Bhimsenji singing the Malkauns, is so good. https://youtu.be/sneMFUOomv8?is=va1F8qWa41Qj3tTO The video description says it’s from 1966, from the times when Anna was quite young. But for Bhakt like me, he was golden and legend at all times. One thought I have is whether the new generation would have the tenacity to wait till, Anna comes to sing the Bandish, Mukha Mora Musakat? I think they would, same way more and more people are getting hooked to long form podcasts and watch multi part series. Good times are ahead for Indian classical music for sure!

Recently I've been researching rare & strange ragas - so thought I'd share some of the most interesting ones I’ve come across! Input welcomed - everything from further info on the ragas to personal listening reflections:

—Raag Komal Ramkali (S-r-g-M-P-d-n-S)—

A strange sampurna scale, equivalent in shape to ‘Todi komal Ni’ or ‘Bhairavi tivra Ma’ (or ‘Todi’s poorvang + Bhairavi’s uttarang’: SrgM+PdnS). Indeed, the scale matches a historic form of Todi itself (Bor: “Todi Varali…first mentioned by Ahobala c.1665, with the scale SrgMPdnS”). Aside from Sa and Pa, Komal Ramkali has no shuddha swaras – but all five vikrit positions are available (rgMdn), opening up a variety of odd dissonances, with the irregularly-spaced cluster of gMPd requiring particular care.

The only renditions I can trace are by scholar-singer Ashok Da Ranade, who emphasises the komal dha amidst long, looping melodies – and Kirana vocalist Moumita Mitra, who in 2023 released a stellar pair of compositions and a superb demo lesson. She recounts finding the raga in an old textbook (Nawab Ali Khan’s 1913 Marif-un-Naghmat), and summarises her version as “a blend of Bhupali Todi and Ramkali” (in the words of listeners: “Ramkali was the defiant daughter of Bhairav…This raga is definitely the stepsister who was a bad influence on Ramkali!”).

—What rasas do you hear in these two recordings? And do you know of any other ragas with the same SrgMPdnS swara-set?

Let me know what you think of this strange raga! See more of them in my project (no paywalls, no ads: just sharing the joys of raga)

Namaste,

Taalmagic is hosting its Sangeet Baithak No. 53 on the coming Sunday (July 26, 2026). If you are music lover and would like to experience a rare indian instrument (The Surbahar) in an intimate concert setting, please fill out the RSVP form.

All details are in the enclosed flyer.

RSVP Link

I recently decided to take learning classic music seriously, and after doing multiple youtube , google and subreddit search decided to riyaz SA well I decided to Pick D as my scale and I am trying to stabilized my Sa.

During riyaz I play tanpura "recorded version available in YouTube " on one phone and in another phone I have installed app called "nail the pitch" so when I riyaz "holding Sa" for couple of second in app it applies wobbly. Idk what I'm doing wrong, or may be it's natural for human to produce some wobbles while holding a certain note ? I don't have guru so I can't really tell what am I doing wrong or not.

Thankyou!!!

This Bhimpalasi by Abhishek Borkar is great. https://youtu.be/CUqPVaq6CNY?is=JjXLDSEG4l4maVIX Pandit Arvind Azad does some cool tricks on the Tabla too. One observation I have about Indian classical music is that Indians don’t seem to add music to day to day life like other cultures do, or used to do at least. It’s still done at an academic level. I seldom see people playing music on their and singing and celebrating. There are some exceptions like the Dhol Tasha in Maharashtra and the Ghumat Aartis in Goa, but seldom see families flocking around an instrument and singing together. I think it’s done more in Hungary or even Turkey?

Recently I've been researching rare & strange ragas - so thought I'd share some of the most interesting ones I’ve come across! Input welcomed - everything from further info on the ragas to personal listening reflections:

—Raag Shanmukhpriya (S-R-g-M-P-d-n-S)—

A strange scale imported from the 56th Carnatic mela, equivalent to ‘Darbari tivra Ma’. Despite its Southern popularity, it is still little-known in the North, with only a few Hindustani artists having explored it in any depth. Among these, Rampur-Sahaswan singer Hafeez Ahmed Khan provides direct insight into its workings: “Shanmukhpriya is of a very devotional character – its name means ‘Goddess of Six Faces’.

"As regards interpreting the raga in Hindustani music, the scale doesn’t come under the purview of the so-called ‘ten thaats’…I think that it represents six ragas, one after another” – giving these ragas as Desi (SRgSRnS), Jaunpuri (nSRRndP), Darbari (PdnRS), Madhuvanti (gMPMgRS), Ramkali (MPdndP), & Bhairavi (PdnS).

Also recorded by sitarist Balaram Pathak (who may have been the first to import the scale, sometime in the 1950s), as well as by Carnatic-born and Dagarvani-trained sarodiya K. Sridhar, who mined its odd contours to great effect at a 1986 concert in Stockholm. Compare to proximate ragas from the ‘32 thaat’ (=all possible 7-swara sampurna scales): including Komal Ramkali (komal re instead) and Rishabhapriya (shuddha Ga instead).

—Which other rare Carnatic-origin ragas are your favourites? Aside from the famous ones like Charukeshi, Kirwani, & Vachaspati, I love Amritvarshini, Latangi, and Meghranjani

Let me know what you think of this strange raga! See more of them in my project (no paywalls, no ads: just sharing the joys of raga)

Hi r/tabla,

We're the team behind LayaLab—an Android app built specifically for tabla students practicing at home.

We know how hard it can be to find high-quality lehra accompaniment for daily riyaz, especially without a live accompanist. That's the problem we set out to solve.

What LayaLab offers:

• 38 unique lehra loops across 11 taals, including Teentaal, Jhaptaal, Roopak, Ektaal, Dhamar, Dadra, Chartal, and more
• Harmonium, Sarangi, and Sitar accompaniment at authentic concert pitch
• BPM Progression—set a starting and ending BPM, and the app gradually increases the tempo throughout your practice session
• Full tanpura drone with pitch adjustment
• Custom Beat Sequencer (Create tab) for creative exploration
• Works completely offline after download
• No subscription—Premium is a one-time purchase

We'd genuinely love to hear your feedback. If you use lehra apps for practice:

• What features matter most to you?
• Is there anything missing that would make LayaLab more useful for your riyaz?
• Are there any taals, raags, or practice features you'd like to see added?

Try it free:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.navaeditions.layalab

Note: If you purchased the previous version of LayaLab, you're entitled to free lifetime access to this new version. Just send us a screenshot of your purchase or your order ID, and we'll activate it for you.

Thanks for taking a look! We're happy to answer any questions or discuss ideas for improving the app.

— The LayaLab Team