Seven Modes Interpreted With Indian Ragas/Thaats
We are pretty familiar with the seven basic modes or scales in western
music theory, which are considered useful in composing music. These
seven modes are: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian
and Locrian. For my better understanding and grasping of these modes, I
have tried to perceive how they resemble some of the Indian ragas. But
Before that, I would like to exhibit a chromatic an octave table in both
(Indian & Western) the disciplines.
Western Notes : C, C#/Db, D D#/Eb, E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C
Indian Notes : S r R g G M m P dh DH ni NI S
(In Indian system, all the sharps and flatted notes are represented in lower cases and natural notes are in upper cases. Therefore, there are four flattened notes i.e. komal swaras r,g,dh,ni and one sharp i.e. teevra swara m)
'W' means whole step and 'H' means moving on to half step. All my explanations are in the key of C as it is more approachable and worth understanding.
1. Ionian Mode: (W-W-H-W-W-W-H)
w w h w w w h
C---D---E---F---G---A---B---C (All natural notes are found in Ionian mode...Raga BILAWAL
This mode is exactly similar to Raga Bilawal which also consist of all the natural notes : S-R-G-M-P-Dh-Ni-Sa
2. Dorian: (W-H-W-W-W-H-W)
Western: C-D-D#-F-G-A-A#-C Similar to Raga KAFI
Raga Kafi: S-R-g-M-P-Dh-ni-SA
As Raga kafi consist of all natural seven notes except g and ni. swara ni and g are flat in this raga which is similar to the structure of Dorian mode.
3. Phrygian: (H-W-W-W-H-W-W)
Western: C-C#-D#-F-G-G#-A#-C Similar to Raga BHAIRAVI
Raga Bhairavi: S-r-g-M-P-dh-ni-SA
In Bhairavi, notes RE GA DHA NI are Komal or flat ... similar to the phrygian mode.
4. Lydian (W-W-W-H-W-W-H)
Western: C-D-E-F#-G-A-B-C Similar to Raga YAMAN
Raga Yaman: S R G m P DH NI SA
5. Mixo-lydian (W-W-H-W-W-H-W)
Western : C -D-E-F - G -A-A#-C
Rag khamaj : S - R-G-M-P-Dh-ni-SA Pretty similar to Raga KHAMAJ
However, Raga Khamaj consist of both the NI notes - natural and flat as in natural in ascending order and flat ni while descending like SRGMPDNSA-SAniDPMGRS
6. Aeolian (W-H-W-W-H-W-W)
Western : C-D-D#-F-G-G#-A#-C....Similar to Raga ASAWARI
Asawari : S-R-g-M-P-dh-ni-SA (as G DH NI swaras are komal (flat))
7. Locrian (H-W-W-H-W-W-W)
Western: C-C#-D#-F-F#-G#-A#-C Resembles Raga TODI
Todi : S-r-g-M-m-P-dh-ni-SA
Almost all the accidentals are used in Locrian and Raga Todi too.
In this way, I have perceived that all these various modes resemble the one or the other basic Indian ragas which are also called 'Thaats'. These basic Ragas or thaats are also considered as the origin of Ragas and play a vital role in the classification of all the numerous ragas according to day, time, nature, persona etc..
Western Notes : C, C#/Db, D D#/Eb, E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C
Indian Notes : S r R g G M m P dh DH ni NI S
(In Indian system, all the sharps and flatted notes are represented in lower cases and natural notes are in upper cases. Therefore, there are four flattened notes i.e. komal swaras r,g,dh,ni and one sharp i.e. teevra swara m)
'W' means whole step and 'H' means moving on to half step. All my explanations are in the key of C as it is more approachable and worth understanding.
1. Ionian Mode: (W-W-H-W-W-W-H)
w w h w w w h
C---D---E---F---G---A---B---C (All natural notes are found in Ionian mode...Raga BILAWAL
This mode is exactly similar to Raga Bilawal which also consist of all the natural notes : S-R-G-M-P-Dh-Ni-Sa
2. Dorian: (W-H-W-W-W-H-W)
Western: C-D-D#-F-G-A-A#-C Similar to Raga KAFI
Raga Kafi: S-R-g-M-P-Dh-ni-SA
As Raga kafi consist of all natural seven notes except g and ni. swara ni and g are flat in this raga which is similar to the structure of Dorian mode.
3. Phrygian: (H-W-W-W-H-W-W)
Western: C-C#-D#-F-G-G#-A#-C Similar to Raga BHAIRAVI
Raga Bhairavi: S-r-g-M-P-dh-ni-SA
In Bhairavi, notes RE GA DHA NI are Komal or flat ... similar to the phrygian mode.
4. Lydian (W-W-W-H-W-W-H)
Western: C-D-E-F#-G-A-B-C Similar to Raga YAMAN
Raga Yaman: S R G m P DH NI SA
5. Mixo-lydian (W-W-H-W-W-H-W)
Western : C -D-E-F - G -A-A#-C
Rag khamaj : S - R-G-M-P-Dh-ni-SA Pretty similar to Raga KHAMAJ
However, Raga Khamaj consist of both the NI notes - natural and flat as in natural in ascending order and flat ni while descending like SRGMPDNSA-SAniDPMGRS
6. Aeolian (W-H-W-W-H-W-W)
Western : C-D-D#-F-G-G#-A#-C....Similar to Raga ASAWARI
Asawari : S-R-g-M-P-dh-ni-SA (as G DH NI swaras are komal (flat))
7. Locrian (H-W-W-H-W-W-W)
Western: C-C#-D#-F-F#-G#-A#-C Resembles Raga TODI
Todi : S-r-g-M-m-P-dh-ni-SA
Almost all the accidentals are used in Locrian and Raga Todi too.
In this way, I have perceived that all these various modes resemble the one or the other basic Indian ragas which are also called 'Thaats'. These basic Ragas or thaats are also considered as the origin of Ragas and play a vital role in the classification of all the numerous ragas according to day, time, nature, persona etc..
Your Todi is wrong. Todi is S r g M P d N S. The western equivalent is NOT locrian because locrian has no perfect fifth. Not all accidentals are used in Todi and so you should not mislead people. Todi is Harmonic minor with a flat 2 and a augmented fourth.
ReplyDeleteHi, Sorry about that but that's why I wrote 'Almost'.... Re Ga dha is komal and M Teevra....and thats present in the scale so it might be related. Thanks for the feedback though.
DeleteV True @C. Sarju Seepersaud....
DeleteTodi, Marwa and Purvi are 3 modes(or Thaats) which don't exist in Western Music....
6 of the Westren Music Thaats(or Modes) exist in Indian Classical too---Ionian, Dorian, Mixolydian, Lydian, Aeolian, Phrygian....But Locrian doesn't exist in Indian Classical....In Indian Classical, you can never skip the 5th(Pa) in any Thaat or Raga....
Locrian - sounds interesting. I remembered raga lalit all of a sudden when I saw both madhyams together. But to classify it as an indian thaat, it's something out of my mind. The lower half resembles raga bhairavi, the upper half resembles raga bilaskhani todi. But as we can see Locrian mode omits pancham, it's difficult to compare it to any above-mentioned ragas that entertains pancham to the fullest. There are no any thaats in indian music that omits pancham and advocates all komal swaras all along with tivra madham or both madhyams together.
DeleteJust to add - there is no Thaat Bhairav in the western scales.
DeleteI believe Thaat Bhairav is the same as Double Harmonic mode (not for major but some other scale). It's really a flattened 2nd and 6th
DeleteThe Locrian mode doesn't skip 5th but it's b5, which is quite common in western music where there are diminished intervals. On the contrary, in Indian music Pa doesn't shift it's position if it is there in a raga, meaning it's a perfect 5th.
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ReplyDeleteThere are some ragas like Malkaus, which skip the 5th or Pa. However, in Indian classical music 5th is always perfect. This is the reason why Locrian mode of the major scale doesn't match with any of the 10 Thaats.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this great information.
ReplyDeleteThis blog provides an insightful comparison between Western modes and Indian ragas, highlighting the parallels between these two musical systems. It's fascinating how the Ionian mode aligns perfectly with Raga Bilawal, both utilizing all-natural notes and how the Dorian mode shares similarities with Raga Kafi through its use of flat notes. Our platform BMusician provides top-notch music lessons, tutorials, and a vibrant community of fellow enthusiasts. We also provide personalized one-to-one online sessions with experienced instructors, ensuring tailored guidance to help you reach your musical goals. Thank you for contributing to the well-being and growth of musicians everywhere!
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