• Raag Triveni •

S-r-G-P-d-N-S


Taking a hexatonic ‘Shree/Bhairav no ma’ swara set, Triveni’s main incarnation (also known as ‘Tirban/Tirvan’) comprises two congruent swara-clusters – SrG & PdN (both semitonal jumps of ‘1-3’). Melodic motions mostly take after Shree and Bhairav, particularly via a strong re–Pa sangati and G\rS descents – both evident in Shounak Abhisheki’s jhaptal bandish (Kalindi Saraswati, transcribed below: and described in the liner notes as an “extremely difficult raga”). The basic scale shape is also describable as ‘Bibhas plus shuddha Ni‘ or ‘Din ki Puriya Pa-for-Ma‘. While Chris Stephens recommends the renditions of underheralded sitar and vichitra veena master Mohammad Sharif Khan Poonchwale (“featuring some really unique gamaka taans of the Poonch gharana“). Also note that the term ‘Triveni’ – which translates as ‘Confluence of Three Rivers’ – may also indicate the general concept of ‘combining three ragas’: see below for examples.


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—Shounak Abhisheki (2000)—


[bandish, e.g. 3:27] rr, rGrSS r, GrSS rr, GrSS(N)rr, GrSS, rrr rGPG(r), rrr, rGPG(rS), S(NS)P, PPPd P(rS), SP PPPd P, P/S(P) P(GP)d PPGS(N)r, GrSS(N) r, GrSS(N) r…

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• More •

Histories, melodies, mythologies, etc…

—Other ‘Triveni’ Ragas—

As mentioned above, the name ‘Triveni’ (‘Confluence of Three Rivers’) has also been used in reference to various ‘triple-raga combos’, generally unrelated to the main ‘Triveni’ incarnation above. Notable examples include santooriya Tarun Bhattacharya’s recent mix of Lalit, Rageshri, and Jogeshwari (which he also links to a more literal interpretation of the ‘Triveni’ name: stating that “the new raga is not only a tribute to my guru, Pandit Ravi Shankar, on his 100th anniversary, but also a tribute to the trinity of rivers – the Ganga, Yamuna, and Narmada – which form the lifeline and backbone of India…”).

 

And, a few decades earlier, we have an intriguing concoction from pioneering Kirana vocalist Bhimsen Joshi – which, according to Anand Badamikar, mixes elements from Kedar, Bhatiyar, and the ‘Marwa-thaat‘ incarnation of Bibhas (although admittedly, direct information is scant). While mellifluous, it was apparently recorded only twice: the take below, from a 1980s Mumbai baithak with Appa Jalgaonkar on harmonium and Nana Mulye on tabla, and another from a session of unknown provenance. Also check out Joshi’s other creations: including Kalashri, Lalit-Bhatiyar, and (at least one form of) Tanseni Madhuvanti.

 


—Bhimsen Joshi (1980s)—


“This recording is the one and only recording of Bhimsen Joshi singing this raga: Joshi personally handed this recording to Dharwad & Lucknow radio stations…[as] he wanted more audiences to listen to this masterpiece. More than 70 cassettes were released, and most were sold abroad…”

• Recent Raga Index Updates (Sep 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
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)
See all shadav ragas which omit Ma

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–Swara Geometries–

• Core form: S–r–G–P–d–N–S
• Reverse: SrGmdNS
• Complement: SRgmMDnS
• Imperfect: 3 (Pa, dha, Ni)
• Detached: none
• Symmetries: none
• Murchanas: none

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–Global Translations–

• Carnatic: ~Bowli
S-R1-G3-P-D1-N3-S
• Jazz: Double Harmonic (no 4th)
1-b2-3-5-b6-7-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-1-4-7-8-11-0
(1–3–3–1–3–1)

o o • • o • • o o • • o o


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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Triveni, Trivenee, Trivani, Tribani, Tirvan, Tirwan, Tirban, ‘Trivini Todi’
• Transliterations: Hindi (त्रिवेणी); Bengali (ত্রিবেণী)

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—Pandit Jasraj (1994)—

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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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