Chords for raga scale song

C (root) D (major 2nd) E (major 3rd) G(fifth) B (major

Swaras and notes of Raga 7th) C (root)

Hamsadhwani Hamsadhwani raga as a chord

ārohaṇa (ascending): S R2 G3 P N3 S
avarohana(descending): S N3 P G3 R2 S
The Hamsadhwani scale has the same notes as a major
scale, except that the 4th and 6th
are not used when playing Hamsadhwani.
The scale has a major third (G3) and a major seventh
(N3) note.
Along with Sa and Pa (1st and 5th), this gives us a major
7th chord (1 – major 3rd – 5th – major 7th)
notes in the major scale
Remaining note in the scale is a major 2nd note (R2).

Adding a major 2nd note to major 7th chord gives us a

Just five notes in an octave of the scale, which makes
major 9th chord.
Hamsadhwani a pentatonic scale (5 note scale).

So, if you play the D major 9th chord, you are playing all
Hamsadhvani – Intervals
the notes of Hamsadhwani starting from D as the Sa.
Hamsadhwani has the notes : S R2 G3 P N3 S

X hamsadhwani scale = X major 9th chord

Root – major 2nd – major 3rd – 5th – major 7th – root

The basic chord progression for

If you want to play hamsadhwani starting from note C,
these are the notes: major scale
 Chords for raga scale song
The C major scale has the notes : CDEFGABC
Taking alternate notes from C : CEG gives us C major
chord
Similarly taking alternative notes from D : DFA gives us
D minor chord
Doing this for all the notes in the C major scale gives us
the following chords.
C major – D minor – E minor – F major – G major – A
minor – B diminished
These are called the diatonic chords of C major scale. If
you play these chords against the notes of C major scale,
you are safe because the chords were formed using the
notes of major scale, in the first place.
If you play the chords against melody notes which are
already present in the chord, the chord will sound
absolutely correct for the notes.
If some notes which are not in the chord are played
against the chord, the final sound will be that of a chord
with notes added to the basic triad – major 7ths, 6th,
minor 7th etc. where the triad is played on the
instrument while the extra 4th note is sung or played on
the lead instrument.
Since Hamsadhwani is derived from the major scale,
you can use all the chords of major scale to harmonize
hamsadhwani. Though some notes (4th and 6th) of the
major scale and hence the chords of major scale are
missing in hamsadhwani, the overall sound will still be
fine. You can choose the final sound according to your
taste – avoid chords or include chords as you need, from
the basic diatonic chord harmony.
Other chords from major scale
The major scale notes can be arranged in any order you
wish to form triads and other chords to make chords
that suit the major scale and hamsadhwani.
 Chords for raga scale song

For example. You can play the sus2 chord if you are
staying on the 2nd note. The sus 2 chord has the notes :
Harmony for phrases of
root – major 2 – fifth, all of which are part of the major Hamsadhwani
scale. Phrase Example One
|G , , , G , , R | SRG , , , , R| NRNR G , , R| NRNP ….
Playing the the sus 2 chord when Ri or major 2nd is sung,
keeps the root sounding while the major 2nd note in the Each alphabet and comma is of a sixteenth note
chord gives support for the major 2nd being sung. duration.

We will find more chords that suit particular phrases Let us consider playing the above phrase on
further on. Hamsadhwani with D as the root.
Then the swara to note relation will look like this:

Example chords for swaras S R Ga P N

of D hamsadhwani D E F# A C#

Swara/Note Sa/D Ri/E Ga/F# P/A Ni/C# Each of the swara phrases can be rewritten as note
Chords 01 D Em F#m A DM7 phrases :

Chords 02 Bm A Bm A7 A (G G R) = (F# F# E)
(S R G R) = ( D E F# E)
(N R N R G R) = (C# E C# E F# E)
(N R N P) = (C# E C# A)
 Chords for raga scale song

To find out the chords, Phrase by phrase

1. Find which notes are used in the phrase
2. Try to find out which chords from the list of Part 1. (G G R) = (F# F# E)
chords for D Hamsadhwani has similar notes or
note patterns (when using an instrument, looking
at the patterns of notes to match them with the
pattern of chords is essential) There are just two notes in the selection.
3. Make modifications to the triad chords if needed – Any chord with both of the notes will be alright with the
add a new note or change one to make the chord
fit the particular phrase. This could give a more phrase.
apt sound or a new feel to add interest.

We will take the chords of one of the notes and add the
The list of chords for Hamsadhwani
other note. Then do the same starting with the second
Since hamsadhwani has same notes as the major scale,
note.
we decide to use the diatonic chords of D major scale as
the starting point in finding chords for D hamsadhwani.
This is a very analytical way of covering the whole
possibilities. We will do it for this phrase. With the
Chords for D hamsadhani :
remaining ones, we will try making choices in a simpler
D Em F#m G A Bm C#dim
way.

The note F# is present in the following chords :

D, F#m, Bm (see list of chords above)
 Chords for raga scale song

Adding the other note in the phrase (E), to the above D, F#m, Bm, E minor, A, C#dim – 3 note chords
chords gives
D chord + E  D added 9th, D added 9th, F#m7, B sus 4th, Eminor added 9th,

F#m + E  F#m7 A6, C# dim/ F# - 4 note chords

Bm + E B sus 4th
(In the case of Bm, you may skip the D note while The phrase GGR has G in the beginning and stays on the

playing E, though nowadays sus4th chords are found G for 2/3rd of the phrase. Out of the possible options, it

with both 3rd and 4th notes.) may be a good choice to play a chord that belongs to Ga.

The note E is present in the following chords : Let us examine the remaining 3 parts of the phrase. Now

E minor, A, C#dim let us just stick to finding more obvious chords. We can
use just triads and seventh chords but still make the

Adding the other note in the phrase, F#, to the above phrase interesting by the way we arrange them between

chords gives each other.

Eminor + F#  Eminor added 9th

A + F#  A6 2. S R G R
C# dim + F#  C# dim/ F# D major chord is the most obvious chord to play for this
phrase starting with Sa. D major has both Sa and Ri in it
From the above exercise, here is the list of chords one (D and F# notes are Sa and Ga when D is the root). If
could use for part 1: you want to include the Ri (E note), we get D added 9 th
(D F# A E)
 Chords for raga scale song
B minor is another quick option since the chord has both
D and F# (Sa and Ga).
3.NRNRGR
The notes are : C# E F# (Ni Ri Ga)
A6th chord has all the above notes. (A C# E F#)
F#7 has all the above notes too. (F# A# C# E)
But how does F# major come into D major scale
harmony? D major scale has F#minor, not major in it,
leave alone the dominant 7th chord of F#.
F#7 chord, with its tension, could add some interest into
the phrase in place of a pleasant chord like A6. In fact
A6th has the same notes as F#m7, the F# chord we
should have used if following D major harmony exactly.
4.NRNP
The notes are C# E A (Ni Ri Pa)
A major is the most obvious chord.
You can change the chord depending on which note or
chord you are going from here on to the next phrase.
Chord for the whole phrase
|G , , , G , , R | SRG , , , , R| NRNR G , , R| NRNP ….
Which chords to play from the possible options?
We will choose the final progression based on what
sounds good for the whole phrase and the phrases
before and after.
For example here are two chord progressions we could
play :
1. |F#m|D|F7|A| or
2. |D |F#m|F7|A| - this could be interesting
because of the change from F#minor to F#7 (major
chord in its seventh form)