S-R-g-P-d-S
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’ raga by others. The same scale also appears under the intriguing title of ‘Japaneeya / Japaniya’: a recent import from Carnatic music with rumoured connections to 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). At first, I wondered if the title was a reference to Japan – after all, the same scale form is used as a ubiquitous ‘Japanese motif’ in international media, appearing in various rotations to summon an instant essence of Japanese culture in TV, film, and beyond (e.g. The Simpsons; South Park). However, Ashish Dha confirmed with Abhirang – the first known Hindustani performer of the raga – that it in fact derives from ‘jap karnaa‘ (जपनीय): an ancient tradition of mantra repetition practiced by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, and others. Abhirang’s intriguing recording gives centre-stage to a fleetingly brief (gRg)P ornament, providing relief amidst the scale’s highly irregular geometries – although for now, I can’t trace any others from the North (UPDATE: Ashish Dha recorded a concise Dagarvani-style alap in response to this page!). So, even if the raga has no direct links to Japan, I may as well take the chance to mention the equivalent tone-collection in Japanese classical music: known as ‘Miyakobushi’, with no inherent requirement for a fixed ‘root’ (making it more like an interlinked murchana-set than a single scale: although it often feels anchored in Gunkali’s SrmPdS sequence, Japaniya’s ma-murchana: compare to other modes including Kaushik Dhwani and Amritvarshini). For more Japan-raga connections, read in-depth 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 ‘sitarla’ pioneer Hideki Ishima.
• Raga Masterlist (1000+) •
राग जपनीय
Search | Glossary | Tags
• Hindustani Raga Index •
Aroha: SRgPdS
Avroh: SdPgRS
Pakad: variable, e.g. gRgP; PdSRgR; SgRSd
Chalan: (open-form)
—Abhirang (2022)—
[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 •
—Ragam Japaniya—
(Anant NSK)
–All ragas of Carnatic origin–
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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
Some tintal improv around a wonderful Durga bandish I’ll be playing at @mehfilspace @the_rose_hill in Brighton on Thu 11th June! with vocalist @ashwinbaligaofficial and @marc_plays_tabla
https://therosehill.co.uk/event/the-mehfil-space-presents-around-the-world-in-8-ragas/
‘Around the World in 8 Ragas’: exploring cross-cultural melodic forms (e.g. scales that turn up independently in Japan, India, Mali, etc)
#indianmusic #raga #icm #brightonmusic #ragaguitar
Jun 10
Come see me play some bendy raga-guitar at @mehfilspace @the_rose_hill in Brighton on Thu 11th June! with vocalist @ashwinbaligaofficial and @marc_plays_tabla
https://therosehill.co.uk/event/the-mehfil-space-presents-around-the-world-in-8-ragas/
‘Around the World in 8 Ragas’: exploring cross-cultural melodic forms (e.g. scales that turn up independently in Japan, India, Mali, etc) – including this piece, a famous Bhairavi bhajan by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi (Jo Bhaje Hari Ko Sada)
#bhajan #raga #indianmusic #brightonmusic #ragaguitar
Jun 5
tomato can jungle/DnB (distracted while cooking)
#drumming #percussion #dnb #jungle
May 23
A great Jaunpuri gat from Senia-Shahjahanpur sarod legend Pt Buddhadev DasGupta, full of fast bends and slides (originally released for Joep Bor’s 1997 Raga Guide, in many ways a precursor to my own raga index)
Raag Jaunpuri: a late morning raga, likely originating in the Sultanate-era music of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh (as per Subodh Agrawal: “The rulers of Jaunpur were keen patrons of the arts, and the last one – Sultan Hussain Sharqi – was himself a distinguished musician; it is probable that the Jaunpuri flavor of Asavari was developed by him, or under his patronage“). Rajan Parrikar elaborates on its “Asavariant” status, noting that some (including Omkarnath Thakur) see it as essentially indistinguishable from Shuddha Re Asavari, while others consider Jaunpuri to follow more ‘rounded’ melodic motions…
#sarod #ragaguitar #stratocaster #worldmusic #jaunpur
May 6
just for fun…I had to defend the honour of my main instrument against my second instrument (many thanks to @mountainhead for the original video, as well as some tasty bends) – still no match for the surbahar’s meend range though!
#sitar #guitar #raga #bends #ragaguitar
May 4
• 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: (some forms of Lilavati)
Also see other ragas matching the generic swaras ‘Sa-Re-Ga-Pa-Dha‘
–Swara Geometries–
• Core form: S–R–g–P–d–S
• Reverse: SGmDnS
• Complement: SrGmMDnNS
• Imperfect: 2 (Re, ga)
• Detached: none
• Symmetries: none
• Murchanas: Kaushik Dhwani set
–Global Translations–
• 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)
o • o o • • • o o • • • o
• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+dha)
• Names: Japaniya, Japaneeya
• Transliterations: Hindi (जपनीय)
—Prasant Radhakrishnan (2024)—
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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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