Pentatonic Ragams

CarnaticMuse · Post by **CarnaticMuse** » 13 Aug 2009, 09:36

Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale, using audience participation, at the event "Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus", from the 2009 World Science Festival, June 12, 2009.

http://boingboing.net/2009/08/01/bobby- ... hacks.html

A rapid count of the pentatonic ragams I play:
Mohanam
Shuddha Saveri
Hindolam
Abogi
Shuddha Dhanyasi
Madhyamavati
Amritavarshini
Hamsanadam
Hamsadhwani
Bhupalam
Shivaranjani
Revati

The universal appeal of pentatonic scales cannot be denied. According to wikipedia, pentatonic scales are found in music systems across the world. At a personal level, I have also noticed that anytime I want to get my friends who are not into classical music to pay attention, if I choose something from my pentatonic list, I always succeed in a mood shift. No wonder, if we are hard-wired to respond to them!

Hindolam was my first carnatic passion as I was growing up, what transformed a diligent (and dry) music student into a carnatic lover for life.

The simplicity of the pentatonic scales is in contrast with the intense emotion they can convey. Shivaranjani's poignant sorrow or hamsadhwani's grand joy or madhyamavati's calm content are actually probably because of and not in spite of the minimal note structure.

All in all, I am pretty much in agreement with McFerrin. Would really love to hear what you all think.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 13 Aug 2009, 09:45

Here are few more (including some less common ones) audava-audava ragas:
Valaji
Brindavana Saranga
Gambiranattai
Nagaswaravali
Ratipatipriya
Vasanti
Megharanjani
Surya
Chandrakauns
Sunadavinodhini
Sumanesaranjani

gn.sn42 · Post by **gn.sn42** » 13 Aug 2009, 11:13

Thanks, CarnaticMuse. The program ("Notes & Neurons", on music and the brain - watch it in full here) is wonderfully fun and interesting. I don't know about the universal-pentatonic thing, though - McFerrin appears to be talking about "the pentatonic", presumably the Western major pentatonic scale, not any of the large number of pentatonics around the world. As for me, many of them sound great, so I'm happy enough to listen!

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 13 Aug 2009, 11:21

Ravikiran and Anil Srinivasan played a piece at Krishna Gana Sabha where they played several pentatonic ragas in sequence moving from 1 to the other by switching just 1 note each time.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 13 Aug 2009, 14:27

Am I the only one who really doesn't care for most of these pentatonic ragas?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 13 Aug 2009, 19:37

There are potentially 108 carnatic ragas (assuming S and one of (M1, M2, P) ) is used. We have only scratched the surface in the 23 listed above. It may be interesting to list all the pentatonic Carnatic ragas and also look at the kritis available in them. Perhaps Lakshman can help...

naarayanan · Post by **naarayanan** » 13 Aug 2009, 21:51

anandavalli - punnai mara nizhalil, a beautiful padham.

naarayanan · Post by **naarayanan** » 13 Aug 2009, 21:57

there are ragas like hamsamanjari etc. which have a/a srgpds/snpmrs! are these not counted?

then the actual count may be more than 108.

varamu
niroshta

Suji Ram · Post by **Suji Ram** » 13 Aug 2009, 22:01

I like pentatonic ragas esp., all the ones in the first post. Amritavarshini and rEvati being my most favorite ones.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 13 Aug 2009, 22:13

...of course if we include vakra ragas too the count can reach thousands...

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 13 Aug 2009, 22:15

naarayanan wrote:anandavalli - punnai mara nizhalil, a beautiful padham.

Are you referring to the ragam -anandavalli-created by Shri P.K.Rajagopala Iyer?

naarayanan · Post by **naarayanan** » 13 Aug 2009, 22:50

hi punarvasu, when i googled it says one 'Lalitha' has composed this padham. but am not sure.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2 ... 610700.htm

my friend used to sing this song often.

naarayanan · Post by **naarayanan** » 13 Aug 2009, 22:51

anandavalli is sgmpns/snpmgs , a janya of simhendra madhyamam.

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 14 Aug 2009, 00:50

naarayanan, yes, this is a ragam created by Shri P.KRajagopala Iyer of Ambattur, a renowned musicolgist. It differs from Amritavarshini only n gandharam.He presented this ragam and a couple of other ragams like karpoorabharani in The Music Academy in the late 60s I think. He has composed a varnam and a kriti on Mouna Swamigal of the Bhuvaneshwari peeTam of Ambattur.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 14 Aug 2009, 07:29

bilahari wrote:Am I the only one who really doesn't care for most of these pentatonic ragas?

I am quite fond of some of the pentatonic raga. I agree that many of these ragas do not have the depth of weightier alternatives be it Bhairavi, Begada or Thodi, but any raga if rendered well has scope to appeal to the senses.

naarayanan · Post by **naarayanan** » 14 Aug 2009, 08:56

thanks punarvasu, for the info. but it sounds to me more like a janyam of dharmavathi. of course, as far as anandavalli is concerned both 57 and 59 has the same swaras.

can you give any links? i could not find anything on the net. maybe my phrasing was not correct.

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 14 Aug 2009, 14:01

If you 'google' P.K.Rajagopala Iyer, you may get some info. I think Musiac Academy released a book containing his compositions a few years back.

naarayanan · Post by **naarayanan** » 15 Aug 2009, 23:53

thanks punarvasu.

one more ....

savitri.

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 16 Aug 2009, 02:44

punnai mara nizhalil is by K.Lalita.

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 16 Aug 2009, 03:31

It took me a while to compile this list for rAgas under A. It includes all pentatonic ones with straight arOha/avarOhas and vakra ones. Some rAgAs may have other versions (SADava etc., like AbhEri)

AbhEri (20) S G M P N S / S N D M G S
AbhOgi (22) S R G M D S / S D M G R S
aDan (63) S R M D N S / S N D M R S
adbhOdam (08 ) S G M D N S / S N D M G S
alaru (37) S G M D N S / S N D M G S
alAva (42) S G M D N S / S N D M G S
ambAlika (56) S R M D N S / S N D M R S
ambhOjini (28) S R G M D S / S D M G R S
amrtavarSaNi (66) S G M P N S / S N P M G S
AnandasvarUpi (10) S R G P D S / S N D M G S
Anandavalli (57) S G M P N S / S N P M G S
AnantashAyi (10) S R G P N S / S D M G R S
anapAya (10) S R M P N S / S D P M G S
ANDivaNNan (15) S R M P N S / S N D P G S
AndOlikA (22) S R M P N S / S N D M R S
angarangA (62) S R G P D S / S N P M G S
anguru (07) S G M D N S / S N D M G S
annavAridhi (44) S R M P N S / S N P M R S
AraNi (23) S R M D N S / S N D M R S
ardhanArIsha (11) S R G P M S / S N D M G S
arimani (11) S R M P D S / S N D M G S
aru (11) S G M P D S / S N P M R S
aruNacandrikA (22) S R G P N S / S N P M G S
aruNagiri (64) S R G M D S / S D M G R S
aruNamaNi (11) S G M P N S / S D P M R S
Asamanjari (15) S R G P D S / S N P M R S
Asati (59) S G M D N S / S N D M G S
asati 59 S G M D N S S N D M G S
AshIlaka (14) S R M P N S / S N D M G S
ashvati (59) S G M D N S / S N D M G S
aSTapAdam (20) S M P D N S / S N D P M S
aSTi (24) S G M D N S / S N D M G S
AtakUTa (14) S G M P N S / S N D P M S
Atapa (14) S G M P N S / S N D M R S
aurvashrEyapriyA (01) S R P D N S / S N D P R S
auSadIshapriyA (01) S R G D N S / S N D G R S
avilakSaNa (51) S R M D N S / S N D M R S

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 16 Aug 2009, 06:04

Superb Lakshman!
Now give us the rest of the alphabet. It will be a very useful reference material...

naarayanan · Post by **naarayanan** » 16 Aug 2009, 12:05

so, anandavalli was invented by rajagopala iyer and punnai mara nizhalil is by lalitha. thanks punarvasu and lakshman ji.

CarnaticMuse · Post by **CarnaticMuse** » 17 Aug 2009, 20:32

Lakshman wrote:It took me a while to compile this list for rAgas under A. It includes all pentatonic ones with straight arOha/avarOhas and vakra ones. Some rAgAs may have other versions (SADava etc., like AbhEri)

Mind-boggling! And with one or more compositions in all these ragams and there is an ocean just in the pentatonic area!

I realize more and more that I might not even be able to skim the surface of Carnatic Music in this lifetime, let alone plumb its depths.

girish_a · Post by **girish_a** » 17 Aug 2009, 21:03

Lakshman wrote: AbhEri (20) S G M P N S / S N D M G S

I think AbhEri doens't belong in this list. It has a panchama and a rishabha in the avarohana. Or is this a different variant?

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 18 Aug 2009, 00:13

I made a particular note about AbhEri in my post. There are several variants for this rAgA.

Member_First · Post by **Member_First** » 20 Aug 2009, 13:24

While amruthavarshani is widely spread/sung, for sumaneesha ranjani no takers.

svkashyap · Post by **svkashyap** » 20 Aug 2009, 13:57

Are there any renderings in auSadIshapriyA?

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 06 Sep 2010, 19:47

Regarding item number 22, the lyrics for song punnai mara nizhalil in raga Anandavalli
run like this:
"punnai mara nizhalil-
antha pokkiri kannanai paar raathe!
unnai mayakka kuzhal pidiththu
oothukiraan thirudan -Raathe

This was rendered by Erode Anantharaman recently at the Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aotNra0zXyg

Is this by PK Rjagopala Iyer or Lalitha?

venkatakailasam

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 06 Sep 2010, 19:52

My doubt is that if PKR has invented the raga which was his composition in that raga?

rasikas.org

Pentatonic Ragams

Re: Pentatonic Ragams

Re: Pentatonic Ragams