Carnatic Ragams

What is Ragam?

Ragam is what gives Carnatic songs their tunes. Ragam or Raga in Carnatic music refers to a combination of swarams adhering to defined rules which govern the composition of the songs. Each ragam in Carnatic music contains an ascending scale known as the Arohanam and a descending scale known as the Avarohanam.

Ragam Categories - Melakartha Ragam and Janya Ragam

There are many systems that categorize and define ragams in different ways. For example, the melakartha system and the Dikshithar system. Ragam categories defined below are based on the Melakartha system.

Ragams in Carnatic music are categorized into Melakartha Ragams and Janya Ragams. Melakartha ragams are considered the base ragams and each Janya ragam is derived from one of the Melakartha ragams.

There are 72 Melakartha ragams. A ragam is considered a Melakartha ragam if it satisfies the following rules:

1. It is a sampoorna ragam meaning that it must contain all seven swarams in both ascending and descending scales.
2. It is a krama sampoorna ragam meaning that the sequence of swarams is strictly ascending and descending in the scales, without any jumps or zig-zag swarams. Note that sequence of swarams is S R G M P D N S.
3. The upper Shadjamam (Swaram S) is included in the ragam. Note that the upper Shadjamam marks the jump to the next octave.
4. The arohanam and avarohanam must have the same swarams.

What differentiates one melakartha ragam from another is which swarams are used in it. One ragam may use R1 for the Rishabham and another may use R2 for the Rishabham. Note that the first 36 of the 72 melakartha ragams use shudha madhyamam (M1) and the last 36 user prathi madhyamam (M2) as seen in the following table.

Janya ragams are derived from Melakartha ragams. There are a wide range of rules that could categorize a janya ragam

1. They could omit or repeat one or more swarams in the arohanam and/or the avarohanam.
2. They could amy include a swaram or two that arent found in the melakartha ragam that the janya ragam is based on.
3. The janya ragam could exclude the upper shadjamam and by virtue of that be set to only one octave.
4. There could be other reasons.

What is Gamakam?

Gamakam is what gives ragams their characteristic tunes. Gamakam refers to the modulation or variation of any swaram within the ragam in particular ways. There are rules governing what gamakams can apply to a ragam.

Sans Gamakams, ragams would lack a signature and sound plain without much variety. Note that application of gamakam to a swaram should adhere to the rules of the limits of the swarams and should be within the rules of the arohanam and avarohanam structures of a ragam. In lay man terms, one should not modulate a swaram such that it wrongly jumps to the next swaram or ends up including a swaram that isnt permitted by the ragam. Thus a ragam is limited or expansive in scope based on the kind of gamakams that can be applied to it. This is of particular importance in extemporaneous renderings of ragams.

What is Bruga?

Bruga refers to varying the speed (usually increasing the speed) with which a set of swarams are rendered for a ragam. Bruga is also popularly known as Brigha or Briga. Brugas make the rendering of a ragam interesting. When used in an effective way they can provide a surprise effect or a high point to any composition.

Note that Gamakam refers to modulating a single swaram within its limits while Bruga refers to varying the speed of a set of swarams.

What is Griha Bedham?

Griha bedham is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies betwee the swarams of that ragam the same, while shifting the shadjamam (S) to the next note in the ragam. In case of Janya ragams, only notes that occur in both ascending and descending scale are taken for this change. Specific ways of griha bedham of a ragam can lead to the rendering of other ragams.

The rest of this page lists each Carnatic ragam and details about it.