What makes up all music (maybe referring to Thaat) are like rivers separated but

flowing from the feet of the divine. Sometimes, the rivers remain separated, and
sometimes they intermingle and flow within each other. Whatever flows, in its truest
form, remains the same.

– Hazrat Ameer Khusrau (para-phrasing)

1) Kalyan: Usually the 1st Thaat to be discussed due to it’s easy to remember Sur.
Other than Sa and Pa which are known as Atal Sur, all other Sur are Tayvar. So the
set of Sur for Thaat Kalyan would be: S R G M P D N S'. Those of you that are
familiar with Raag might wonder why there is no Arohi or Amrohi. That’s because
going up and down a Saptak in Sargam is the work of a Raag,
not Thaat. Thaat simply tells you what Sur are involved and does not micromanage
the Raag within its family any more than that.

Thaat Kalyan primarily creates evening Raag. Kalyan in itself means good fortunein
Sanskrit. Maybe a good indication that many of it’s children Raag create a happy
mood. There are vast number of children Raag that are born from ThaatKalyan.

Many people associate child Raag of Thaat Kalyan to start any music concert. What
they may not realize is, that this is due to a particular practice of the Honorable
Ameer Khusro. He composed the most famous of all Qawwali, known as Qaalay
Nabi later known as simply Qaul. This composition is also referred to as Mankunto
Maula, and uses Raag Yaman Kalyan of the Thaat Kalyan. Ameer Khusro went on
to starting every Mehfile Sama with this composition. Over time, a lot of these fine
historic things are forgotten, and people simply assume that music sages simply
start a concert any concert with a Raag based on Thaat Kalyan.

Many very well known Raag come from the family of Thaat Kalyan, including: Raag
Aiman, Bhopali, Bihag, Hameer, Hindol, Kamod, Kedar, Yaman Kalyan, and many
others. For the full scope, you’ll need to refer to Raag Aiman which represents this
Raag like the eldest child of Thaat Kalyan.

2) Bhairavi: This is usually the 2nd Thaat to be taught to students. It is an exact

opposite in Sur to that of Thaat Kalyan. Bhairavi, keeps it’s Atal Sur Sa and Palike all
other Thaat do. However, all other Sur are Komal instead of Tayvar
like Thaat Kalyan. So the Sur for Thaat Bhairavi are: S r g m P d n S'.

Can you see how cool it is that even in musical scales, there are Thaat and Raag
that are complete opposite to each other, Ying Yang, everything in balance. Sorry, I
let my inner music nerd get out for a bit. What is especially cool to know is that
Bhairavi means Awe Inspiring. Probably a good indication that when a person is awe
struck, he/she is focused…seriously focused. One does NOT giggle, laugh, be
playful at that time. Even a joyful mood may take a back seat, if one was to find
themselves in their lord’s presence. Don’t you agree? Even though it maybe serious
stuff, it may not particularly be sad or dismal. Maybe joy would come as an
afterthought. This may explain Thaat Bhairavi and what its offspring may cultivate.

Most of Thaat Bhairavi Raag are set to early morning, probably because it is used
so often in Hindu religious ceremonies. It is said that Bhairavi is also a name of
Hindu Goddess, the wife of Bhairav. We’ll see what Thaat Bhairav will reveal to us
when we read on below.

Many very well known Raag come from the family of Bhairavi, including: Raag
Bhairavi, Jogkauns, Malkauns, etc. For the full scope, you’ll need to refer to Raag
Bhairavi which represents this Raag like the eldest child.

3) Bilaval: There is a good reason why this is the 3rd of the 10 Thaat to learn.
This Thaat has the same Sur as Thaat Kalyan, except that the Ma or M is Komal in
Bilaval, NOT Tayvar. Remember, how Thaat Kalyan only uses the Atal Sur S & P,
and rest are all Tayvar. Well, Bilaval uses the same but with Komal ma. This makes
all the Sur (other than Atal) for Thaat Bilaval to be Shudh. I’ll repeat…Thaat Bilaval
is a Shudh Thaat. So in respect, it leans more towards Thaat Kalyan than
towards Thaat Bhairavi. It is very important to be able to compare Thaatbased on
these characteristics, because it helps us to memorize them faster and easier.

You might even hear people call it Bilabal. But again, that’s a language thing. The
thing that makes it easier to remember is that if you place your Sa on the Ckey, then
Bilaval has all white keys as it’s Sur, like this: S R G m P D N S'. However, keep in
mind that we are talking about Hindustani Music, and trying to explain to those who
may know a little Hindi, but many only know English. So some of my ways I
explaining may put some of you off at the start. But bare with me here. Due to all
white keys, this is called C Major Scale in English, and maybe referred to
Shudh Thaat along with Thaat Bilaval in Hindi. The Komal ma makes all the
difference here.

Now, you need to know that Thaat Bilaval for some reason is found in just about
every culture’s music. It is very possible that it may not have even originated from
India. The name itself is of Persio-Arab origin, and means Victor. Some of it’s
children Raag have been vastly adopted by the Guru Granth Sahib of the Sikhs as
well as many nationalistic compositions between India and Pakistan. Probably the
reason being, that it’s mood is pretty motivational. Something that tells you, “Yes,
I’ve Fallen, But I’ll Get Right Back Up.”

The more famous Raag that belong to Bilaval Family are: Raag
Bilaval itself, Durga, Hansdhwani, Alhaiya Bilaval, Pahadi, etc.

4) Khamaj: We’re now taking a very small deviation from Thaat Bilaval and simply
change Thaat Bilaval’s Shudh Nikhad to Komal ni. We end up at the doorstep
of Thaat Khamaj. Yes, remember when we made a single deviation
of Ma from Thaat Kalyan, and got Thaat Bilaval? And now again, from ThaatBilaval,
using Komal ni gives us Thaat Khamaj. Sometimes, those who do not know how to
embellish the differences between them, end up playing each of these in a very
similar way. But believe me, Komal ni in Thaat Khamaj will show it’s a very
different Thaat from Thaat Bilaval. The Sur for Thaat Khamaj therefore are: S R G m
P D n S'. Both Ma and Ni are Komal , the rest are Taywar and Atal.

Thaat Khamaj seems to give off a very romantic mood, and so the children
of Thaat Khamaj are very often used in Thumri, Tappa, Ghazal, and other light
classical genres. Thaat Khamaj family of Raag can create such and an alluring and
romantic setting, that some have even labeled the whole group as a set of flirtatious
family of Raag. I have yet never come across any Raag from Thaat Khamaj that was
NOT set to heighten emotions of love, passion, deep friendship, trust, and affection.

Thaat Khamaj has said to even travel to China, Mongol Regions, even as far as
Japan. Some of the more famous Raag that belong to Thaat Khamaj
are: Desh, Jaijaiwanti, Kalawati, Tilak Kamod, and of course Raag Khamaj.

5) Kafi: We’re now again deviating from Thaat Khamaj, just a single Sur and lower
the Taywar Ga to Komal ga, and we get Thaat Kafi. Yes, that’s all that is needed
folks, it should not be a headline news any longer. The complete set
of Sur for Thaat Kafi is: S R g m P D n S'. It is highly advisable to see this visually on
a keyboard. The visual receptors in your brain will work their magic when it comes to
memorizing these Sur sets. I would even suggest that you click on each clickable
image and literally see the big picture. I’m just trying to save you time and effort my
friends.

Note: Notice that I’ve stop talking about Atal Sur altogether, because ALL
10 Thaatinclude both Sa and Pa. So there is no reason to keep on harping on that
fact repeatedly. All we are doing is talking about Komal and Taywar Sur differences.
I don’t even use the word Shudh too often unless it can clear up a concept. This will
also force the you to learn and fully understand the content above before skipping to
the later portions of the guide. I really hurts me more than it hurts you to do that.

Let’s continue with Thaat Kafi a bit more, shall we?

What makes Thaat Kafi a little extraordinary is, the fact that it’s flag bearing Raag
Kafi being one of the oldest of all Raag in the HCM. It’s been mentioned in the oldest
of musical text dating back to 500 B.C. This means, that Raag Kafi “may” very well
be one of the few Raag, that even existed back in the days of King David, with his
God given miraculous voice. But that’s just conjecture, for now. Another thing is
that Thaat Kafi, doesn’t have any one direction of emotion or set Wakth. The
children of Thaat Kafi provide a plethora of emotions and Wakht, although many are
known to be for spring season.

The multitude of Raag that Thaat Kafi brings into existence are: Raag
Kafi, Bageshri, Bahar, Bhimpilasi, Malhaar, Pilu, among many others.

6) Assavari: I hope you understood Thaat Kafi very well before stepping into the
arena of Thaat Assavari. We’re simply going to deviate again a
single Sur from Thaat Kafi by lowering Dhaivat from Tayvar to Komal. So the full set
of ThaatAssavari Sur is: S R g m P d n S'. Once we get to Thaat Assavari, keep in
mind we are using a lot more Komal Sur than before and therefore it’s going to bring
about some very seriousness in the mood the children Raag ThaatAssavari. You’ll
notice this trend even more pronounced, the further we go down the list.

Note: I’ve tried my best to not just mimic the sequence in which I learned
these Thaat, but to make it even easier for you to learn by giving you a more easier
and more precise sequence. So keep reading this sequence of Thaat, there is order
in this mayhem.

Strange thing is that Thaat Bhairavi, that is made up of all Komal doesn’t have that
affect. I mean Raag of Thaat Bhairavi are serious, but you’ll notice that
from Thaat Assavari on, things get a bit on the dark side. Thaat Assavari’s favorite
child, Raag Assavari itself gives an aura of deep
devotion and sacrifice. Thaat Assavari, like its counterpart Thaat Kafi, is also one of
the oldest in written history. Thaat Assavari is said to be even older
than Thaat Kaafi. The Sur pattern of Thaat Assavari is found in ancient music of
the: Byzantine Empire, Roman Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Persia, Ancient
Egyptian, The Sumerians, and Broader Indus Civilizations. My feeling (although
without proof) is that Thaat Assavari is THE OLDEST of the 10 Thaat we have
today.
Thaat Assavari has the following Raag in it’s family: Raag
Assavari, Adana, Jaunpuri, Darbari, Zeelaf, and few others.

7) Todi: Now that you’re getting the hang of this, let’s change it up a bit. Let’s look
at Thaat Todi; it’s a little bit more than a single Sur away from ThaatAssavari, but not
anything you can’t handle. The Sur for Thaat Todi are: S r g M P d N S'. In
fact, Sur wise, its closer to Thaat Bhairavi, with just a difference of two Sur; the Ma is
Taywar in Todi as well as Ni.

One thing that I really don’t want to skip over, is the fact that it’s the 1st Thaat in this
list to have 2 Sur gaps. By that I mean, the big leap you take from g to M, and again
from d to N. If you’re a newbie to HCM, you may not have yet realized that this leap
creates a very powerful heart wrenching affect if done correctly. None of the
previous Thaat have made that 2 Sur leap. The following three Thaat, have this
similarity within them. This factor alone is enough to make sure, that it’s NOT
a Sur pattern to be used in happy joyful occasions. And if so used in weddings or
birthdays and such, handle with care.

The folklores of HCM have named Thaat Todi as the ruler of all 10 Thaat. I don’t
really buy into that simply because they each have a very permanent and powerful
presence in the music world. No one form of music can rule another. I’m so grateful
that music notes are not as competitive and egotistical as people.

Thaat Todi teaches it’s children to very openly sets the mood for love, gentleness,
empathy, and longing. All the Raag from this family that I know of are set for
Morning, Late Morning, or Noon.

Some of the well known Raag from Thaat Todi family are: Multani, Raag Todi itself,
and Gujri Todi along with few others.

8) Bhairo: As you know from Thaat Assavari’s description, we’re already in the
realm of the dark side, serious mood Raag, and the Thaat that created
them. Thaat Bhairo is again a double deviation from Thaat Bhairavi, with it’s
Gandhar and Nikhad being Tayvar. All else remains same as Thaat Bhairavi. So
the Sur for Thaat Bhairo is: S r G m P d N S'. Even without playing any particular
Raag of the Thaat Bhairo, just playing the keys alone will give you some somber
Arabic sounding music tones.

According to Hindu scriptures, Bhairo is another name for God Shiva. And as
Bhairo, he is the husband to Goddess Bhairavi as we mentioned above. Probably
due to this, Raag Bhairo is thought of as a male Raag. The progeny of ThaatBhairo
come in multitudes with all kinds of moods, emotions, Wakht, and so on. Goes to
show that you cannot limit Thaat Bhairo into a small mold. It’s vast…too vast!

This Thaat actually has a lot of Raag associated to it, like: Raag Bhairo, Ahir
Bhairo, Hijaz Bhairo, Jogiya, Kalingda, Nat Bhairo, etc.

9) Maarva: You maybe wondering whats in store for you when it comes
to ThaatMaarva. Well, it’s just like Thaat Kalyan, but with Komal Rikhab or Komal re.
That’s it! It’ll make a huge difference in it’s Raag. So the full Sur set for ThaatMaarva
is: S r G M P D N S'. See the picture on the right, how the Sur leaps from Komal r to
Tayvar G.

To me, it seems that some of the most saddest Raag are born out of ThaatMaarva.
Usual composure for Thaat Maarva’s Raag are set to late evening, just at the
sunset. Our Muslim friends can call it the time of Magh’rib, and Sanskrit speakers
may call it Suryastha. So it’s just after the Sun has set and the darkness is slowly
spreading, but before complete darkness. The Raag from this family can create
some very eerie environment. Don’t confuse it with horror music, its not! But more in
terms of extreme sadness, restlessness, misery, uncertainty and hopelessness.

Now that I’ve said this about Thaat Maarva, I know that I’m going to get
some HCM nerds (including my Aunt) refuting this. And I want to ease them with
this…”This is music, the same Raag that feels joyful to one person can bring on
feelings of sadness and remorse in the heart of another listener.” Don’t forget, we
are after all, describing auditory sensations in words. Our words will NEVER do it
any justice. Ever!

Some well known Raag in this Thaat are: Sohini, Purya, Raag Maarva, and some
more.

10) Purvi: Hey…you made it to the last Thaat. Good job reading….no, seriously, I
worry about you! It’s not normal for a person to spend so much time geeking out
over HCM theories. But hey…you’re ALWAYS welcome to read more here. 🙂

So we start our last and final, but certainly not the least important Thaat, ThaatPurvi.
In short, it’s just like Thaat Todi, except that Thaat Purvi uses G instead of g. So
basically, just a single Sur deviation from Thaat Todi, gives us Thaat Purvi. The
full Sur set for Thaat Purvi is: S r G M P d N S'. See, that wasn’t hard at all. Strange
enough, Raag Purvi at times almost sounds like Raag Bhairo, mixed with Raag Todi.
Anyways, that’s just me.

This Thaat has a funny story for me personally. A tabla artist I met a few times long
time ago in the early ’90s, once found out that I was interested in learning HCM. He
played the keys of Raag Purvi on another musician’s harmonium and called it Raag
Maarva. As a sponge looking to soak up knowledge, I absorbed all that he said. I
kept thinking I learned the Sur set of Raag Maarva all the while playing Sur for Raag
Purvi.

Anyways, these Thaat should not just be read about, but memorized and soaked
into your soul. I’m telling you again, learning the Thaat, at least in the beginning is
favorable to even learning more Raag. The Raag associated with Thaat Purvi
are: Basant, Lalit, Purya Dhanashri, Raag Purvi, and some more.

General Note: Let’s talk about somethings that very few people will ever tell you.
Are you ready? You may want to sit down for this….Learning Thaat matters far more
than even Raag! Wow! What the heck did I just tell you? It’s true. Here’s the honest
truth…learning Thaat helped me immensely. I would even go as far as saying it was
one of the most helpful things I’ve learned within HCM theory.

It helped me get a clearer perspective. I love singing Bhajan and Qawwali.

Sometimes, we have to accompany others and have no idea what they will be
singing or even if we hear them singing, we are not familiar with that particular
Qawwali. How do I play something that I just heard for the first time? What if I don’t
even know which Raag the composition is in? What if there are several Raag
intermingling within a single Qawwali? Thaat plays a great role in this situation. It
gives me just enough info to be able to quickly start accompanying my mates. All I
have to know are the 10 Thaat, but know them well. Know them well enough to
know what Thaat is being played by ear. I don’t have to memorize few hundred
Raag. For practical purposes, Thaat is bare bones, but its enough for you to get by.

What Thaat is useless for is to argue out which Raag belongs to which Thaat.
Simply because many Raag are made of single Thaat, but many still are made up
for 2 or more Thaat. Who knows which Raag belongs to which parent Thaat? These
things don’t matter! Reality is we don’t know fully, because a lot of it comes down to
us written by old music sages, lot of it is personal perspective and these personal
perspectives are also valid.

Remember that music is to create harmony within and without. Not a

competition!