S-gG-P-D-n-S
An enchanting yet ultra-rare raga created by pioneering Punjabi vocalist Salamat Ali Khan, running along the lines of ‘Kalavati with komal ga in avroh’ (often as PDPgS or SngS), bringing shades of Kafi. A 1965 Salamat & Nazakat performance in Kabul (bandish: Piya More Angan Aaye & Tana Dhere Na Dhim), emphatically places the komal ga on dhamar taal’s sam, while otherwise remaining close to Kalavati – while a Salamat & Sharafat rendition adds acrobatic spice via a greater uttarang focus. Classified by its creator as an early night raga, and performed by very few outside his Sham-Chaurasia gharana vocal lineage – however, other very similar ‘Kalavati plus ga’ ragas do exist under alternate names, seemingly of independent creation: including Homshikha (sung by Abhirang in 2024), and Ganga (recently unveiled by santooriya Tarun Bhattacharya as “a tribute to the holy river“). Also compare to the nearby Jogeshwari Pancham (the same scale plus shuddha ma, albeit with a different treatment of double-Ga) – and see Salamat’s other creations including Niagara, inspired by the famous Canadian waterfalls.
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राग मिलान गान्धार
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—Nazakat & Salamat Ali Khan (1965)—
[refrain, e.g. 1:38] SGPDnD PG, (S)n/gS, (S)nS n/g(S), (n)D nDP, DnDn/S, SG n(DnD)PGS, (S)n…
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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
Raag Malkauns (SgmdnS): Among the most revered of ragas, Malkauns (‘He who wears serpents as garlands’) combines structural simplicity with a nuanced mythological ethos. Said to have been composed by the goddess Parvati to soothe Lord Shiva’s fearsome rage, in turn inspired by his wife Sati’s self-immolation, its ‘all-komal‘ swara set is associated with states of ‘severe tranquility’, calling on artists to approach with solemnity and trepidation…
“If you’re not in a serious mood, then don’t play or sing Malkauns. You must take extra care with this raga. It is a favourite raag of the djinns [spirits], you see. If you can charm them – if they like the way you are playing it – they will do anything for you. If they don’t, they will kill you…” (Ali Akbar Khan)
Tuning: Eb Standard, but with 6str tuned right down to Bb
#malkauns #hindustani #shiva #indianmusic #raga
May 2
![Raag Malkauns (SgmdnS): Among the most revered of ragas, Malkauns (‘He who wears serpents as garlands’) combines structural simplicity with a nuanced mythological ethos. Said to have been composed by the goddess Parvati to soothe Lord Shiva’s fearsome rage, in turn inspired by his wife Sati’s self-immolation, its ‘all-komal‘ swara set is associated with states of ‘severe tranquility’, calling on artists to approach with solemnity and trepidation...
“If you’re not in a serious mood, then don’t play or sing Malkauns. You must take extra care with this raga. It is a favourite raag of the djinns [spirits], you see. If you can charm them – if they like the way you are playing it – they will do anything for you. If they don’t, they will kill you...” (Ali Akbar Khan)
Tuning: Eb Standard, but with 6str tuned right down to Bb
#malkauns #hindustani #shiva #indianmusic #raga](https://i0.wp.com/ragajunglism.org/wp-content/uploads/sb-instagram-feed-images/682002565_1357335266205887_6202851628221635178_nfull.jpg?w=620&ssl=1)
• 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)
Also compare to other ragas matching the generic swaras ‘Sa-Ga-Pa-Dha-Ni‘: including Lilavati (SgPDnS) & Kalavati (SGPDnS)
–Swara Geometries–
• Core form: S–gG–P–D–n–S
• Reverse: SRgmdDS
• Complement: SrRmMdNS
• Imperfect: 3 (Ga, Pa, ni)
• Detached: none
• Symmetries: mirror (gG—Dn)
• Murchanas: Malavi (on ga)
–Global Translations–
• Carnatic: (~Vagadeeshvari)
S-R3-G3-P-D2-N2-S
• Jazz: Dorian ‘b4’ (no 2nd)
1-b3-3-5-6-b7-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-3-4-7-9-10-0
(3–1–3–2–1–2)
o • • o o • • o • o o • o
• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Milan Gandhar, Milangandhar
• Transliterations: Hindi (मिलान गान्धार)
—Vijay Bakshi (~2000s)—
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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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