S-g-M-d-n-S
A novel experiment by rare raga connoisseur Abhirang, formed by changing Malkauns’ shuddha ma vadi to its tivra variant. This shift renders both Sa and Ma ‘detached’ (i.e. with no swaras either 7 semitones above or below them: a property shared by only Harikauns and Sehera), meaning that conclusive resolutions towards the raga’s two most prominent swaras are hard to conjure. This brings a sharp disbalance to all melodic motions, as even the more ‘classic’ Malkauns phrases are fundamentally recoloured by the lack of stable home ground. Abhirang, who includes the tivra Ma in his tanpura tuning, tends to accentuate the komal ga with ornaments from above (e.g. M\g; (dM)g), manipulating the raga’s tension profile via the extent of Ma’s usage as a melodic endpoint. I contacted him to ask more: his explanation links it to Mangal Gujari (the same scale plus komal re), as well as a congruent Carnatic form called ‘Karmapu’ (which I can’t yet trace in the wild) – giving vadi–samvadi options of ga–ni or dha–ga, and noting nyas of Sa, ga, & dha amidst a general poorvang-dominance. Compare to its murchana set, including Sarangkauns and Shankh Dhwani (…and if you interpret Tivrakauns’ swara wheel as if it represented the vibhags of a tala cycle, i.e. ‘S>g>M>d>n>S’ = ‘3-3-2-2-2’, you get the ultra-rotatable ‘bulerias’ pattern of Spanish flamenco!). Ripe for further exploration by those who seek fresh melodic challenge [Update: After I posted this page on the Chandrakantha forum in Sep 2023, Xavi Ganjam recorded the raga on mohan veena! Keep the experiments rolling in…]. Also see my article What does ‘Kauns’ mean? A brief survey of all known Kaunsi ragas.
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Aroha: SgMdnS
Avroh: SndMgS
Pakad: variable, e.g. nSgMd; MdnSg
Chalan: (open-form) – illustrative sequences e.g. SgMd; MdndMg; SgMgn; dnSgS (Abhirang: supplied via email)
—Abhirang (2022)—
[refrain, e.g. 7:16] (M)d g(S) M(dMd) g, S S(gS) (n)d, n(d)S, gM (M)d g(S) M(dMd) g, S S(gS) (n)d, n(d)S; (d)Md n M(gn) n(dnd) d, Md(ndMg), gM(dMg) (S)gS S, S(gS) (n)d, nS…
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• Recent Raga Index Updates (Oct 2026): Melodic ‘snapshots’ of prachalit ragas • Up to 365 raga pages! Some highlights: Bayati, Basant Mukhari, Bilaskhani Todi, Chandranandan, DoGa Kalyan, Jog, Kalavati, Kaushiki, Malkauns, Maru, Meladalan, Parameshwari, Sarangkauns, Vachaspati (+ try out ‘Audav Meladalan‘) • What does ‘Kauns’ mean? Analysing 60+ Kauns ragas • ‘Bifurcations‘: ‘poorvang vs. uttarang’ splits • Amir Khan’s ‘168 merukhands’ • Experiments (e.g. overtonal Bhairav, jazz Malkauns) • Survey of Sa Tunings • More Masterlist ragas (1000+)
Multi-step meend in Raag Bageshri: some riyaz improv in one of my all-time favourite ragas
#raga #jazzguitar #indianmusic #icm #londonmusic
Sep 30
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
Sep 27
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
Sep 22
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
Sep 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 see other ragas with generic swaras ‘Sa-Ga-Ma-Dha-Ni‘ – and compare to other members of the Kauns raganga
–Swara Geometries–
• Core form: S–g–M–d–n–S
• Reverse: SRGMDS
• Complement: SrRGmPDNS (=Asa Bhairav)
• Imperfect: 3 (Sa, Ma, ni)
• Detached: 2 (Sa, Ma)
• Symmetries: mirror (g—D)
• Murchanas: Sarangkauns set
• Quirks: ‘detached Sa‘ • ‘tivra Ma, komal ni‘ (rarest pairing) • ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’)
–Global Translations–
• Carnatic: ‘Karmapu’
S-G2-M2-D1-N2-S
• Jazz: Phrygian Pentatonic (#4)
1-b3-#4-b6-b7-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-3-6-8-10-0
(3–3–2–2–2)
o • • o • • o • o • o • o
• Tanpura: Sa–Ma
• Names: Tivrakauns, Teevra Kauns, Tivra Kaunsi, Teevra Madhyam Malkauns, ‘Karmapu’
• Transliterations: Hindi (तीव्र कौन्स)
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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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