK)

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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: (some forms of Lilavati)

Also see other audav ragas which omit Ma and Ni

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–R–g–P–d–S

• Reverse: SGmDnS

• Negative: 1-1-3-1-1-3-2

• Imperfect: 2 (Re, ga)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: none

• Murchanas: Kaushik Dhwani set

–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: Japaniya

S-R₂-G₂-P-D₁-S

• Jazz: Aeolian (no 4th/6th)

1-2-b3-5-b6-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-2-3-7-8-0

(2–1–4–1–4)

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o • o o • • • o o • • • o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+dha)

• Names: Japaniya, Japaneeya

• Transliterations: Hindi (जापानिया)

—Prasant Radhakrishnan (2024)—