S-rR-g-m-P-dD-n-S

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While often just lumped into the general ‘Mishra Bhairavi’ category, the ‘Sindhi Bhairavi’ lineage is a distinct melodic stream, although interpretations still vary significantly by artist and gharana. Typically, shuddha Re is given greater prominence, often employed in the fashion of the Asavari-ang, and performers may also give prominent roles to shuddha Dha, tivra Ma, or other swaras from outside the basic SrgmPdnS framework of Bhairavi thaat. Several of the raga’s most famous recordings come from the ‘great quartet’ of 20th-century sitarists, all of whom add ‘extra swaras’ in their own unique ways: Ravi Shankar explores congruent motifs of DndP, RgrS, Vilayat Khan introduces shuddha Re via Rgmg, shuddha Ni via dNS, and tivra Ma via gm(Mm)grS; and Nikhil Banerjee sets tivra Ma into a d(Mm)M motion amidst occasional interjections of shuddha Ni as NnNnd – while Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan sets both forms of Re, Dha, and Ni into varied ornament shapes. Also prominently recorded by Hariprasad Chaurasia on bansuri, Murad Ali Khan on sarangi, and Ali Akbar Khan on sarod (including in jugalbandis with Ravi Shankar and Carnatic violin legend L. Subramaniam) – as well as by vocalists from multiple gharanas such as Ajoy Chakraborty (Patiala), Sanjeev Abhyankar (Mewati), Bhimsen Joshi (Kirana), Sawani Shende (Kirana-Gwalior), and Salamat & Nazakat Ali Khan (Sham-Chaurasia). As per the Bazm-e-Khas archives, “Sindhi Bhairavi is considered to have originated from the Sindh culture of the Indo-Pakistan region [as with Sindhura]…The raga conjures a landscape with all its seasons, its traditions, its dialects…a euphoric, festive occasion filled with joy and nostalgia”. Debate persists as to whether or not the Carnatic ‘Sindhubhairavi’ shares significant historical overlap with the Northern ‘Sindhi/Sindhu’ forms.

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राग सिंधी भैरवी

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• Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: nSgmP, gmndnS

Avroh: SnDndP, mgPmgRgrS

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Chalan: variable (shuddha Re given greater prominence)

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—Ravi Shankar (1957)—

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[motifs & gat, e.g. 5:52] Sg Sgm m(Pm) g(Rmg) rS(r) nS; nDmDnSnD DSnDnD nSnDnD nSnDnD, dPmgRrS; PP P(dn)d Pm PP (m)g mg P, PD(n) n n(Dn) P(D)D DPm, PP P(dn)d Pm PP mg P…

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• Classifiers •

Explore hidden inter-raga connections: swara geometries, melodic features, murchana sets, ragangas, & more (also see the Full Tag List):

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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 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact

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

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

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Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Jati: Equal | Balanced | Av.+1 | Av.+2

Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night

Raganga: Bhairav | Malhar | Kan. | Todi

Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball

Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern

Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang

Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.

• Prakriti: Amiri Todi

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–rR–g–m–P–dD–n–S

• Reverse: SRgGmPDnNS (=Jaijaiwanti)

• Negative: 5-2-5

• Imperfect: 1 (Dha)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: mirror (m—N)

• Murchanas: Jaijaiwanti set

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• Quirks: ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’) • ‘Pa-repeating‘ (poorvang and uttarang take the same ‘semitone shape’)

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–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: ~Sindhubhairavi

S-R₁-R₂-G₂-M₁-P-D₁-D₂-N₂-S

• Jazz: Dorian (dbl. 2nd/6th)

1-b2-2-b3-4-5-b6-6-b7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-1-2-3-5-7-8-9-10-0

(1–1–1–2–2–1–1–1–2)

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o o o o • o • o o o o • o

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• Tanpura: Sa–ma

• Names: Sindhi Bhairavi, Sindhu Bhairavi, Sindh Bhairavi

• Transliterations: Hindi (सिंधी भैरवी)

—Ali Akbar Khan & L. Subramaniam (1993)—