Recently I've been researching rare & strange ragas - so thought I'd share some of the most interesting ones I’ve come across! Input welcomed - everything from further info on the ragas to personal listening reflections:

—Raag Gaud (S-R-G-m-P-D-N-S)—

Now lying dormant, Gaud – assumed to have been named for its origins in the archaic Gaudadesha region – is best-known via its parental role in compounds such as Gaud Malhar, Gaud Sarang, and Gaud Bahar. In spite of its modern scarcity, the raga played a vital role in Hindustani history, turning up in numerous ragmala paintings and finding mention in texts such as Shrikantha’s Rasakaumudi (c.1575: along with Gaud Malhar) and the medieval Raga Nirupanam (“Gaud is the son of Shri. Fond of white robes, he is fair, adorned with all ornaments, holding a sword in hand, and borne by a serpent…”).

Despite the raga’s historic significance, there is little information on the workings of its ‘pure’ form, meaning that we must instead look to its surviving DNA. Parrikar elaborates the Gaud elements in Gaud Malhar (SRGm, mGmGRGS, RGm, Pm; SRGGm, mGm, P), highlighting how the “strong, glowing ma stands out” – corroborated by Tanarang (SRGm; mGm; GRGRS; RGmPm) and Dr. Gita Banerjee’s Raag Shastra Vol.1 (p.101: SGRmG, PmG, GRmG, mRS, SRNSG, G, RGRmG). The future of Gaud remains uncertain, with vanishingly few living masters ever having learned the raga in its own right. Nevertheless, I prefer to label it ‘dormant’ rather than ‘extinct’ – my hope is that gurus may still be out there who can pass on its twists and turns to future generations…

UPDATE: I eventually discovered a ‘pure Gaud’ recording! Many thanks to Manikbua Thakurdas disciple Geeta Athalekar, who captured a superb composition in the rare 11-beat ‘Manibandh taal’ during one of her guru’s lec-dems (“This is the first time that this raga is on YouTube…It is a sampurna raga with a vakra chalan…ascending with NSGRmGP, mPDNS…”).

—Do you know of any other ‘pure Gaud’ recordings? I feel there must be more than just one out there...

Let me know what you think of this strange raga! See more of them in my project (no paywalls, no ads: just sharing the joys of raga)

Recently I've been researching rare & strange ragas - so thought I'd share some of the most interesting ones I’ve come across! Input welcomed - everything from further info on the ragas to personal listening reflections:

—Raag Jog-Tilang (S-gG-m-P-nN-S)—

Seldom heard today, the SgGmPnNS scale form once served as a vital historical bridge between Tilang and Jog: the latter, having evolved from the former around a century ago, originally retained Tilang’s double-Ni along with its own distinctive double-Ga. While most artists soon dropped Jog’s shuddha Ni, the older version is still occasionally performed under titles such as ‘Do Nishad ka Jog’ (e.g. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande and others from Jaipur-Atrauli), ‘Jog-Tilang’ (e.g. Vilayat Khan, who subtitled his interpretation ‘Dogaha’ in reference to the double-Ga), or just ‘Jog’ (e.g. Agra singers such as Ram Deshpande and Anjanibai Lolienkar). 

Artists may choose to gravitate towards either of its parent ragas, or interweave both in equal measure, with ample room for imagination – Vilayat Khan sometimes splits the Ni space into 3 distinct sruti rather than 2 (e.g. as a P(nNṄS) khatka, and as sequential meend P(n) P(N) P(Ṅ) P(S)). Whichever approach is taken, the underlying swara-set offers several interesting properties: a rare example of a 7-swara audav raga, it sets the same interval sequence in poorvang and uttarang, opening up congruent phrase-pairings impossible within its progenitors (i.e. S-gG-m and P-nN-S have the same ‘jump pattern’ of 3-1-1). Congruent with the Carnatic Chalanata, mela #36.

—Do you know of any more ‘Jog-Tilang / Dogaha / Do Nishad ka Jog’ recordings? Or any other very early Jog renditions (~1940s-50s)? I couldn’t find many with double-Ga and double-Ni...

Let me know what you think of this strange raga! See more of them in my project (no paywalls, no ads: just sharing the joys of raga)

Since you guys seemed to love r/DumberDumb26’s fantastic cover of Remember Shakti’s Maya, thought I’d chime in and post my guitar rework of of L Shankar’s famous violin solo on La Danse De Bonheur (first minute or so, although I’ve transcribed the full 4-min solo and will record it soon). I'm a huuuge McLaughlin fan, he was one of the reasons I took up guitar…a few more transcriptions etc:

—Karuna (Shankar Mahadevan's incredible vocal solo), Mind Ecology (fiery opening licks), Lady L (main guitar progression)

—'Remainder bar' rhythm cycle analysis for various tunes including 5 in the Morning, 6 in the Afternoon, Ma No Pa, Isis, The Wish, Anna, etc

—Also I interviewed McLaughlin in 2020 about Shakti's reformation, and have reworked Zakir Hussain tabla solos for electric guitar recently

And if anyone has questions on the raga side of their work (Northern 'Hindustani' and Southern 'Carnatic'), fire away...

Recently I've been researching rare & strange ragas - so thought I'd share some of the most interesting ones I’ve come across! Input welcomed - everything from further info on the ragas to personal listening reflections:

—Raag Madhyami (S-R-gG-m-P-dD-n-S)—

A complex, winding invention of sitar innovator Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, which incorporates both forms of Ga and Dha into a Charukeshi-like framework. His most prominent rendition, released on a 1973 album with Samta Prasad on tabla, is a fascinating portrait of his ‘Jafferkhani baaj’ style – revolving, as the raga’s name suggests, around a strong, sustained shuddha ma, accentuated via concluding motifs such as S(gR) g(mR) GGm. Indeed, ma is so pivotal that the raga often sounds like a curious Patdeep variant via murchana (e.g. Madhyami’s recurring phrases dnSGm; mdPm, if interpreted as a ma-murchana, become Patdeep’s gmPNS; SgRS). Shuddha Ga assumes more prominence than its komal counterpart; and komal dha dominates the shuddha, which is barely touched in the alap and never held in the gats, mostly occurring as part of a distinctive Smm mD(nSn)P motif (also audible in his Sindhi Bhairavi recordings).

The raga presents plenty of other quirks, including brief touches of komal re in ornaments such as n(rSnrS) – although the album’s official liner notes give little away, stating only that “Madhyami is a combination of more than two ragas…no aroha–avroh is fixed”. A half-century after its conception, the raga now spans all three generations of its gharana’s existence, having since been recorded by Khan’s disciple Rajendra Varman and grand-disciple Deepsankar Bhattacharjee (who leans further into the Kauns-ang in an outstandingly atmospheric recording).

To learn more about Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan’s life and playing style – marked out by double-stops, open-string pedal tones, meend with natural harmonics, guitar-like ‘hammer/pull’ ornaments known as krintan, and the early adoption of Carnatic ragas including Kirwani, Latangi, Hemavati, and Kanakangi – browse the official Jafferkhani Baaj site (in the words of Annapurna Devi: “Future historians of Indian classical music will note Khansaheb’s seminal contribution to our musical heritage in golden letters**…**”).

—Which other Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan recordings are your favourites? I also love his Sindhi Bhairavi, it’s an ‘open’ raga which suits his flamboyant style well