Hindustani music · Raga

What Is Raga Kafi in Hindustani Music?

Kafi is a raga of Kafi thaat with komal Ga and komal Ni. Its other swaras are shuddha. It is sampurna, so all seven swaras appear in both directions. Its vadi (the most important swara) is Pa in the Bhatkhande system.

The raga Kafi and its parent thaat

Kafi is the name of a thaat and of a raga. The thaat is a parent scale with komal Ga and komal Ni. The raga is a melody built on that scale with its own phrases, emphasis and time.

With Sa on C, the swaras read C, D, E flat, F, G, A and B flat. This matches the Dorian mode of Western music. Bageshri and Bhimpalasi belong to the same thaat. They omit or stress other swaras, so they sound different from Kafi.

The pakad and the vadi of Kafi

The Bhatkhande texts print a pakad (a short identifying phrase) that pairs each swara: S S, R R, G_ G_, M M, P. Listeners know Kafi at once from this paired climb to Pa.

Pa is the vadi and Sa is the samvadi (the second most important swara) in the Bhatkhande system. The same texts record a second view with komal Ga and komal Ni as vadi and samvadi. Other references give Re as the samvadi. Many Kafi phrases close on Re, as in M P D P M G_ R.

Kafi in thumri and other light forms

Many thumri and hori compositions are set in Kafi. Performers in these forms often add shuddha Ga or shuddha Ni for color. A strong mixture of this kind is called Mishra Kafi.

The Bhatkhande texts treat these extra swaras as occasional and outside the regular swaras of the raga. Kafi is usually sung at night. These texts give midnight and also record an evening practice.

Telling Kafi from Bageshri

Bageshri comes from the same thaat and uses the same komal Ga and komal Ni. Its vadi is Ma, and its aroha (rising line) usually leaves out Pa. Its central phrase M D N_ D M G_ passes over Pa.

Kafi stresses Pa and moves through every swara in turn. A phrase that climbs steadily to Pa and pauses there points to Kafi. Komal Ga and komal Ni alone do not prove that a raga is Kafi.

Parichay

Thaat: Kafi
Vadi: Pa
Samvadi: Sa
Summary: Ga and Ni are komal.

Notes (swaras)

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni

Sa, Re, komal Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, komal Ni.

Aaroh and avroh in sargam

Aaroh (aroha): Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Ṡa
Avroh (avaroha): Ṡa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa

Pakad

A phrase Kafi is known by:

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Ma Ga Re Sa

In Bhatkhande notation a line below marks a komal swara and a short vertical line above marks tivra Ma. A dot below marks the lower octave and a dot above marks the upper octave.

How it looks

This pakad of Kafi climbs from Sa to Pa in pairs. The line under Ga marks it komal.

Raga of Kafi thaat	Aroha	Vadi
Kafi	All seven swaras	Pa
Bageshri	Pa left out	Ma
Bhimpalasi	Re and Dha left out	Ma

These three ragas of Kafi thaat share one parent scale. They differ in the swaras they omit and the swara they stress.

In exams and courses

Kafi appears on the Gandharva Prarambhik list and again at Praveshika Pratham. At that level a candidate presents its aroha, avaroha, pakad and a song or gat in madhya laya. The second Praveshika year repeats the first-year ragas. No CBSE class from 10 to 12 sets Kafi.

Practice tests on this site with questions on this term:

Practice it

Ear Training. Select Kafi at the Ragas level and pick out komal Ga and komal Ni over the tanpura.
Gandharva Praveshika Poorna practice test. Check the thaat, the swaras and the vadi of Kafi alongside the other first-year ragas.
Hindustani course: Hearing raga. Learn how several ragas can share one set of swaras, as the ragas of Kafi thaat do.

Flashcard

What is kafi?

Related terms

Raga: A melodic framework of Indian classical music. It is defined by its notes, characteristic phrases, emphasized tones and mood.
Thaat: A parent scale of seven swaras used to classify Hindustani ragas. The Bhatkhande system uses ten thaats.
Komal: Flat, in Hindustani music: the lowered form of Re, Ga, Dha or Ni, a half step below the shuddha form. Bhatkhande notation marks it with a line below the swara.
Bageshri: A night raga of Kafi thaat with komal Ga and komal Ni. Its ascent usually leaves out Pa, and its vadi is Ma and its samvadi is Sa.
Swara: A note of Indian music. The seven shuddha swaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.

Sources

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