• Raag Ramdasi Malhar •

S-R-gG-m-P-D-nN-S


A diverse sankirna raga, fabled as a creation of Guru Ram Das – a 16th-century Sikh saint said to have opened Emperor Akbar’s eyes to the unity of the divine (“these jagirs [feudal land grants] are sources of evil passions, pride, and ego…it is by the name of God that all creatures, continents, worlds, and spheres are sustained…”). Today’s Ramdasi Malhar exists in several guises, generally summarisable as ‘Miyan ki Malhar double-Ga’, with the komal confined to the avroh. Tanarang, who calls the raga “soothing and heavy”, highlights the maRe, RePa, & niPa sangatis, and suggests the descending phrase PgmRS to end taans – and Parrikar notes ‘special pragoyas’ of SRGGm, mGm; mPDN DPmGm; SDnP, mPDnP, while cautioning that “no general [chalan] can be written down, given the disparate strategies adopted”.


Raga Megalist (365+) •
Search | Glossary | Tags
Hindustani Raga Index •

BlackLineNARROWER

—Venkatesh Kumar (2016)—


[themes, e.g. 0:04] g(m)RSR, NSRPm P; (S)gmP (g)mgm RS, Rg(m)R, PP(m)nP; mPDNS(R)NS, g(mPNSPmgR), gm R(gRSNS), g(m)RSR, NSRPm P

BlackLineNARROWER

• 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.

BlackLineNARROWER

–Swara Geometries–

Core form: S-R-gG-m-P-D-nN-S
Reverse: SrRgmPdDnS (=Amiri Todi)
Inverse: dha; SmnS (=none)
Imperfect: 1 (Ni)
Detached: none
Symmetries: mirror (r—P)
Murchanas: Jaijaiwanti set

BlackLineNARROWER

–Global Translations–

Carnatic: ~Kapi
S-R2-G2-G3-M1-P-D2-N2-N3-S
Jazz: ‘Dorian + Ionian’
1-2-b3-3-4-5-6-b7-7-8
Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-2-3-4-5-7-9-10-11-0
(2–1–1–1–2–2–1–1–1)

o • o o o o • o • o o o o


BlackLineNARROWER

• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Ramdasi Malhar, Ram Dasi Malhar

BlackLineNARROWER

—Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar (2020)—

BlackLineNARROWER

 

[MORE TO FOLLOW]

Like everything on my site, the Raga Index will always remain 100% open-access and ad-free: however, anti-corporate musicology doesn’t pay the bills! I put as much into this project as time and finances allow – so, if you like these resources, you can:

Support the Raga Index! •

…and hasten the project’s expansion…
—Riyaz-focused notations & bandish—
—Resurrecting rare and ancient ragas—
—Further melodic & geometric analysis—
—Engaging with Hindustani performers—
—Ensuring that high-quality raga knowledge will remain open to all, at no cost: free from commercial motive!—

 

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! [out 2023]

Megalist (365+ ragas)
Search: Find your new favourite •
Tags: Classifying the ragascape •
Glossary: Raga jargon demystified
Ragatable: Analytical connections •
Thaat: Bhatkhande’s base scales •
Murchanas: Swara-set rotations •
Quotes: Musings from raga artists •
Tanpuras: Divine overtonal drones •
Talas: Hindustani rhythm cycles •
[Random Raga]

—Search the Raga Index—

Feedback / Contact •

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!

Learn raga on any instrument! •

everything 100% ad-free and open-access