Raga based songs - Film songs based on Natabhairavi Raga aka Natural Minor Scale

This will be a new series of information on raga based songs and the way in which the notes are used.

We assume that the lyrics / tune follows the same raga with no foreign notes and the song remains in the same scale throughout, though this is always deviated in filmy music. However, there are songs which remain pure within the raga / scale pattern.

Natabhairavi raga goes like s r2 g2 m1 p d1 n2 S. It is a melakartha ragam with all 7 notes in ascending and descending. The interval / gap between these notes follow exactly the same pattern of the natural minor scale notes under western music. Almost 80% of the music (film songs and western music) falls under this raga / scale and every music director had happily produced several compositions in this scale / raga.

This raga can be played in any minor scale depending upon the way in which the song is composed. That means, you can start ‘s’ from anywhere between C and B (see the Table below) depending upon the root chord of the song or depending upon the note in which the singer is actually singing the song.

The following Table gives the Natural Minor Scales notes as per Western Notation:

Natural Minor Scales
s r2 g2 m1 p d1 n2 S
R W H W W H W W
C D D# F G G# A# C
C# D# E F# G# A B C#
D E F G A A# C D
D# F F# G# A# B C# D#
E F# G A B C D E
F G G# A# C C# D# F
F# G# A B C# D E F#
G A A# C D D# F G
G# A# B C# D# E F# G#
A B C D E F G A
A# C C# D# F F# G# A#
B C# D E F# G A B

The first row gives the Carnatic notes details. The second row shows the spacing between the notes and the structure of the notes between whole and half note. Row three onwards gives the keys / notes to be used corresponding to the Carnatic notes – each row representing the fact that the root note is the letter in the first column.

The Hindusthani equivalent of this raga is “Asaveri”. There are a lot of songs in this raga and it would be difficult to put everything here.

The popular hindi songs would include ‘Churaaliya hai’, ‘Yaadhon ki baarat’, ‘Dum Maaro Dum’ including the latest ‘Dhinka Chika’

The popular tamil songs would include ‘En iniya pon nilaave’, Snehidhane (ARR), Andhamaanai paarungal azhaghu (MSV), Malai koil vaasalil, Madai thirandhu paayum nadhi alai naan, Maniye manikuyile, Pani vizhum iravu, Putham pudhu kaalai, Raaku muthu raakku, Sangeetha meagam, Thenmadurai vaigai nadhi, Thenpaandi seemaiyile, Vizhiyile malarndadhu, Raakkamma Kaiyathattu etc…

Some of the songs we had already seen and the tabs are available in the forum.

Can someone try to tab the song “Ennodu vaa vaa endru sollamaatten” from NEPV? The song is pure natabhairavi set in E Minor. This means the song is within the notes E, F#, G, A, B, C and D.

Natabhairavi has a variety of janya ragams – the popular ones will include Anandabhairavi, Hindolam and Sudha Dhanyasi.

Ananndabhairavi is fully gamakam prone and let us not visit this for the time being though popular songs are there in this raga – like ‘Mettu poadu (ARR) from Duet’

Hindolam is quite popular one with 5 notes s g2 m1 d1 n2 S. You can pick the western notes from the above table. Popular songs would include ‘Om namasivaaya’, ‘Unnal mudiyum thambi’, ‘Naan thedum sevvandhi poo idhu’ etc…

Sudha Dhanyasi is very important for us. The 5 notes would include s g2 m1 p n2 S. You can pick the western notes from the above table. The raga notes correspond with that of minor pentatonic western notes. So whenever you are playing a minor pentatonic scale (whatever be the root), you are playing Sudha Dhanyasi raga. Popular songs would include Kangal enge (great song from the film Karnan), Vizhiyil vizhundhu, Punjai undu najai undu, Maasi maasam aalanaponnu (a masterpiece of IR), Pudhiya poovidhu poothadhu etc..

More to follow…………………… Sathya

 

Hi Sathya,
Resourceful, you inspire some of us here to learn Carnatic.
Being a Carnatic-challenged, when I read through this, I get reminded of this video segment below (time interval 0:24 to 0:40 secs)
Catch my point by Kamal Hasan - YouTube
Thanks,
Rajesh

 

Thanks for the link. This film itself is a masterpiece. It is difficult to produce one like this unless every aspect of the work is in one's blood. Kamal is one such blessed person. You can watch this film any number of time and enjoy............. Sathya