S-R-m-D-N-S
A rare, oddly-shaped audav raga formed by omitting Ga and Pa from Bilawal thaat – somewhat like ‘removing the major triad from the major scale’ (it can also be seen as ‘Bhavani plus Ni’). Vocalist Sakuntala Narasimhan, introducing a drut khayal, cites Rasaranjani as an innovation of her Rampur gharana guru Hafiz Ahmed Khan, presumably derived from the Carnatic Ranjani (hear his 1980 recording) – describing it as “very unusual: I’ve never heard anyone sing this raga…it has hints of pathos”. Offers a strong ma–murchana, although this is balanced by the fact that ‘Ni>Sa’ is the only chromatic resolution available. Also recently recorded by Biswarup Ghosh Dastida, who mentions that the same SRmDNS scale form is sometimes referred to as ‘Surnandini’. Compare to Kaushik Dhwani, another ‘jagged‘ swara-set with Ga instead of Re.
• Raga Masterlist (1000+) •
राग रसरंजनी
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• Hindustani Raga Index •
—Sakuntala Narasimhan (~1990s)—
[refrains, e.g. 1:20] SD mmRSNS, (S)m, mR S(NS)R S; mm(N)D NS, (S)NRS; NSmR(mR), S(NSRS)N, Dm, RS…
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• Carnatic Origins •
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Salaman (Toumani Diabaté & Ballaké Sissoko): I’ve loved this composition since ripping it from a Frome Library CD when I was 14… Originally performed by the legendary kora duet on their ‘New Ancient Strings’ album, Based on ‘Tita’, a love song from Western Mali (…the b6 has a ‘between minor and major’ tuning…handled here with a messy bend)
And if you like this stuff then check out Derek Gripper, the true master of arranging Toumani Diabaté for the guitar! @derek_gripper
#kora #worldmusic #mali #africanmusic #guitarsolo @toumanidiabatemusic @ballake.sissoko
Sep 2
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
Jun 28
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
• 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 the only raga in the Index to entirely omit both Ga and Pa)
–Swara Geometries–
• Core form: S–R–m–D–N–S
• Reverse: SrgPnS (=Bairagi Todi)
• Complement: SrgGMPdnS
• Imperfect: 3 (Sa, Dha, Ni)
• Detached: 1 (Ni)
• Symmetries: none
• Murchanas: Lilavati (on Re)
• Quirks: ‘jagged‘ (no ‘adjacent interval repetitions’)
–Global Translations–
• Carnatic: ~Rasa Ranjani
S-R2-M1-D2-N3-S
• Jazz: Ionian (no 3rd/5th)
1-2-4-6-7-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-2-5-9-11-0
(2–3–4–2–1)
o • o • • o • • • o • o o
• Tanpura: Sa–ma
• Names: Rasaranjani, Rasranjani, Rasa Ranjini, (~Gyankali)
• Transliterations: Hindi (रसरंजनी)
—Hafeez Ahmed Khan (1980)—
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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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