• Raag Mangal Gujari •

S-r-g-M-d-n-S


A strange shadav scale, seemingly adopted from Carnatic music, matching the swara set of ‘Gujiri Todi komal ni’, ‘Tivrakauns add komal re’, or ‘Meladalan minus shuddha ma’. Its structure presents a unique combination of geometric quirks: Sa is ‘detached’ (=Pa and ma are both varjit), and all other swara positions are vikrit (rgdn: komal, M: tivra) – leaving the ultra-rare ‘tivra Ma, no Pa, komal nisangati on stark display. Abhirang’s pair of renditions, currently the only recordings I can trace, feature strident mid-scale ornaments such as (gM)g; M(dM); (gMdM)d and emphatic upward resolutions towards dha (transcribed below: at points, the scale’s assorted instabilities tempt my ears towards a dha-murchana, giving the more stable SRGmPnS). Abhirang states that “I learnt this raga from Ramrang-ji’s book”: with Rajan Parrikar, another of Ramrang’s students, noting that “The chalan echoes Gujiri Todi: dha and ga are very strong, and re commands respect too. There is no nyas on ni, but its presence is easily sensed” (also adding that “[Ramrang] tells me that that Satyasheel Deshpande and Raja Kale have presented pieces in the raga…Mangal Gujari will present some pain and discomfort to the unexposed Hindustani mind…”). Also see Adarangi Todi (an ultra-rare form grounded in the same core swaras) and the ‘unfilled’ thaat #16 (the same sequence plus Pa), as well as the congruent Carnatic Bhavani (n.b. not the same as the Northern ‘chatuswariBhavani).


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Aroha: SrgMdnS
Avroh: SndMgrS

Chalan: e.g. S; (S)nr; (g)rg; r; S; Srgmd; mdn(n)d; (d)mgr; rgr; S; Sd; md(d)S; S(n)d; nmd; rg; rS (Ramrang/Parrikar)

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—Abhijith Shenoy ‘Abhirang’ (2014)—


[refrain, e.g. 2:02] (gM)g M(dM) (gMdM)d d(MdMdnd), Sgd\M(dM) M(dM) M\g, M(grg)r r(gMrg)rS S, (SrgMdM)d g(rgS), (MgM)g M(dM) (ndn)d

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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

Double: rR | gG | mM | dD | nN

Thaat: 10 | 32Enclosed | Inexact

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

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

Symmetries: Mirror | Rotation | Palindr.


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.

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• Prakriti: (none found)

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–Swara Geometries–

Core form: SrgMdnS
Reverse: SRGMDNS (=Raj Kalyan)
Negative: 3-2-1-2-2-2 (e.g. Jansammohini)
Imperfect: 2 (Sa, ni)
Detached: 1 (Sa)
Symmetries: none
Murchanas: none

Quirks: ‘detached Sa‘ • tivra Ma, komal ni‘ (rarest pairing)

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–Global Translations–

Carnatic: ~Bhavani
S-R1-G2-M2-D1-N2-S
Jazz: Phrygian #4 (no 5th)
1-b2-b3-#4-b6-b7-8
Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-1-3-6-8-10-0
(1–2–3–2–2–2)

o o • o • • o • o • o • o


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• Tanpura: Sa–dha
• Names: Mangal Gujari, Mangal Gujiri, Mangal Gurjari

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—Abhijith Shenoy ‘Abhirang’ (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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