Kafi
काफ़ी
S R g M P D n S' | S' n D P M g R S
Origins & Context
Raag Kafi is a Kafi thaat raga of Hindustani music, performed at night, that uses komal Ga and komal Ni with the other notes shuddha. Komal means lowered, shuddha means natural, and a thaat is a parent scale. George Howlett notes that Bhatkhande chose Kafi as the thaat's titular raga. It is also written Kafee.
In this notation, lowercase is a komal note and an apostrophe the upper octave. The aroha, or ascent, is S R g M P D n S', and the avaroha, or descent, is S' n D P M g R S. The vadi, the most prominent note, is Pa, and the samvadi, its partner, is Sa. The AUTRIM project of the National Centre for the Performing Arts and the University of Amsterdam instead names Ga and Ni as the main notes, with Re and Pa as resting points.
AUTRIM finds the movements direct and simple. One teaching outline allows shuddha Ga and Ni now and then. AUTRIM admits shuddha Ga in lighter genres, and counts Sindhura, which takes both forms of Ni, as a form of Kafi. Howlett names Bageshri and Bhimpalasi among the ragas close to Kafi in character.
KalaSudha presents Hindustani musicians in concert and releases their recordings. Its academy teaches ragas online and in local workshops, and each course is built by its instructor with KalaSudha.
Technical Details
Melodic structure and movement patterns
Aroha (Ascent)
S R g M P D n S'
Avroh (Descent)
S' n D P M g R S
Pakad (Catch Phrase)
g R, M P, M P D P, D n S', n D P
Additional Notes
Phraseologies
Key for these phrases: lowercase letters are komal notes, and an apostrophe puts a note in the upper octave.
In Ajoy Chakrabarty's performance, the AUTRIM project notes, the opening holds Re, moves down to Pa in the lower octave and glides back up to Re. In its general account it gives R g R M M P and g M P M P among its phrases. The catch phrase runs g R, M P, M P D P, D n S', n D P.
AUTRIM lists close relatives that change one note: Zila Kafi uses both forms of Ga in succession in the descent, and Sindh Kafi takes komal Dha.
Common Phrases
Around the World
Global connections and equivalent scales
With Sa on C, Kafi uses C, D, E flat, F, G, A and B flat, the Dorian mode. George Howlett gives Dorian as its jazz translation.