S-R-g-P-D-n-S
A shadav scale resembling ‘Kafi no ma’ (or ‘Shivranjani plus ni’), said to have been adapted from a congruent Carnatic form (Madhyamavarali). Most prominently performed by Patiala star Parveen Sultana: her enchanting 1982 album rendition places a swooping Pa–ga sangati centre-stage (e.g. P\gP; P(g)PgR), often traversing wide interval jumps such as gPgD; nDgPgRS (bandish: Mere Nain Mein Baso & Mora Neendaniya Nasani). Shuddha ma occasionally replaces Pa in ornamental flourishes of (m)gP, although taans tend to highlight its omission in ‘straight line’ fashion (e.g. SRgPdS; nDPgRS). Also evocatively recorded by Kirana violinist Kashi Nath, although further examples are hard to definitively trace. Not to be confused with Malavi – and also compare to other ‘Kafi minus one’ ragas including Narayani (no Ga) and Nayaki Kanada (no Dha). Ripe for further exploration!
• Raga Masterlist (1000+) •
राग मानवी
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• Hindustani Raga Index •
Aroha: SRgP, DnS
Avroh: SnDP, gRS
Chalan: e.g. SnDS; PDnDS; SRgR; gRS; SRgP; gPgR; SRgP; gPD; DPgR; gR; nDS; gP; DnDS; SRgPgR; gR; gRS; nDP; gPgR; gS (Gadre)
—Parveen Sultana (1982)—
[bandish, e.g. 28:06] SgR(gRS)R (m)g/P, P(nDnDn)P D(SnSn)D n (DP)D (n)P, P\gP (nPm)g, S(gRmgR), S(nSnSn)D (nD), S(nSn)D, S S, S(nSnDP)D (nDnD)P, D(nDPDn) S(nSnSnS)D S(nS)D n/S S…
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—Ragam Madhyamavarali—
(Kiruba Murali)
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Multi-step meend in Raag Bageshri: some riyaz improv in one of my all-time favourite ragas
#raga #jazzguitar #indianmusic #icm #londonmusic
Sep 30
E8 Boogie (Squarepusher): @sqpusher did I get them right? Tried to work out guitar voicings for this curious chord sequence in E8 Boogie (…originally at the request of a student!)
Original: Squarepusher/Tom Jenkinson (from 1997’s Hard Normal Daddy)
#jungle #jazzguitar #warprecords #idm #dnb @warprecords
Sep 27
Raag Jaiwanti Todi (SrgmPDnS): An Ahiri-prakriti raga introduced by Maharaja Jaiwant Singh Waghela (1904-1980): the hereditary ruler of Sanand who gained wide renown as a spiritual teacher, vocal educator, and generous patron of the nascent Mewati gharana (also the creator of Gyankali and other ragas). Sung here by his student Pandit Jasraj – a bandish I’ve always loved, especially the ferocious taan and colourful harmonium accompaniment…
—Original: Pandit Jasraj (khayal); Appa Jalgaonkar (harmonium); Nizamuddin Khan? (tabla)
#raga #khayal #indianmusic #worldmusic #icm
Sep 22
Raag Prabhateshwari (SrgmPDnS): A mysterious raga created by Hariprasad Chaurasia, played here by his nephew Rakesh – resembling a blend of the morning Ahir Bhairav and the late night Bageshri. I was inspired to learn the raga when researching Maa Annapurna Devi’s time teaching Hariprasad (many thanks to my crack team of experts including Rupak Kulkarni, Alam Khan, George Ruckert, Suresh Vyas, Anindya Banerjee, and Gopi Shanker, who all gave valuable assistance in illuminating the raga’s origins)
—Original: Rakesh Chaurasia (bansuri), live at Darbar 2008 @chaurasia_rakesh @darbarfestival
#raga #darbarfestival #indianmusic #bansuri #worldmusic
Sep 15
• 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: (none found)
See all shadav ragas which omit Ma
–Swara Geometries–
• Core form: S–R–g–P–D–n–S
• Reverse: SRgmDnS
• Complement: SrGmMdNS (=Lalit)
• Imperfect: 2 (Dha, ni)
• Detached: none
• Symmetries: none
• Murchanas: none
–Global Translations–
• Carnatic: ~Madhyamavarali
S-R2-G2-P-D2-N2-S
• Jazz: Dorian (no 4th)
1-2-b3-5-6-b7-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-2-3-7-9-10-0
(2–1–4–2–1–2)
o • o o • • • o • o o • o
• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Manavi, Manavee, Kolhas, Kalika
• Transliterations: Hindi (मानवी)
—Kashi Nath (2020)—
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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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