• Raag Latangi •

S-R-G-M-P-d-N-S


A unique sampurna scale borrowed from the 63rd Carnatic mela, which takes the form of ‘Kalyan komal dha’ (or ‘Yaman’s poorvang + Bhairav’s uttarang’: SRGM+PdNS). Subbha Rao’s Raga Nidhi Vol.3, written in the early 1960s, mentions that “Latangi is not found in Hindustani music” (p.90) – and it remains unclear who first imported the scale to the North. Balaram Pathak played it on All India Radio as early as 1963, and fellow sitarist Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan was performing it soon after that – with later adopters including Nikhil Banerjee, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pravin Godkhindi, and Chand & Suraj Khan. Ocean of Ragas notes that the same SRGMPdNS scale form is also referred to as ‘Dhanashree Kalyan’, adding that: “In switching Rishabhs and Dhaivats, we sacrifice the natural Sa-ma and Sa-Pa consonances present in Yaman (R-P; R-D) and Puriya Dhanashree (r-M; r-d)…Manikbuwa Thakurdas has explained it in his Raga Darshana as a mixture of Kalyan and Asavariang Dhanashree” (hear this interpretation performed by his daughter-in-law Mrinalini Thakurdas). Prakriti with a raga known as Pitambara, seemingly only recorded by Devashish Dey. Compare to Nat Bhairav (shuddha ma instead) and Simhendra Madhyamam (komal ga instead) – and read more about the raga’s original Southern form via SujaMusic (“a compassionate and devotional mood with hints of courageousness; attractive and sensuous, meditative and melancholic, a sweet-and-sour combination”).


Raga Masterlist (1000+) •
राग लताङ्गी
Search | Glossary | Tags
Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: SRGMPdNS
Avroh: SNdPMGRS

Pakad: variable, e.g. GRGMPdP, MGRSNS
Chalan: (open-form)

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—Hariprasad Chaurasia (~1990s)—

[gat, e.g. 4:33] GSRG, (P)d dP, GM(Pd)P (M)GR (SN)S; GSRG, (P)d dP…

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• Carnatic Origins •


—Ragam Latangi (mela #63)—
(P. Unnikrishnan)

All ragas of Carnatic origin

• Recent Raga Index Updates (Jul 2026): Melodic ‘snapshots’ of prachalit ragas • Up to 365 raga pages! Some highlights: Bayati, Basant Mukhari, Bilaskhani Todi, Chandranandan, DoGa Kalyan, Jog, Kalavati, Kaushiki, Malkauns, Maru, Meladalan, Parameshwari, Sarangkauns, Vachaspati (+ try out ‘Audav Meladalan‘) • What does ‘Kauns’ mean? Analysing 60+ Kauns ragas Bifurcations‘: ‘poorvang vs. uttarang’ splits • Amir Khan’s ‘168 merukhands’ • Experiments (e.g. overtonal Bhairav, jazz Malkauns) • Survey of Sa Tunings • More Masterlist ragas (1000+)

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
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
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
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

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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

Thaat: 10 | 32Enclosed | 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.

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• Prakriti: Thaat #3
Also compare to other members of the Dhanashree and Kalyan ragangas (based on the raga’s ‘Dhanashree Kalyan’ form – Latangi, as a Carnatic import, has no inherent raganga designation)

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–Swara Geometries–

Core form: SRGMPdNS
Reverse: SrGmMdnS
Complement: SrgmDnS (=Parameshwari)
Imperfect: 3 (Re, Ma, dha)
Detached: 1 (dha)
Symmetries: none
Murchanas: Mangal Bhairav (on Pa)

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–Global Translations–

Carnatic: Latangi (mela #63)
S-R2-G3-M2-P-D1-N3-S
Jazz: Lydian b6
1-2-3-#4-5-b6-7-8
Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-2-4-6-7-8-11-0
(2–2–2–1–1–3–1)

o • o • o • o o o • • o o


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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+dha)
• Names: Latangi, Lathangi
• Transliterations: Hindi (लताङ्गी); Kannada (ಲತಾಂಗಿ); Malayalam (ലതാംഗി), Punjabi (ਲਤਾਂਗੀ); Tamil (லதாங்கி); Telugu (లతాంగి)

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—Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan (~1990s)—

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Hindustani Raga Index

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 besides!

Masterlist (1000+ ragas)
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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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