Raag Yaman

राग यमन

Kalyan thaat Also called: Kalyan Also spelled: Eman, Aiman

The parent raga of the Kalyan thaat and the best-known raga of the evening. Every note except tivra Ma is natural, and many students learn their first bada khayal in it.

Swara map of Raag Yaman: all seven notes, with tivra Ma and the rest shuddha; the ascent starts from mandra Ni rather than Sa; Ga is the vadi and Ni the samvadi; sung in the early evening; Kalyan thaat. — One altered note, tivra Ma, and a climb that starts from the Ni below Sa.

Thaat (parent scale): Kalyan
Jati (type): Sampurna – Sampurna · 7 notes up, 7 down
Vadi (king note): Ga (Gandhar)
Samvadi (minister note): Ni (Nishad)
Time of singing: First quarter of the night (early evening)

Scale and structure

Key rule: Tivra Ma, every other note natural. Phrases usually rise from mandra Ni (Ni Re Ga) rather than straight from Sa.

Aaroha (ascent)

नि (मंद्र) रे ग म॑ प ध नि सां

Avaroha (descent)

सां नि ध प म॑ ग रे सा

Pakad (catch phrase)

नि (मंद्र) रे ग रे सा, प म॑ ग रे सा

Sargam is given in Devanagari, as it is written in practice — a line beneath a note marks it komal (flat), and (मंद्र) marks the lower octave.

Examined at

Level 2 Praveshika First Year Level 4 Madhyama First Year

Other ragas in Kalyan thaat

Bhupali Kedar

Learning this with a teacher

These pages will take you a long way on theory. The singing needs a guru — live online classes, one level at a time, with exam preparation built in.

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