Thaat (Parent Scale)
One of ten thaats
Komal Ni

Khamaj खमाज

Komal Ni with the other six notes shuddha: the scale of Khamaj, Desh and Jhinjhoti

Khamaj thaat is one of the ten parent scales of Hindustani music: komal Ni, the other six notes shuddha. Khamaj, Desh and Jhinjhoti are grouped here.

Thaat scale
  1. Sa (fixed)
  2. Shuddha Re
  3. Shuddha Ga
  4. Shuddha Ma
  5. Pa (fixed)
  6. Shuddha Dha
  7. Komal Ni

Green: shuddha or fixed · Blue: komal · Amber: tivra

S R G M P D n
Mixolydian mode
7 Ragas 4 Releases

Ragas in Khamaj Thaat

7 ragas classified in this thaat

Ragesri

रागेश्री

S G M D n S' | S' n D M G M R S

Khamaj Night Audava-Shadava
Raag Rageshri: a Khamaj thaat raga of Hindustani music, performed at night, with komal Ni and no Pa. Vadi Ga, samvadi Ni.
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Janak Raga

A representative raga of this thaat

Khamaj

खमाज

S G M P D N S' | S' n D P M G R G S, .N S G M P

Khamaj Night Shadava-Sampoorna
Raag Khamaj: a Khamaj thaat raga of Hindustani music, performed at night, with shuddha Ni going up and komal Ni coming down. Vadi Ga, samvadi Ni.
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Origins & Context

Khamaj thaat is one of the ten parent scales (thaats) of Hindustani music, the system set out by Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, and it uses komal (flat) Ni with the other six notes shuddha: S R G M P D n. Raag Khamaj, the raga of the same name, has its own page, and the raga drops Re in ascent: Raag Khamaj. The nearest thaat is Bilawal thaat, which keeps Ni shuddha. Kafi thaat shares the komal Ni and lowers Ga as well.

The ragas grouped under Khamaj include Desh, Jhinjhoti and Ragesri, three ragas that Bhatkhande lists among the eleven best known of this thaat. The same seven notes form Harikambhoji, melakarta 28 of Carnatic music, and the Western Mixolydian mode.

A thaat carries no hour of its own. In Bhatkhande's books Raag Khamaj belongs to the second watch of the night, while Desh and Jhinjhoti keep their own times, and many Khamaj ragas live in thumri and other light classical forms as much as in khayal. Hear ragas of this thaat at KalaSudha concerts and on our recordings, and learn them in courses built by their instructors with KalaSudha: see our courses.

Musical Characteristics

Scale and musical context of this thaat

Swara Patterns

Thaat scale
S R G M P D n
Avroh (Descending)
n D P M G R S

Distinctive Features

Komal Ni, with the other six notes shuddha
Same notes as the Western Mixolydian mode
Bilawal thaat differs by one note, shuddha Ni
Khamaj, Desh, Jhinjhoti and Ragesri are grouped here

Around the World

Global connections and equivalent scales

Carnatic

Harikambhoji (melakarta 28)

S R G M P D n

Melakarta 28 of Carnatic music takes the same seven notes, with kaisiki nishada, the lowered seventh, and P. Sambamoorthy pairs it with the Mixolydian mode. The Carnatic raga Harikambhoji and its janya Kambhoji have their own phrases and gamakas; what the two systems share is the scale.

Western

Mixolydian mode

C D E F G A Bb

With Sa on C the notes are the Mixolydian mode, a major scale with a lowered seventh. Only the notes match: Raag Khamaj, for one, drops Re in ascent, and each raga of the thaat keeps its own ascent, descent and emphasis.

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