• Raag Shobhawari •

S-R-m-P-d-S


A rare ‘audav Asavari’ raga, matching the swaras of ‘komal Dha Durga’ (or ‘shuddha Re Gunakri‘). While relatively free of specific melodic constraints, the dha assumes natural prominence due to its disbalancing effects: it is involved in the only hemitonic pairing (Pd) and also the widest adjacent jump (dS), while serving as the only detached swara. (n.b. a similar focus can also be observed in other members of the Shivranjani murchana set, e.g. the strength of re in Bairagi and ga in Shivranjani itself). Aslam Khan’s rendition features a komal ga vivadi, while Ronu Majumdar‘s bansuri enchants with rapid movements which traverse the scale’s uneven geometries over the full saptak range. Also refer to a vivid tale from the invaluable RICMP channel: “My first teacher learnt music from multiple Ustads, including Aman Ali Khan of the Bhendibazaar gharana. He taught me numerous rare ragas, taals, and bandishes…However, he was an alcoholic, and often used to get severely intoxicated. Once, he attempted to commit suicide by drowning in the sea. After recovering, he came to my house to continue my training, while I was alone at home. It was evening twilight, and I was experiencing a strange feeling due to the silence. On that day, he taught me Shobhawari: I cannot forget the intensity of his performance…”.


• Raga Masterlist (1000+) •
राग शोभावरी
Search | Glossary | Tags
• Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: SRmPdS
Avroh: SdPmRS

Pakad: variable, e.g. mPSdPd; RSdPd
Chalan: (open-form)

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—Aslam Khan (~2000s)—


[bandish, e.g. 1:18] RSd(Pd) SR, (RSR)S, d/S S(dSd)R, m\R m\R (RSR)S S; SRm(Pm) (m)P P, mPS(dSd)S S, (dSdS)R R(SR)S, (dS)d, (Pd)P, (mP)m, (RS)R S;  RSd(Pd) SR, (RSR)S…

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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
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
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
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

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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

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.

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• Prakriti: (none found)
Also see other ragas matching the generic swaras ‘Sa-Re-Ma-Pa-Dha‘

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–Swara Geometries–

• Core form: S–R–m–P–d–S
• Reverse: SGmPnS
• Complement: SrgGMDnNS
• Imperfect: 2 (Re, dha)
• Detached: 1 (dha)
• Symmetries: none
• Murchanas: Shivranjani set

• Quirks: ‘jagged‘ (no ‘adjacent interval repetitions’)

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–Global Translations–

• Carnatic: ~Sutradhari
S-R2-M1-P-D1-S
• Jazz: Aeolian (no 3rd/7th)
1-2-4-5-b6-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-2-5-7-8-0
(2–3–2–1–4)

o • o • • o • o o • • • o


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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Shobhawari, Shobhavari, Shobwari, Shobha Vari
• Transliterations: Hindi (शोभावरी)

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—Ronu Majumdar (1987)—

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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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