Karnatak raga tunings

For those interested Ive copied out some stuff from The Grammar of South
Indian Music by C. Subrahmanya Ayyar (Madras 1976). The South Indian or
Karnatak (Karnatik or Carnatic) tradition does differ from the Hindustani
or North Indian tradition in many respects: ensemble, instruments used
(S.Indian uses more percussion), the fact that more composed pieces are
played, and the nature of the ragas themselves. In the last few years
there have been North meets South albums, shocking to the traditionalists
of course.

Please bear in mind that a raga is not just a sequence of notes. It is
closer to the western idea of a mode in many respects. The Sa or tonic and
Pa or dominant dont change and are used as drone throughout the whole
piece. There are also different stopping places and different note patterns
characteristic of a raga so that the same set of notes could become a
different raga with different melodic patterning. I have read pieces by
Indian writers describing each raga as having its own personality suited to
a particular time of day or season of the year.

Anyone who wants to hear some of this music I would suggest get hold of
anything you can by Dr. L. Subramaniam who plays ragas on the western violin.
Brian Lee


7 limit (with a stray 11) sruti system according to C. Subrahmanya Ayyar
(pp74-5). This is if you like the theoretical total of all note
possibilities from which the ragas are extracted.

1. Ekasruti rishabha 25/24 or 21/20
2. Dvisruti rishabha 16/15
3. Trisruti rishabha 10/9
4. Chatusruti rishabha 9/8
5. Madhya gandhara 7/6
6. Sadharana gandhara 6/5
7. Antargata gandhara 5/4
8. Tivra gandhara 9/7
9. Suddha Madhyama 4/3
10. Tivra Madhyama 11/8
11. Prati Madhyama 7/5
12. Tivratara Madhyama 10/7
13. Panchama 3/2

14 Ekasruti dhaivata 14/9 or 25/16 or 63/40
15. Dvisruti dhaivata 8/5
16. Trisruti dhaivata 5/3
17. Chatusruti dhaivata 27/16
18. Madhya nishada 7/4
19. Kaisiki nishada 9/5
20. Kakali nishada 15/8
21. Tivra nishada 48/25 or 40/21
22. Shadja 2/1


Six Major Ragas

1. Raga Sankarabharana, Mela 29

Sa 1
Ri2 9/8 or 10/9
Ga1 5/4 or 9/7 or 81/64
Ma1 4/3
Pa 3/2
Da2 5/3 or 27/16 or 12/7
Ni2 15/8 or 27/14 or 243/128
Sa 2

2. Raga Harikambodi, Mela 28

Sa 1
Ri1 10/9 or 9/8
Ga1 5/4 or 81/64 or 9/7
Ma1 4/3
Pa 3/2
Da1 5/3 or 27/16
ni1 7/4 or 16/9 or 9/5
Sa 2

3. Raga Kalyani, Mela 65

Sa 1
Ri2 10/9 or 9/8
Ga2 5/4 or 81/64 or 9/7
ma2 7/5 or 45/32 or 10/7
Pa 3/2
Da2 5/3 or 27/16 or 12/7
Ni2 15/8 or 243/128 or 27/14
Sa 2

Stopping places are Sa, Pa and Ri

4. Raga Kharharapriya, Mela 22

Sa 1
Ri2 10/9 or 9/8
ga2 7/6 or 6/5
Ma1 4/3
Pa 3/2
Da2 5/3 or 27/16
ni2 7/4 or 16/9 or 9/5
Sa 2

5. Raga Bhairavi, Mela 20

Sa 1
Ri1 10/9 or 9/8
ga1 7/6 or 6/5 or 32/27
Ma 4/3
Pa 3/2
Da1 5/3 or 27/16
ni1 7/4 or 16/9 or 9/5
Sa 2

In descent a flattened da is used with a value of 8/5 or 14/9 or 13/8
The phrase Ma ni da Pa rules the raga.
The stopping places are Sa, Pa and Ma only

6. Raga Hanumathodi, Mela 8

Sa 1
ri1 21/20 or 16/15
ga1 7/6 or 6/5 or 32/27
Ma 4/3
Pa 3/2
da1 14/9 or 8/5 or 13/8
ni1 16/9 or 9/5 or 7/4
Sa 2

stopping places ore Sa, Pa Ma and da.
Pa is often omitted in ascent.



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End of TUNING Digest 1562
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