Raga in Music: Hindustani Raag and Carnatic Raga

What is a raga in music?

A raga is more than a scale or collection of notes. It is a musical framework with its own rules, movements and personality.

The word raga comes from a Sanskrit root linked with colouring or pleasing the mind. A performer “colours” a melody through selected swaras, phrases and ornamentation.

Each raga guides how notes should rise, fall, pause and connect. Certain phrases reveal its identity immediately.

A performer can improvise within this framework. The result must continue to sound like that raga.

Try this simple comparison. Two stories may use the same alphabet but have different characters and moods. Similarly, two ragas may use the same notes but arrange and express them differently.

Main elements of a raga

Several features work together to give a raga its identity. Their importance and terminology vary between Hindustani and Carnatic music.

Aroha and avaroha provide an outline, not the complete raga. They cannot show every phrase, ornament or emphasis.

Learners must therefore hear a teacher’s demonstrations. Notation alone cannot fully communicate a raga.

What is a Hindustani raag?

A Hindustani raag is a melodic framework used in North Indian classical music. “Raag” is a common Hindi spelling of raga.

Its identity may include aroha, avaroha, pakad and chalan. It can also include vadi, samvadi, jati and performance time.

Vadi is traditionally described as the most prominent swara. Samvadi is another important swara that supports it.

Pakad means a recognisable cluster of notes or movement. Chalan describes the raga’s broader melodic behaviour.

Hindustani ragas are often grouped under ten thaats in Bhatkhande’s widely taught classification.

Ragas may also be linked with particular times of day or seasons. Modern concerts may apply these associations flexibly.

Example: Raag Bhupali

Raag Bhupali commonly uses five swaras: Sa, Re, Ga, Pa and Dha. Ma and Ni are omitted.

Its basic ascent and descent may look symmetrical. However, its characteristic phrases and resting points make it more than a five-note scale.

A performer may begin with an unmetered alap. A composition can then introduce taal, lyrics and rhythmic improvisation.

What is a Carnatic raga?

A Carnatic raga is a melodic framework used in South Indian classical music. It may also be called ragam in several South Indian languages.

Its identity includes swaras, arohana, avarohana and characteristic sancharas. Gamakas are especially important in revealing its form.

A raga may not always move in a simple staircase. It can use zigzag movement, skipped swaras or different notes while ascending and descending.

Carnatic music organises many ragas as melakarta or janya ragas. The 72 melakarta ragas form a systematic parent-raga scheme.

A melakarta uses all seven swaras in order during ascent and descent. A janya raga is derived from, or classified under, a melakarta.

Janya ragas may omit notes or use zigzag phrases. Their identity cannot be predicted from the parent scale alone.

Example: Raga Mohanam

Mohanam uses the swaras Sa, Ri, Ga, Pa and Dha. Ma and Ni are absent in its basic structure.

Its note set resembles Hindustani Raag Bhupali. Yet treatment, gamakas, compositions and improvisation create tradition-specific musical identities.

Carnatic performers may develop a raga through raga alapana. They can also improvise through neraval, kalpana swaras or ragam-tanam-pallavi.

Common raga examples and their swaras

These ragas are widely taught to beginners in both traditions. Note names follow the simple Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni system; lowercase marks a komal (flat) swara and Ma’ marks teevra (sharp) Ma.

Note counts and note names are a starting point only. Two ragas in this table can share the same swaras and still sound entirely different once phrases and gamakas are applied.

Hindustani raag vs Carnatic raga

Both traditions share the central idea of melodic identity. However, they describe, teach and perform ragas through different systems.

The systems share some names. A shared name does not guarantee identical swaras or behaviour.

For example, Hindustani Todi and Carnatic Hanumatodi are not interchangeable. Bhairavi also has different structures and treatment across the traditions.

Learners should always identify both the raga and its musical tradition.

How many ragas are there in Indian music?

Indian music has no single, universally accepted total. Texts, lineages and performers may recognise different sets and variants.

The 72 melakarta ragas in Carnatic music form a fixed classification. They do not represent the total number of Carnatic ragas.

Likewise, the ten Hindustani thaats are classification frameworks. They are not the total number of Hindustani ragas.

Hundreds of ragas are documented and performed across both traditions. Some are common, while others are rare or linked with particular lineages.

In practice, a student meets a much smaller number. Most learners work with roughly ten to thirty ragas through their early years of training.

Why are ragas important?

• Builds musical identity – each raga offers a recognisable world of notes, phrases and expression.
• Guides improvisation – performers create new melodies without losing the raga’s character.
• Develops listening – learners begin recognising fine differences between similar note patterns.
• Connects composition and creativity – a fixed composition becomes the base for fresh musical ideas.
• Teaches expression – careful phrasing and ornamentation help communicate bhava without depending only on lyrics.

How to practise a raga

For beginners at home

1. Listen to one short teacher-approved recording each day.
2. Hum the tonic, Sa, over a tanpura drone.
3. Sing the aroha and avaroha slowly for five minutes.
4. Copy two short characteristic phrases from your teacher.
5. Record yourself and check whether the phrases remain clear.

Do not begin with fast improvisation. First learn how the raga moves and where its phrases settle.

For singers

1. Set a comfortable Sa and sustain it without strain.
2. Sing each swara slowly with the correct gamaka or approach.
3. Practise short phrases instead of repeating only the scale.
4. Add a simple composition after the phrases feel secure.
5. Improvise for one minute using only taught movements.

Breath should support the musical phrase. Avoid breaking a phrase at an unnatural point.

For instrument players

1. Tune carefully to Sa and Pa before beginning.
2. Play the raga slowly across one octave.
3. Practise slides and oscillations separately where possible.
4. Copy one phrase by ear before reading its notation.
5. Use a metronome only after the phrase sounds natural.

Keyboard players cannot reproduce every continuous gamaka. They can still learn phrasing, note emphasis and melodic direction carefully.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

• Treating a raga like a scale → learn its characteristic phrases and important resting points.
• Confusing a thaat with a raga → remember a thaat is only a parent scale for classification.
• Singing every swara equally → listen for notes receiving emphasis, rest or ornamentation.
• Using only written notation → combine notation with careful listening and imitation.
• Mixing similarly named ragas → confirm the tradition, structure and phrases before practising.
• Improvising too early → master two or three short phrases before creating new ones.

Frequently asked questions

What is a raga in simple words?

A raga is a set of rules for making melody. It tells a musician which notes to use, how to move between them, which phrases to repeat and what mood to express. Within those rules the musician is free to improvise, so two performances of the same raga can sound different while remaining recognisably that raga.

Is raga the same as a scale?

No. A scale mainly arranges notes by pitch. A raga also includes characteristic phrases, note emphasis, ornamentation and melodic direction. Two ragas can use similar notes yet sound different. The raga’s identity appears through how those notes are approached, connected and resolved.

What are the seven notes used in a raga?

The seven basic swaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni. Sa and Pa stay fixed, while Re, Ga, Dha and Ni have komal (lowered) forms and Ma has a teevra (raised) form. A raga selects from these twelve available swara positions, and may use five, six or seven of them.

What is the difference between raga and raag?

They refer to the same broad musical concept. Raga is the widely used Sanskrit and English form. Raag reflects a common North Indian pronunciation and spelling. Ragam is often used in South Indian languages and Carnatic music. The spelling alone does not define the tradition.

How many notes does a raga have?

A raga commonly uses at least five swaras within an octave. It may use five, six or seven notes in ascent or descent. Some ragas use different note counts in each direction. A few also use two forms of the same swara in specific phrases.

What are the six main ragas?

Older texts describe a system of six principal ragas, each with a family of raginis, often listed as Bhairav, Malkauns, Hindol, Deepak, Shree and Megh. The lists vary between texts and regions. Modern Hindustani teaching does not use this system for classification; it uses the ten thaats instead.

What is the mother of all ragas?

There is no single accepted answer. In Hindustani music, Bhairavi is often described this way because it accommodates all twelve swaras and traditionally closes a concert. In Carnatic teaching, Mayamalavagowla holds a comparable foundational place as the first raga a student learns. Both descriptions are traditional rather than technical.

Can two ragas have the same notes?

Yes. Their phrases, emphasis, ornamentation and melodic movement can still differ. This is similar to making different sentences with the same words. Learners should hear each raga through compositions and guided phrases, rather than identifying it only through its note list.

Are Hindustani and Carnatic ragas the same?

They share the concept of a melodic framework. However, classification, terminology, ornamentation and performance practice differ. Some ragas have close counterparts, while others only share a name. Hindustani Raag Bhupali and Carnatic Mohanam are related in note structure but retain distinct musical treatment.

Related Music Terms

• Swaras in Music – the basic musical notes used to form melodies and ragas.
• Thaat in Hindustani Music – the ten parent scales used to classify Hindustani ragas.
• Raag Samay Chakra – the traditional cycle linking raags to times of day.
• Ragas and Rasas – the moods and emotions associated with different ragas.
• Shruti in Indian Music – a pitch reference and a concept of fine pitch distinction.
• Gamaka in Indian Music – ornamentation that gives swaras movement and expression.

Want your child to really understand raga?

They’ll learn raga naturally through structured lessons, guided listening, and regular feedback. Explore our online Hindustani vocal classes or online Carnatic singing classes.