S-R-G-mM-P-D-N-S

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A rare-but-charming raga of the Agra gharana, Khem Kalyan is a Kalyan variant with Hansadhwani-like touches. In his essay The Precious Kalyan, Imdadkhani sitarist-scholar Deepak Raja recounts his quest to decode and reconstruct its workings from old recordings, having failed to find a guru who knew it: “This was no ordinary raga…not even just another rare raga. It was a special raga, perhaps beyond reach without a guru…The raga has a quadratonic ascent of stark tonal geometry (SGPNS), with each swara having equal weightage. The descent is hyper-heptatonic (SNDPMmGRS), with tivra Ma being deployed subliminally (as in Shuddha Kalyan), and shuddha Dha deployed subliminally (as in Bihag). The zigzag phrasing [is] essential…”.

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राग खेम कल्याण

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Aroha: SGPNS

Avroh: SNDPMmGRS

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Chalan: e.g. SRSP; PNRS; NSGR; SGP; PN(D)NS; NSGmRS; RN(D)P; N(D)N(D)P; P(M)G; P(M)R; NRSP; NS (Raja)

—Ashwini Bhide Deshpande (2018)—

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[refrain, e.g. 2:15] GPD S\N\D M\G, GRS, NSG 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):

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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

Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact

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

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

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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: Bihag, Nand, Hameer, Kamod, Maru Bihag, Pat Bihag, Chayanat, Gaud Sarang, Shyam Kalyan, Lakshmi Kalyan, Sanjh Saravali

Also compare to other members of the Kalyan raganga

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–R–G–mM–P–D–N–S

• Reverse: SrgmMPdnS

• Complement: SrgdnS

• Imperfect: 1 (Ma)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: mirror (mM—NS)

• Murchanas: Bihag set

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• Quirks: ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’)

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–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: ~Begada

S-R₂-G₃-M₁-M₂-P-D₂-N₃-S

• Jazz: Lydionian

1-2-3-4-#4-5-6-7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-2-4-5-6-7-9-11-0

(2–2–1–1–1–2–2–1)

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o • o • o o o o • o • o o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa

• Names: Khem Kalyan, Khemkalyani (not ‘Hem Kalyan’)

• Transliterations: Hindi (खेम कल्याण)

—Jitendra Abhisheki (~1970s)—