Ragavardhini - 32nd Melakarta rāgam

Click , "72 Melakartha Raagas" for a complete list:

Before continue reading, be aware about Ragavardhini Raga , by listening...

Ragavardhini (pronounced rāgavardini, Sanskrit: रागवर्दिनि, Kannada: ರಾಗವರ್ಧಿನೀ, Telugu: రాగవర్ధిని) has two separate meanings in Indian classical music:

• a major part of the alapana of a raga.(See Below for What is Alpana..) The performer gives a step-by-step elaboration of the raga, pausing at each major note or swara.
• the 32nd melakarta raga in the Katapayadi sankhya scheme of Carnatic music.

Structure and Lakshana:

It is the 2nd rāgam in the 6th chakra Ritu. The mnemonic name is Ritu-Sri. The mnemonic phrase is sa ru gu ma pa dha ni. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

ārohaṇa: S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S
avarohaṇa: S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R3 S

The notes in this scale are shatsruthi rishabham, antara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, shuddha dhaivatham and kaisiki nishadham. As it is a melakarta, by definition it is a sampurna rāga (has all seven notes in ascending and descending scale). It is the shuddha madhyamamequivalent of Jyoti swarupini, which is the 68th melakarta scale.

Janya rāgas:

Ragavardini has a few minor janya rāgas (derived scales) associated with it. See List of janya rāgas for full list of rāgas associated withRagavardini.

32 Rāgavardhani	S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S	S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R3 S
Rāgachoodāmani	S R3 G3 M1 P N2 S	S N2 D1 M1 R3 G3 S
Amudagāndhāri	S G3 M1 P D1 N2 S	S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R3 S
Dhowmya	S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N2 P S	S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R3 S
Ganavaridhi	S M1 R3 G3 M1 P D2 N2/N3 S	S D2 N2/N3 P M1 R3 S
Hindoladarbār	S G3 M1 P S	S N2 D1 P M1 R3 S
Ramyā	S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N2 P S	S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R3 S
Sāmantajingala	S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S	S N2 P D1 N2 P M1 G3 M1 R3 G3 S

Related rāgas:

Ragavardini's notes when shifted using Graha bhedam, yields Varunapriya melakarta rāga, when the shift of Tonic note is to themadhyamam. See further details and an illustration at Graha bhedam on Ragavardini.

Rāgam	Mela #	C		D		E	F		G		A		B	C		D		E	F
Ragavardhini	32	S			R3	G3	M1		P	D1		N2		S'			R3'	G3'	M1'
Varunapriya	24						S		R2	G2		M1		P			D3	N3	S'

Compositions:

Will come soon...

Some Theory Part :

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lapana is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga (musical scale) in Indian classical music. As a term that is Sanskrit in language, alapana means "to speak, address, discourse, communicate". The flavor of the raga is outlined in the alapana by rendering the raga's permitted notes in structures and phrases unique to the raga (known as "raga lakshanam"). Alapana typically precedes a song that is going to be sung in the same raga.

Alapana is rendered in different speeds, with a gradual increase in tempo. Likewise, the complexity of the patterns increases steadily as the alapana progresses.

Alapana is divided into three parts:

• Akshipthika
• Ragavardhini
• Magarini

In Carnatic music:

In Carnatic music, alapana, sometimes also called ragam,is the exposition of a raga or tone - a slow improvisation with no rhythm, where the raga acts as the basis of embellishment. In performing alapana, performers consider each raga as an object that has beginnings and endings and consists somehow of sequences of thought.

In a Carnatic music concert, the alapana introducing a major composition may last 45 minutes or more, while those preceding other compositions are proportionatey shorter. Performers and instrumental accompanists often render the alapana together and individually (for example, vocalist's phrases are shadowed by that of a violinist, and later the violinist may perform solo).

In Hindustani music:

Hindustani music features percussion accompaniment to raga alapanas once the phrasing has picked up sufficient complexity and tempo. In a concert, alapana typically takes center stage. Entire concerts may be devoted to the exposition of just one or two ragas, with each alapana segment followed by a few lines of a song also improvised within the constraints of the raga's scale and characteristic phrases.