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Raag · 9 pm – midnight · Romance, playful

खमाजKhamaj

The raag of thumri and dhun: Re left out going up, both Nis, and a playful, romantic lightness.

This landscape is drawn from the raag: the far mountain rises with its aaroh and falls with its avaroh, and the near hills follow its pakad.

66 madhya
About these soundsMeend makes the harmonium and santoor sounds itself. They aren’t recordings of real instruments, so they sound close, but not quite the same. They are here to let you hear how the swaras go.The tanpura and tabla are recordings of real ones.
SRGMPDNNखमाज

Tap a swara to hear it

Thaat
Khamaj
Jati
Shadav–Sampurna
Vadi and samvadi
Ga and Ni
Its hour
9 pm – midnight, 2nd prahar of the night
Its mood
Romance, playful

Khamaj is the raag of its thaat, and of light classical music: of thumri, dadra, and the bansuri's dhuns. It is romantic and playful, never heavy. It leaves out Re going up, and uses both Nis: shuddh rising to Sa, komal falling to Dha. It belongs to the second prahar of the night.

Hear it

Aaroh
SGMPDNS
Avaroh
SNDPMGRS
Pakad
NDMPDMGSGMG

How it moves

Ga is Khamaj's vadi and Ni its samvadi.

Komal Ni, by Dha and Ma, to Pa and Dha
NDMPD
Ma to Ga
MG
From Sa, Ga, Ma, Ga
SGMG
Up to taar Sa, by shuddh Ni
GMPDNS
Down by komal Ni
SNDPMG

Its hour

1st prahar of the day, 6–9 am12nd prahar of the day, 9 am – noon23rd prahar of the day, noon – 3 pm34th prahar of the day, 3–6 pm41st prahar of the night, 6–9 pm12nd prahar of the night, 9 pm – midnight23rd prahar of the night, midnight – 3 am34th prahar of the night, 3–6 am4midnight6 amnoon6 pmnightdayKhamaj9 pm – midnight
2nd prahar of the night, 9 pm – midnight. Its hour’s other raags: Durga, Desh, Kafi, Bihag, Charukeshi, Pahadi.

Khamaj belongs to the second prahar of the night, from 9 to midnight.

On the bansuri

  • S
  • R
  • G
  • M
  • P
  • D
  • N
  • N
  • S
Its swaras on the bansuri, from Sa to taar Sa: a dark hole closed, a half-dark one half closed. Every swara’s fingering, in your key →

Look-alikes

SRGMPDNNखमाजKhamajVadi Ga, samvadi Ni · 9 pm – midnight
Khamaj’s pakad
NDMPDMGSGMG
SRGMPDNNदेसDeshVadi Re, samvadi Pa · 9 pm – midnight
Desh’s pakad
RMPNSNDPMGRGNS
The same swaras: they differ in where they dwell and how they move.

Kafi lowers Ga too, and uses only komal Ni:

SRGMPDNNखमाजKhamajVadi Ga, samvadi Ni · 9 pm – midnight
Khamaj’s pakad
NDMPDMGSGMG
SRGMPDNकाफ़ीKafiVadi Pa, samvadi Sa · 9 pm – midnight
Kafi’s pakad
SSRRGGMMP
Khamaj has Ga and Ni; Kafi has komal Ga.

Practise it

  1. Long notes on Ga and Ni.
  2. The aaroh and avaroh, minding the two Nis.
  3. The pakad and the phrases, lightly.
Ga and Ni, held
G–––––––N–––S–––
A short aalap
SGMG––––
GMPDNS––
SNDPMG––
MGRS––––
A riyaz of Raag Khamaj

Meend starts it with Aaroh–Avaroh, Pakad, Aalap and Bandish, 27 minutes a day, and listens as you play: each swara of the notation lit as it is played, the time kept, a lotus grown petal by petal.

Make it my riyazor check your playing on the tuner

Questions

Why is Khamaj used for thumri?

Its lightness, its two Nis and its love of ornament suit thumri's romance; Khamaj and its kin are thumri's favourite raags.

Which swara is left out of Khamaj's aaroh?

Re: it climbs Sa, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni, Sa.